Those of us that wish to loose or control our weight need to have exercise as part of our plan. In developing and exercise plan there are three basics that you need to keep in mind.

1. Stretch: Stretching before exercise warms your muscles and prevents injury.
2. Aerobic Exercise: Plan 20 to 40 minutes of aerobic exercise three to four times a week.
3. Strength Training: Preferably include strength training every other day and no less than twice a week. If you are just getting started and not ready to do both aerobic and strength training yet, start with aerobic exercise.  With aerobic exercise you are exercising your heart muscle and it will help you maintain your weight. Still, if you feel you can work in some strength training you will be far ahead as muscle burns fat.If you are wondering what order you should do your training in, there is an advantage to performing strength training before aerobic exercise? Start all exercise with a bit of stretching and than for the first twenty minutes of your aerobic exercise, you are burning about eighty per cent carbohydrates and twenty per cent fat. If your goal is to lose weight, you want to burn more fat and less carbs, right? The next twenty minutes will get you into about a fifty/fifty mode. You’re burning a greater amount of fat than you were in the first twenty minutes. Beyond forty minutes, you will be burning about eighty per cent fat. Realistically though, most people are not going to exercise for that long. Twenty to thirty minutes of aerobic exercise is about average.If you start out doing a few pushups or setups you actually start the aerobic activity…not much, but it’s a start. So, when you begin your aerobic exercise, you may begin burning that fat a little quicker.

   OK - Now to start! First, find an aerobic exercise you enjoy. This could be bike riding, brisk walking or hiking, jogging or another activity. More than one type of exercise is best as you can keep your workouts interesting and it will help keep your routine from getting stale.

   Let’s say running is an exercise you enjoy and you also like aerobics, like using some of the exercise tapes from Richard Simmons.

   Now, plan your schedule by selecting the days and times you can do the exercise. Make it at least three days a week and do not take more than two days off in a row. The most popular routine is Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

   Most fitness experts highly recommend trying to exercise at the same time on those days; not a necessity but it helps get you into a routine and you’re more likely to continue.

   If you’re not going to do strength training, as mentioned earlier, why not at least do some push-ups.

   Be sure to start your routine with a warm up, and gradually increase the tempo. If you’re following an exercise tape, it’s fairly simple to know what intensity you should be doing. If you are running, try throwing in periods of faster running along the way, followed by slower running. This will really get you in shape.

   Do the aerobic tape routine on some days and on the days you feel like going on a run, go run.

   If you decide to strength train as well, do this two to three times a week! A good routine should include:

   -Biceps Curl
   -Triceps Curl
   -Shoulder Press
   -Bench Press
   -Lunges
   -Calf Raises

   Work up to two to three sets of eight repetitions for each exercise. This will give you a full body workout.

   Do this for a month and see if you don’t feel a difference.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Related Posts

• Fat Burning Exercise Tips
• Exercising In The Heat: 5 tips to help you keep your cool!
• The Pedometer’s Roll in Weight Management
• A Few Daily Steps to Natural Weight Control
• 5 Facts to Help Build Your Exercise Routine