Most fitness experts and trainers have super-toned bodies that are sculpted (I can only assume) by many hours in the gym. How do they do it? How much time do they really spend working out? I can't speak for them, but I can tell you what I do to stay in shape. My routine isn't crazy or impossible—it's pretty balanced. I'm always preaching about the importance of moderation and that is what I strive for when I work out. For me, it's not about how many calories I burn (in fact, I don't pay any attention to that), and it's not about trying to look better (although it's a nice perk, I've learned that focusing on the fitness instead of my appearance yields better results). It's about strengthening my heart, muscles, and bones. It's about feeling better about myself, maintaining a healthy body weight, and setting aside a small amount of time for myself in a day that's otherwise full of helping others. In fact, I exercise for all of the same reasons as most of you. So are you ready to see what my weekly routine is like? As a full-time SparkPeople editor, my days revolve around deadlines and schedules. That's OK—I need the structure. But when it comes to my workouts, I keep things flexible. Rather than forcing myself to stick to a specific workout time or a certain workout on a certain day, I set a general rule that I will exercise, but I decide what to do that day on a whim most of the time! No matter what, I meet these fitness goals over the course of the week:
So what does that really look like over the course of a week? It ends up looking like 5-7 days of exercise, usually totaling around 60 minutes per day. Sometimes I do just cardio in a day. Sometimes I do cardio and strength training. Other days I do a short, focused workout because I don't want to spend a lot of time exercising. And most often, I exercise in the evening after work (I am NOT a morning person). I'm 100% flexible on what workout I do on any given day of the week, and I always have a backup plan. I tend to pack my gym bag so that I'll be ready for anything, but if the day wears on and I just want to go home, that's exactly what I do. As long as I'm meeting my general goals above by the time the week is over, I really don't care exactly how I get there! OK so I know that what you really want to see is exactly how this breaks down on a daily and weekly basis. So, referring to my handy tracking calendar (that I love so much!), here are the actual workouts I did during a recent week:
Over the course of the week, I keep my weekly goals in mind and make sure I meet them. After each week, I can look back and analyze what I did and make sure I'm keeping things balanced. For example, I didn't lift any weights in the gym in this sample week, so I'd make sure to do more of that the following week. I hope this goes to show that you don't have to be a marathon runner, yoga enthusiast, or gym rat to attain a well-rounded fitness program or be a fit, healthy person. There is no right or wrong way to do it—as long as you're sticking with a routine that works for YOU! Does it help you to see how the "experts" really eat and exercise? What does your weekly fitness routine look like? Tell us below!
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Tu-Th-Sat outdoor hiking/walking or mall walking 10,000 steps
Su whatever works for total of 60 minutes.and/or 10,000 steps. Report
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salman
href=" http://www.trainwithmeonline.com/pr
ograms.asp " rel="dofollow"workout routines Report
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salman
href=" http://www.trainwithmeonline.com/pr
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To stay fit and fine it is the best way to do regular workouts, It helps in good blood circulations and keep our body healthy and strong.
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It's awesome to see that people others look up to (I know I do ;-) ) don't necessarily go crazy with their workouts and focus on being fit, healthy and feel well in their skin! I need to remember that much more these days for myself...
Thank you!!! Report
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Russ Dotson
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I'm pretty Plain Jane when it comes to routine. I gotta learn to shift things around and get more variety! Right now, I'm doing strength training at the gym Monday and Thursday nights; elliptical on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Sometimes I'll get in a walk on Saturday or Sunday, but I also do yardwork, house cleaning, and other activities on the weekends, so I don't like to overdo it. Report
Thanks for being so honest and it's great to know that you are just one of us!
I related to a lot of what you talked about with the routines and mixing them up. I too, like to do Cardio every time I work out and sometimes more intense than others.
Thanks for sharing of yourself.
Daryl Report
I am a morning person, and so have the mind set that when I exercise first thing in the day, I'm ahead of "the game" for the rest of the day. What one of my typical weeks looks like:
Sunday: yoga 90 minutes
Monday: Hike/run 100 minutes
Tuesday: am: yoga, dance, Core Fusion 80 minutes
afternoon: run 50 minutes
Wednesday: restorative lunar yoga 60-90 minutes
Thursday: run/hike 75-100 minutes
Friday: yoga, dance, Core Fusion 70-100 minutes
Saturday: hike 100-120 minutes
I like doing SparkAmerica and counting my minutes with all the other Californians. I like trying for personal bests and go for 2400-3000 minutes of movement, as illustrated above, per month. I've been between number 30something and 60something in CA for the month every month since I started paying attention in June of last year.
I also love to eat and realize clearly the relationship for myself between input and outgo.
Finally, getting more and more fit grew entwined with loving, more and more, moving and using my body aerobically and muscularly.
It's a win, win, win situation.
I'm so grateful to SP for the infrastructure. And to you, Nicole for all that you bring to the table.
Maddy Report
Then again, some of us like the comfort of a routine and knowing what is scheduled for each day's workout. I really liked when I was training for a 1/2 marathon to have a training schedule and know that today I do XYZ....and then I do it whether I feel like it or not because that is what's on the schedule. Same with strength training, I tend to stick to my routine (although I vary it slightly, add more weight, etc.) because that is what motivates me. Also, unlike you, I like to do my workouts as early as possible during the day because it gets my motor running and also because then that is one thing crossed off my to-do list for the day.
We're all different. Some like the flexibility of doing whatever sounds good on a particular day, others like me can't stick to a routine unless it is "on the books". I basically run 20 miles/week and strength train 2x/week for 30 minutes. Sometimes an elliptical workout to switch things up if the weather is bad. That's it! Report
I really enjoy the camaraderie of the classes, and find that I am less likely to skip a class than skip an unscheduled machine workout at the gym.
And I walk the dog every night, for at least 15 minutes.
Now if I only was doing a better job on the nutrition end of things........ Report
and nicole looks absolutely fantastic! thanks for sharing. Report
Thanks so much for sharing the exercises you did. It does help me to see that you-a slim and fit person- don't spend hours and hours in the gym.
I really appreciate how much you reach out to the members of sparkpeople. Your down to earth low-key positive approach is very inspiring! I especially loved the blog you did last year actually showing the inside of your cupboards!
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