If You Can Make a Sandwich, You Can Plan an Exercise Routine
Coming up with your own exercise routine may seem intimidating or confusing. Where do you start? What parts do you need to include? How can you make sure it’s a good fit for you?
While there are many ways to design an exercise routine, it can help to simplify and think about it like a sandwich.
The bread
This represents the beginning and end of the routine. You should include a warm-up at the beginning and a cooldown after you’re done.
Why is the warm-up important?
It’s necessary in order to prepare your muscles, heart and lungs for higher levels of activity. The muscles need to be stretched dynamically with an increase in blood flow in order to prevent injury, including cramps, strains and sprains. The cardiovascular system needs to increase your heart rate and breathing in order to safely support the increased demand on your body.
In the same way, a cooldown returns the heart rate and blood pressure back to a resting state safely.
The meat
The meat of any exercise routine should be the cardiovascular portion, or “cardio” for short. The American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health recommend that you perform 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise on most days each week. That translates into 30 minutes of cardio on 5 days per week. On a daily basis, that would be 21.4 minutes.
Why is cardio the most important?
Research has shown that including an adequate amount of cardio may help prevent serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, arthritis, low back pain, asthma and dementia.
When you make a sandwich, you can choose turkey, ham, roast beef or any other variety you like. The same goes for a personalized exercise routine. Do you like walking the most? Focus on that. The best form of exercise is the form you will actually do. Other options include swimming, biking, dancing, running or yardwork.
The toppings
Some people like cheese, lettuce, tomato or onion on their sandwich. These supporting players add another dimension to your meal.
For your exercise routine, consider getting some social support from others to help ensure that you commit to and stick with an exercise program. This could mean walking through the neighborhood with a family member while catching up on the day, taking your dog for a walk in the park, or even going to a group exercise class.
The condiments
What about the extras? To jazz up your sandwich, adding mayo, ketchup, mustard or barbeque sauce can make it even more enjoyable.
In your new fitness plan, the addition of weighted exercises can take your exercise routine to the next level. However, if you’re a beginner, you should add weight training only 2-3 days per week to give your muscles time to repair and recover. For planning purposes, 1-3 sets of 8 to 12 reps is a good place to start. You should also begin with lighter weights to get a baseline for what your body can handle, before upping the weight.
If you need support in creating your custom exercise routine and avoiding injuries, you can also get input from a personal trainer or physical therapist.