My Routine and The Recipe for Exercise!

Since I started this workout adventure I have been asking everyone around me about the ideal "recipe" for exercise. And while I give a lot of credit to my trainers/health coaches for providing new challenges at each and every workout, the one thing I've learned is there are many different ways to make a cake! As a result I've taken a "pinch" here, and an idea or "dash" there, and a "cup" of movements here, to piece together a weekly routine that works. Here is my current plan:

• Mondays and Wednesdays 6-7:15pm Group Workout led by a Trainer. These "circuit training" sessions include warm-ups, weight-training, cardio and stretching exercises, and are the most strenuous of all. Two to three additional colleagues participate along with me. The trainer always challenges us to try new things, even if it is just to perform one exercise, to get a sense of how it feels. These sessions are "must do's" for me.

• Thursdays 6:30-8:00pm Individual Workout. I use everything I learned from my trainers, Cardio Rehab, Trim & Fit and Group Workouts to patch together my own workout sessions. For the Cardio part of the workout, I complete 10-15 minutes on the Windjammer, 10-15 minutes in NU-Step intervals, and 10-20 minutes on the Treadmill (rate of a 20-minute mile). I follow this with two sets each of 25 squats, 25 push-ups and 25 sit-ups. I end the session completing aHuman Sport weight training routine that was set by my trainer, culminating with 10 minute stretch. 

• Saturdays 5:30-7:00pm Individual Workout. I repeat the Thursday evening workout on Saturday.

• Sundays 3:30-5:30pm Water Aerobics Workout. My colleague Deb leads us in 60-70 minutes of water exercises that include warm-ups, cardio exercises and stretching. We follow the workout with a hot tub and lots of pampering.

I am still very new to exercise, and still very curious about how strength, core, flexibility and cardio activities benefit me physically, medically and mentally. This weekly routine was created based on what works now...it is the absolute best recipe available to me at this time. Most certainly, though, this plan will change, as I still have much to learn.

Submitted on Sunday, January 23, 2011.