Feeling overwhelmed about what your exercise routine “should be”? Read this!
It’s currently July of 2024 as I am writing this blog post and there is NO shortage of information on the internet these days. In fact, it can be overwhelming for many people due to the overwhelming amount of information and not knowing what information is accurate, who to trust, what to do, what to believe, etc etc etc.
First, take a deep breath. You know more than you think you do, trust your inner knowing. Second, my recommendation is to find the 3 to 5 people that you trust on social media or websites or whatever technology you consume and follow them and then unfollow the rest. (what I mean by that is 3 to 5 people on any certain topic, for example, health and fitness, interior design, nutrition, so on and so forth) Our brains can only handle so much information and to decrease the overwhelm, do yourself a favor and unfollow!
I am going to share some information about the current exercise guidelines, some suggestions, and some things I wish I would have known years ago.
Currently, the exercise guidelines are as follows:
According to the CDC the current exercise guidelines for adults—
Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, such as 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
Adults also need 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity each week.
This is directly from the CDC website. These are the MINIMUM requirements. If you go beyond this, that is great. This is the minimum, if you are not currently meeting the above guidelines, this is where to begin. If you are not currently meeting the above guidelines, you will have negative health outcomes.
If you aren’t sure where to begin or what type of exercise is “best”, that is okay. A lot of people feel that way! My recommendation is to start trying different types of exercise, you won’t know what you enjoy until you start to try. If you are currently a non-exerciser and are just beginning, be aware that it may not feel great at first and you may not enjoy anything, that can happen. It will feel difficult at first and it will be tiring, you are putting your body under a new type of stressor (even though its a good stress, it’s still a stress). SO…KEEP GOING!! Don’t give up on yourself. You will reach a point where you will feel better and more energized after exercise. Our bodies are MADE TO MOVE. We are not meant to be sedentary. Movement is medicine. Movement is necessary for a healthy and fulfilling life.
If you are new to strength training, I HIGHLY recommend hiring a personal trainer or reaching out to someone that is very knowledgable in this space because you do not want to learn how to lift weights with the incorrect form… that is a recipe for injury! If you need support, please reach out, I would love to help. If you don’t currently strength train, I would encourage you to read THIS BLOG POST about why it’s important to lift weights. If you aren’t lifting weights, please start.
Here are a few things I wish I would have known years ago about exercise:
MORE IS NOT BETTER. More exercise does not equal better. Our bodies can adapt to what we train them for, however we MUST include rest. Quality matters, recovery matters, rest matters just as much as the workout. Yes our bodies are made to move AND they also need adequate rest to properly recover and rebuild from the workouts.
If you are exercising a lot and under eating carbs, your body will NOT do well. Do not fear carbs. :)
Lifting weights will NOT make you bulky. Go read the blog post I linked above about weight lifting to understand the reasons we need to be lifting weights.
Lifting weights WILL BE UNCOMFORTABLE. If you are not pushing yourself in the gym, you are missing out on lots of progress and muscle growth. Push yourself, get used to being uncomfortable. That’s part of it! If your reps aren’t slowing down by the end of your set, you are not lifting heavy enough. Making faces is fully expected and acceptable :)
I COULD LIST SO MANY MORE BUT WILL STOP HERE!!
I am going to lay out two different ideas for exercise plans—
Monday: cardio (30-45 mins)
Tuesday: strength training (30-45 mins)
Wednesday: cardio (30-45 mins)
Thursday: strength training (30-45 mins) + walk
Friday: rest day (walk)
Saturday: strength training (30-45 mins) + walk
Sunday: rest day (walk)
OR
Monday: strength training (30-45 mins)
Tuesday: yoga
Wednesday: walk or cardio
Thursday: strength training (30-45 mins) + walk
Friday: rest day (walk)
Saturday: cardio (60 mins)
Sunday: rest day (walk)
You can modify these based on your fitness level and move around the activities to different days based on your schedule/needs. The first example has 3 days of strength training while the second example has 2 days of strength training. I would recommend two days of strength training MINIMUM!! You can do more but make sure to incorporate 1-2 rest days per week from strength training/more intense cardio. (a gentle walk is totally fine on a rest day, our bodies are made to move)
There are TONS of different ways that you can lay out your week of exercise and I could come up with lots of different variations. Don’t overthink it, just MOVE YOUR BODY! Any movement is GOOD MOVEMENT! :)
If a workout plan is something you are wanting support with, please reach out and I can customize a plan based on your individual needs.
***I am also in the very beginning stages of creating a 6 week workout program that will be downloadable from my website. I am so excited to be able to reach more people to support them on their fitness journey!
STAY TUNED!!
