Putting together a well-rounded fitness routine is one of the best things you can do to start leading a healthier and more gratifying life. Combined with a wholesome diet, structured physical exercise can minimize your risk of developing chronic diseases, improve your focus, enhance your coordination, and help you sleep better and feel more energized, among countless other benefits.

With motivation and consistency, you’re bound to see noticeable improvements in no time. Follow our guide for practical tips on how to create your own fitness program.

Assess Your Fitness Level

While we all have some idea of where we stand athletically, it’s important to begin by determining your fitness level. This process includes your aerobic and muscle fitness, flexibility, and body composition. First, take accurate body measurements and calculate your BMI. Next, time how long it takes you to run one kilometer or mile; note your pulse rate before and after. Then, count how many pushups you can do, and while seated, see how far forward you can reach with your legs stretched. All this will help you establish benchmarks from which to move forward.

Establish Your Goals

Once you’ve assessed how fit you are, take a moment and consider your objectives. Do you want to lose weight? Build more muscles? Perhaps you want to increase your stamina and endurance? Whatever they may be, setting your goals not only helps you stay motivated, but it also enables you to choose specific exercises and track your progress. With this knowledge in mind, you’ll be able to customize a workout plan and weekly schedule effortlessly.

Use a Fitness App

Speaking of which, one of the most effective ways to plan a fitness routine is by downloading and using a dedicated app. With hundreds of choices on the online market, be sure to choose a comprehensive app that can track your vitals, offers personalized training plans and workout tutorials, provides nutrition tips, and more. With some research, testing, and comparing, you’ll have no trouble finding a platform that will help you tailor your own routine based on your goals and needs. If you can afford to, hire a personal trainer for regular sessions.

Diversify Your Workouts

Many people are under the impression that getting fit necessarily entails hitting the gym 3 to 4 times a week… Misconception! By definition, any fitness activity is one that will enable you to be active, burn calories, and increase your metabolic rate for optimal oxygen distribution. This can be achieved with something as simple as walking or taking the stairs. Now, for better results, choose activities that appeal to you outside the gym; tennis, swimming, cycling, kayaking, or Zumba are among the best fitness exercises.

Work Fitness into Your Daily Routine

Planning your life around fitness rarely works and can lead to sports addiction, a recently recognized, serious condition. Instead, incorporate it into your everyday life gradually until it becomes part of your normal routine. 

Besides, going all out on your first few days of exercise is the surest way to strain your muscles and have you throw in the towel. As such, starting easy and advancing at your own pace is primordial.

Exercise Wisely

As mentioned, working out for too long or too intensely can be counterproductive. It’s great to test your limits, but it’s even more important to find a rhythm that works for you. Especially when you begin getting used to exhausting yourself physically, your body will need extra time to rest and recover after your workouts. So, do yourself a favor, and avoid zealous workouts; this will avert serious strains, soreness, and potential injuries.

Mind Your Diet

Lastly, but most importantly, getting fit invariably involves watching what you put in your body. Our organisms need quality, nutritious foods along with plenty of hydration to function and develop. As such, seek to progressively cut out junk foods, sodas, and other empty calories. This will do wonders for your alertness, cognitive abilities, even for your skin. You’ll find plenty of online resources on how to adopt a more wholesome diet with lots of delicious and easy-to-make recipes.

All things considered, creating a healthy and efficient fitness routine requires you to factor in several important considerations. From getting to know your own body to their choice of workout plans, diets, and more, most people manage to strike a balance with trial-and-error. So, to adopt the right practices and habits, make sure you conduct thorough research and experiment until you feel satisfied with the well-rounded routine you have established. Remember that keeping track of your progress is what will drive your motivation and help you keep your eyes on the prize!

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