Part 4 of Design your Perfect Fitness Routine- Create Action Steps, & Get Started!

We've come so far together in this series, Design your Perfect Fitness Routine! We covered components of a successful workout plan in Part 1 of the series, figuring out your starting stats in Part 2, and SMART Goal Setting in Part 3! Hopefully by now you've established 2-4 specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound goals for yourself. You still with me? :) 

Our next steps will be to take the goals we've set for ourselves, and assign a game plan for achieving them- this will be your Fitness Routine! 

For weight loss goals, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• 3500 calories = 1 lb!
• A Healthy Weight Loss Expectation is 1-2 lbs per Week

If you want to loose 1 pound, you need to get rid of 3500 calories; through exercise, through eating less, or a combination of both. As the figure to the right illustrate, decide how you're going to reduce or get rid of those 3500 calories!

Healthy methods only, please- no starvation or crazed exercise is needed!
An example of this in practice:
My BMR: 1,520
320 Calorie reduction x 7 days/week = 2400/week
183 Calories burned x 7 days/week through exercise = 1100/week

Based on this calculation, I was able to design my Fitness Routine. This is where you get to fit your favorite fitness activities into your routine: you can even make a list! A nice way to truly plan this based on how many calories you want to burn is to look up each activity.

Know Calories Burned by Activity
I personally use MyFitnessPal- once you create a profile it will give you a guideline on how much you'll burn. This list is based off of my estimated calories burned, for my height, age and weight (a 5' 0" female, 27 years old, 122 lbs):

Cardio
Spinning 60 mins =390 calories
Running (tread) 30 min s= 277 calories
Elliptical 30 mins = 249 calories
Zumba class 50 mins = 323 calories
Kickbox class 50 mins = 466 calories
Stationary bike 30 mins = 194 calories
Walking 45 mins = 127 calories
Stairmaster 30 mins = 249 calories

Strength Training
Free Weights 60 mins = 166 calories
Weight machines 30 mins = 83 calories
Calesthenics 30 mins = 221 calories
Total Body/Bootcamp class 50 mins = 369 calories


Make your Workout Schedule for the Week
Each week I look at this list (in my head), at the class schedule at my gym, and at my work schedule. Then I figure out when I can fit in a workout, how to get a good balance of cardio, strength training, and balancing/flexibility work for that week.

I want to say as a sidenote that I am not a crazed calorie counter. The reason I made that table on calories burned and used per day was to illustrate that weight loss is definitely a game of numbers.  I also want to be clear that these methods I'm outlined have been working REALLY well for me, but that doesn't mean a) they will be guaranteed fix for you and b) that there are not other ways to be healthy and get fit!

Hopefully this series has been a helpful illustration of how to assess your current fitness level, decide what your fitness priorities, choose your favorite fitness activities, and then create your Fitness Routine based on your fitness goals! Let me know if this works for you, and good luck!