How to set up a balanced workout program

Any good workout program should include three elements: cardio, strength training, and stretching. I’ve already talked about why each one is important in previous posts. But it can be confusing to know how to put them all together into a fully balanced workout program for the week so you get results.

The type of exercise program you choose should depend on your goals. Since you’re reading my blog you probably have the goal of weight loss or weight maintenance.  But I hope that you’re also interested in building up more strength for a healthier and more toned body.

Weight loss with exercise alone can be difficult, especially in the beginning. This is mostly because you’re not yet that fit and can’t work out very intensely. But people also don’t burn as many calories as they think they do during most activities. Check out this article to see what you might burn for calories by doing specific exercises. It’s eye-opening!

You don’t have to worry about those numbers now though, just start where you are and keep working on it.  You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can progress in a fairly short amount of time. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles starts with just one step! With each new day, you’ll be closer to your goal.

My goal is to teach people how to make exercise as easy as possible so they can get the benefits they’re hoping for from that exercise. You can’t do that unless you have a balanced workout program. So the following program design is what I use for myself and my clients because it’s just that…easy.

Cardio workout program

Cardio, a.k.a. aerobic activity, refers to getting your heart rate up and keeping it up for a period of time. Cardio activities are walking, running, biking, stair climbing, etc. You get it!

The general recommendation for cardio is to do 150 minutes every week. That breaks down to just 30 minutes each day for 5 days or about 22 minutes each day for 7 days. This is just the minimum that’s recommended for general health.

If you want optimal health, do more!

But if you’re trying to lose weight then make your long-term goal one hour on 5 days or 45 minutes on 7 days per week. At this point, that sounds like a ridiculous amount of time, right?! Don’t be discouraged by those numbers right now. You’ll get there. Focus on making exercise a habit first.

Just do what you can in the beginning and work your way up over time. For example, you could start with 15-20 minutes of walking once a day. You could also split up that workout into two sessions per day of 10-15 minutes each if you can’t do it all at once. It’s better to start slow and do more as you’re able. And with practice, you will be able to!

Here are a few other details to keep in mind when it comes to exercise.

No excuses for work!

The fact that you work all day isn’t an excuse for not exercising! Everyone gets a break at work sometimes, and you can walk on a break just as easily as you can after work! You have to get creative. So just walking more throughout your workday is a good goal in the beginning.

Vary your weekly workouts

Ideally, it’s best to vary your exercise routine as much as you can. So walk some days and if you have a bike, ride that some days. If you have access to machines, try an elliptical or stationary bike one or two days a week. This is why gym memberships are so nice, they have lots of equipment you can use. And that makes it easy to keep up your cardio workouts all winter!

The idea is to just get a variety of workout types into your weekly routine. Different exercises require using different muscles, which is what you want.

Higher intensity for a better burn

Another thing to keep in mind about cardio is that higher intensity exercise will burn more calories. If you’re just starting with exercise, do whatever intensity you’re able to. But as soon as you can, start to increase that intensity for a better calorie burn.

Here’s an article that I wrote on how to make walking more effective for weight loss!

How to progress in your workout program

The general recommendation for progressing in your workout program is to first start by adding more time to your routines. Once you’ve worked up in time, then start upping the intensity of them. Either way, you need to make it a daily habit and that requires taking baby steps and starting slow. Be patient!

Related article: Why do cardio for exercise?

Strength workout program

The general recommendation for strength training is to do it 2-3 days a week. And you should always have a day off in-between working muscle groups to rest them. So if you do an upper body workout one day, do a lower body or core workout the next.

“Upper body” means you work the muscles above your waist. “Lower body” refers to all the muscles from your waist down. “Core” means just the torso area; abs and back muscles.

My regular workouts involve cardio every day for 20-30 minutes on my elliptical but some days I walk or bike instead. After that, I do a lower body workout one day followed by an upper body workout the next day. Then on the third day, I focus on just my core, even though I use my core in the other workouts too. For example:

• • Monday: 30 min cardio then upper body strength workout
  • Tuesday: 30 min cardio then lower body strength workout
  • Wednesday: 30 min cardio then  a core workout

And I keep repeating this pattern every few days. This keeps me on a balanced workout program that works for me. And I know that each day it takes about the same amount of time to exercise.

Another easy option is to do just cardio 5 days a week and set aside the other 2 nonconsecutive days just for full-body strength workouts. For me, doing a full-body workout in one day seems exhausting! So I like to split it up and do a little every day.  That way my cardio is also my warm-up for my strength workout. But you do whatever feels best for you.

Schedule your workouts to make sense for you

I like to do my “regular” workouts during my workweek. On the weekends, if the weather cooperates, I like to do other activities like biking or hiking outdoors in the summer. That way it feels more rewarding, like a “date” with my husband because we usually ride or hike together. Remember, dates don’t always have to involve eating out!

I’m a big believer in keeping a schedule to stay on track and productive. So I think it’s important to write your workout on a calendar each day. That way you can look back and see how you’ve done over the month, which can either be gratifying or disappointing! But it also helps you to know where you left off last.

Figuring out what works best for you will help you to be consistent with your exercise routine.

Related article: 5 Benefits of strength training for women.

Stretching for flexibility

Stretching should be done at least 2-3 days each week but I think it’s important enough to do every day. Stretching gives us more flexibility which is important for a healthy body. But unfortunately, it’s the part of an exercise program that people most often skip. That might be because they forget, they don’t want to take the time, or they just don’t think it’s helpful.

Maybe flexibility seems less important to some because it doesn’t help us to lose weight or gain muscle. What it does is keep our bodies in balance which helps to reduce pain and increase mobility. It also helps with functional movements for everyday activities, like bending over or reaching.

If you’re exercising consistently, stretching should be done at the end of every workout. When you use your muscles you’re contracting, or shortening them. So it makes sense that they need to be stretched back out so they don’t continue to keep getting shorter. Read more about that here.

If muscles never get stretched out they can become “tight” and are more likely to be injured. This is also a huge problem for non-exercisers that sit most of the day. Too much sitting causes many of our muscles to become unnaturally short, while others lengthen too much.

So whether we’re exercising or not, stretching should be something we do most days of the week for good flexibility and mobility.

Related article: Stretching for flexibility: Why it matters.

My final thoughts

It’s easy enough to look up different exercises to work our hearts and our muscles. It’s not as easy to come up with an actual balanced workout program that puts them all together in the most effective way. Especially for beginners.

I like to make my life easy and take the thinking out of my daily routines. So when I go to my workout space I know exactly what I need to do that day. That’s how we turn healthy choices into habits. The less we have to think, the more likely we are to follow through.

So now that you know how to set up a balanced workout program, get to it and reap the rewards!

Let me know in the comments below if you’re already doing this and how. And if not, what’s been holding you back from moving forward with a fitness program?