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Exercise Time Management in Bucks County

By Kareem F. Samhouri, DPT, CSCS, HFI

Establishing a routine with exercise is more difficult for most people than just about anything else they do. In actuality, it's not that hard once you've been doing it for a little while. Most people that struggle with finding time for exercise are doing so because they are trying to "fit in" exercise, depending on the events for the day. Establishing a routine with exercise involves planning it into your schedule, developing workouts ahead of time, and mixing things up.

In order to be effective with your exercise program, you'll need to schedule appropriately. This means that you'll be more likely to succeed with your health and fitness goals if you schedule a specific time of the day to exercise for an entire month. The time of day does not have to be the same each day (although this is recommended), but it does have to be pre-scheduled, just as you would a doctor's appointment.

Establishing an exercise routine also involves developing workouts ahead of time. My most successful clients all plan their workout routines for a week at a time, instead of day by day. The advantage of this, of course, is that you will choose a larger variety of exercise, stimulate new areas for strengthening each week, and have a targeted plan to reach all areas of your body. When you consider it, exercise selection today should affect tomorrow's workout anyway, right?

Knowing when to repeat exercise with a muscle group can be a difficult decision, although this is another topic in itself. Traditionally, most fitness professionals would recommend you rest at least two days before repeating a muscle group when exercising for pure strength. On the other hand, exercising for endurance may allow you to repeat exercises and muscle groups more frequently.

Last, in an effort to establish a routine with exercise, it's important that you are not bored, and that you continue to get results. By mixing things up, or constantly choosing different exercises, you are preventing your body from adapting to the same exercise routine over time. With a constantly changing stimulus, you are setting yourself up for success with your goals, thereby increasing fat loss benefits and fitness results. An exercise routine that is constantly repeated becomes easy, as our bodies adapt to repeated stressors over time by increasing efficiency. For this reason, long-distance runners are able to sustain a great speed for prolonged times. This however, will not work to burn as many calories and keep your body guessing. Use caution when designing your exercise routine, as compliance directly relates to your exercise success.

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