How To Design A Basic Exercise Program For The Forty Plus Adult

By Roy Gutierrez

Robin, a healthy forty-six year old working mother of twocollege students needed to lose thirty pounds. Shehad been on many diets in the past but always gained the weight back. By following a custom tailored exercise planalong with only slight changes to her nutrition she achievedher goal and has never felt better.

How did she do it?

After getting her Doctor's approval she enlisted the helpof a Health and Fitness Professional. Together they designeda custom exercise plan by looking closely at the followingcomponents of long term fitness success.

A. Frequency - How many days per week do you need to exercise?This depends on how active you are on a daily basis, your health concerns and your fitness level. Robin rates her daily activity level atwo, five is very active. She was cleared by her physician to start ata basic level exercise program. Her program requires her to move more on a daily basis so she will exercise five to six times per week.

B. Intensity - How hard do you need to work to get results withoutplacing yourself at risk for injury or unnecessary aches and pain?When was the last time you were committed to exercising regularly?If it was more than two years ago you'll need to start from scratchat a level that is just slightly above your resting heart rate. Investingin a heart rate monitor is a very good idea. Robin wasted no time ingetting this all important tool to keep her in the prescribed heart ratezone.

C. Time - How long should each exercise session last?Starting with easy aerobic exercise (walking is a good example) forapproximately ten to fifteen minutes. Perform stretching, strengthand conditioning exercises for about twenty to thirty minutes or continue doing aerobic exercises at a slightly higher heart rate level.Finish with at least five minutes of easy walking to cool down.

D. Exercise - What type of exercise is best?The best exercise is the exercise you can stick with over the longhaul and not injure yourself. Think about what you do daily startingwith walking, sitting, standing, reaching, bending, lifting, carryingand most importantly, breathing. This type of exercising will makeyou more functional on a daily basis. In the gym it is called cardiovascular, flexibility and strength exercises.
When combined properly, F.I.T.E. (frequency, intensity, time, exercise)will keep you injury free, improve your health, slow the aging process and burnoff excess body fat.

Roy Gutierrez is the owner of a successful personal training business in Florida. He has been helping his personal training and weight loss clients achieve their goals for more than fifteen years. You can receive his free online e-newsletter when you visit [http://www.stayfitafterforty.com]www.stayfitafterforty.com for more information.