Have you ever looked at a diet or exercise plan and thought, “that’s just not right for me”? Well if so, you can take comfort in knowing that you aren’t the only one. The problem with most diet and workout programs is that they are meant for the general population. As such, they tend to be unsuitable for most people.
This is why your best option is to come up with your own diet and exercise plan. You can then take your specific goals, strengths, and weaknesses into consideration when drawing up your schematic. Of course, if you don’t have much experience in doing this, then you may be confused about what to include or even, where to start.
Well, there’s no need to worry as this guide will walk you through everything that you need to know. So, in the end, figuring out a suitable plan will be an absolute breeze.
How to Put Together a Personalized Exercise Plan
First, let’s tackle how to create a workout plan that will work for you:
Figure Out Your Schedule
Most experts agree that you should be working out around 150 to 250 minutes each week. If you were to divide this between five days of the week, then you will need to work out for between 30 to 50 minutes each day. For some, such a schedule is possible, for others, it isn’t.
So, what should you do if you are too busy to spare half an hour or an hour each day? Well, in this instance, you are going to need to take a closer look at your day. Just how much free time do you have daily? If you are all booked up, try to split your workouts instead — this means that you can work out for around 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening.
Identify Your Specific Goals
No two people are alike when it comes to fitness or even weight loss goals. This is why you will need to stop for a moment and determine just what it is you hope to get out of your workouts. See, for some people, it is about losing fat while for others, it is bulking up. Then, there are those that want to focus on weight loss and toning up, at the same time.
As you can imagine, your exercise plan is going to vary quite a bit, depending on what you hope to achieve. This is what makes it so important to identify what you are hoping to get out of your exercise. Once you have figured this out, you can then move onto the next stage of the plan.
Include a Mix of Cardio and Strength Exercises
One of the benefits of coming up with your own workout scheme is that it gives you some freedom in choosing the exact exercises you want to do. At the same time, it is important to remember that there are some workout elements that you simply have to include. For instance, you need to make sure that you have struck the right balance between cardio and strength training.
For the longest time, people either focused their efforts on cardio or strength training. This was because it was presumed that cardio was strictly for fat loss while strength training was for building muscle. These days, though, it is a widely accepted fact that you need to combine the two.
Understand, strength training produces lean muscle which actually helps you to burn off even more calories and fat. So, it can aid in your weight loss efforts. Cardio is great for helping people maintain or improve their overall muscle mass and physique. After all, you can’t actually see defined muscles if they are hidden under a layer of fat.
So, when stocking up your home gym, make sure to include equipment and machines that can help with both of these exercises. In case you need some guidance with this, check out sites like consumerhelp.guide to find the best reviews and shopping manuals.
Focus on Compound Movements
Another thing to keep in mind when coming up with your workout plan is to include as many compound exercises as possible. So, what are these and why are they important? As the name suggests, compound exercises work several muscle groups at the same time.
There are numerous advantages to this type of workout. To start with, they burn more calories, making fat loss a lot easier to achieve. Since these types of movements elevate your heart rate, it also has the same effect as a cardio workout. Last but not least, these movements can also improve coordination as well as flexibility.
If you are interested in the benefits that compound workouts have to offer, there are a few exercises that you should do. These include dumbbell thrusters, transverse lunges, and renegade rows. The more compound exercises you do, the better your results.
Sorting Out the Issues of Sets and Reps
Once you have determined what exercises you should and shouldn’t be doing, your final question may be regarding sets and reps. In short, just how many will you need to perform, every time that you work out? In the end, this will largely depend on the results you wish to achieve and your general fitness level. As a rule of thumb, though, you can follow the guidelines below:
- General Fitness: 1 — 2 sets, 8 — 15 reps
- Endurance: 2 — 3 sets, up to 12 reps
- Muscle Building: 3 — 6 sets, 6 — 12 reps
How to Create a Customized Diet Plan
Whether you want to lose weight or stay healthy, exercise alone isn’t going to cut it. You will need to make sure that you have a suitable diet plan as well. Here are some ways to create the right diet for you:
Know Your Weak Points
For the most part, you may find it relatively simple to be able to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. However, like many people, there is a good chance that you have that one weak spot that may be dragging you away from your fitness goals. Such tempting foods include chocolate, ice cream, soda, pizza, and burgers.
So, your first step will be to identify just where you are failing. Once you have done that, try to find a way to overcome these cravings. For instance, if soda is your downfall, try to switch to flavored sparkling water or unsweetened ice teas or coffees.
Or, figure out what triggers these cravings and try to distract yourself when they do happen. While this may take some time, with enough self-restraint, you should be able to make it happen.
Count Calories
There has been quite a debate going on about counting calories. In fact, many people have abandoned this process entirely, choosing instead to eat healthy and wholesome food. Now, while keeping track of calories isn’t for everyone, it certainly has its place.
See, the thing is that most people grossly underestimate just how much they eat during the day. So, although you may think that you have your food intake under control, this isn’t necessarily true. You may be overindulging and don’t even know it.
Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that even healthy foods can be high in calories. As such, these, too, need to be consumed in moderation if you don’t want to gain weight. Calorie counting can help with all this.
These days, keeping track of calories has become even easier thanks to diet and fitness apps. Thus, you just have to include the foods that you are eating and your calorie consumption will be automatically calculated. You can then get a more precise idea of just how much you are eating.
Make Healthy Eating Easy
When you try to follow a healthy diet, you often end up shopping and cooking for yourself. It is this effort that can make it so tempting to slip up and simply order in some food instead. To avoid such temptations, try to make this a little simpler for yourself.
To start with, only stock your fridge and pantry with foods that are good for you. You will then have easier access to them. Not to mention, even if you do want to snack on something unhealthy, you will be forced to leave the house.
It is also a good idea to start creating meal plans at the start of every week. Then, you will not have to waste your time trying to figure out what to cook. Furthermore, since you already have the necessary ingredients, cooking will be that much simpler.
Now, there is quite a bit of information here on how to create your fitness and diet plan. However, if you want to be able to lose weight or even just maintain your fitness, these are guidelines that you will need to follow. If you make an effort, you are sure to reap the rewards within a relatively short period of time.
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