How To Get In Shape by Working Out

Getting in shape is a common goal, but what exactly does it mean and how do you do it? Getting in shape is a personal experience, that depends on your age, preferences, lifestyle and other factors. Take for instance, a mom with four kids may have different goals from a mountain climber. In simple terms, getting in shape simply means working your body more than you are doing. Your body grows stronger with you as you do more than what you're used to. Thus, getting you in better shape than you were before. If your goal is to get in shape, some basics will need explanation: Cardio burns calories and helps your heart and lungs work efficiently. Strength training aids in building lean muscle tissue while strengthening your bones, muscles and joints, flexibility exercises to improve your range of motion, and rest so your body can recover and grow stronger. Cardio is a great exercise to get in shape. Cardio exercise includes any rhythmic activity that gets you into your target heart rate zone. Other exercises, include walking, running, aerobics, cycling, swimming and dancing. You can even use daily chores such as raking leaves or shoveling snow as long as you’re able to keep your movement consistent in order to raise your heart rate. How to get started: Choose any cardio activity that's accessible and enjoyable. Schedule cardio workouts for at least 3 days a week. Begin your workout with a comfortable 5-10 minute warm up to raise your heart rate. Increase your intensity by increasing speed, adding hills, resistance or incline (or a combination) until you're just out of your comfort zone (Level 5 or 6 on the Perceived Exertion Scale). Maintain that pace for 15-30 minutes or for as long as you can, adjusting your intensity as needed to stay at Level 5 or 6. End your workout and lower your heart rate with a cool down and light stretch. Each week, increase your workout time by a few minutes until you can work continuously for 30 minutes a session. Trying new activities and/or adding more intensity helps with progression. Strength training is another major technique used to get in shape. The workout program focuses on working all the major muscle groups. How to get started: Choose about 8-10 exercises, ones that target the major muscle groups, including the lower body, chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps and abs. Beginners should do 1 set of 15 reps for each exercise. Choose weights that allow you to complete 15 reps with the last rep being the hardest.