When deciding what exercise will work best for you, it is important to first decide what you are trying to achieve. Do you want to decrease your overall weight? Do you want build lean tissue and “tone up”? Are you a healthy weight and simply want to improve your fitness?

Once you have a goal, you can develop an exercise routine and what parameters you will follow. Using the FITT principle - Frequency, Intensity, Type, Time - is a great way to develop your exercise plan. Below, the FITT principle is discussed in relation to weight loss and operating on an energy deficit with reduced carbohydrate intake.

Frequency

In an ideal world, some form of exercise (planned physical activity) is completed on each day of the week. The reality is that this is not always possible. So to continue to achieve regular exercise without being disheartened, it can help to devise ranges for the weekly frequency of exercise. Aim to complete cardio-type exercise at least four days and resistance type exercise on at least two days of every week. On days when no planned exercise can be completed, then try to be more conscious about your daily activity – incorporate more stairs, walk while taking phone calls, walk to a lunch spot further away from work.

Intensity

For general health and fitness goals, a moderate intensity (can’t sing but can talk) is enough to achieve your desired outcomes. For specific performance goals, usually a high to vigorous intensity (“huff and puff” to exhaustion) is necessary. The benefit of performing more moderate intensity exercise is it may be easier to maintain this routine long term compared to high intensity exercise. This could be due to motivation, energy, injury, or regularity (if you can’t always perform high intensity exercise then any type of fitness will decrease and it is harder to complete). A moderate intensity exercise is also beneficial when calorie intake is lower than normal as it will not exacerbate symptoms of fatigue and hunger.

Type

At the end of the day the most important part of an exercise routine is ensuring that the exercise is completed. This observation may seem obvious but we often set ourselves up for failure by planning to complete exercise that we don’t enjoy or is hard to fit in with our lifestyle. Choose an exercise mode that is compatible with your lifestyle and achievable in the long term. Walking is a great, functional, cardio-type exercise that can be completed anytime and anywhere and can also be used as a social occasion if completed with an exercise partner.

Time

The amount of time you spend on each exercise session can vary depending on the mode of exercise and the intensity. For example, performing high intensity may require a shorter amount of time spent for similar benefits to a more moderate intensity session. As a general guideline, cardio-type and resistance-type exercise should be completed for anything greater than 20 minutes. Unless there are specific performance goals then a session does not need to last longer than 60 minutes.

Where to Start

Exercising effectively is about quality over quantity. Learning what’s best for your body puts you in a better position for quicker results and a sustainable approach to exercise. Chat to your LifeShape Exercise Physiologist about what's best for you.