February 13, 2022: How Often to Work Out

My weekly Get Your Stuff Together Sunday email series gives you one actionable focus for the week that will make your life a little easier.

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You’ve made some big changes to your activity levels, but how do you know when it’s enough? This week, we’re going to talk about how often you should work out.

There is really no good answer for this—because everyone is on their own fitness journey. But, here’s some general guidance.

If you’re just starting out, or you’re a newbie to the whole exercise routine, then once a week is better than nothing. Although once a week may not do anything to rapidly change your body, it’s going to help build the foundation you need to maintain a great exercise routine.

And this is a great thing.

If you’re used to exercising—or you’re not a complete newbie—then you should focus on getting in at least 2-3 days each week. This may be very different from what health clubs are trying to sell you on. They may tell you that you need to work out every day—or at least 5 days a week to really see results.

Is this true?

Actually, it’s not—especially if you’re new to exercise. Going from the couch to exercising 5 days a week is an unreasonable demand to place on your body. It’s also not going to last if you want to be an overachiever and attempt it.

Not only are you pushing your body too hard, and too fast...you could suffer an injury, therefore halting the progress on your workout.

As you get stronger, and you become more experienced at exercise, you can start playing with various programming and exercise options. But if you’re starting out, the best recommendation is to start off slowly and increase duration, frequency, and intensity as you become more comfortable with your program and routine.

The take home message on how often you should workout is: Start off slow. Focus on 1-2 days a week at first, then progress to 2-3 days a week. Be sure to include cardiovascular work, and a short strength training circuit targeting the major muscles in your body, and a flexibility program. In between those workout days, get in some light activity daily, like walking, chores, playing with your children, etc.

Remember, there is really no magic number to how many days you should workout. A slow, steady, and gradual approach to exercise will (1) prevent injuries from occurring, and (2) prevent burnout from your workout program.

Follow this simple approach, and you should see some pretty great changes occur in your body.

Next Sunday, we’ll talk about whether you should hire a trainer or just join a gym to up your fitness game.

Want some expert help with reaching your health goals painlessly? Check out my programs! We’ll get everything taken care of in a way that fits into your current lifestyle so you never have to think about your health again.

Do you have a friend who could stand to G(her)ST? Feel free to forward this!

I hope you have a wonderful week,

Kelly

Kelly Morgan, Ph.D.

Tsirona - www.tsirona.com

My weekly GYSTS email give you one actionable thing to do for the week that will make you life a little easier. As "they" say, "Fail to plan; plan to fail." Get these emails (and more!) delivered right to your inbox by clicking HERE.