How to Design a Fitness Plan

If you’re serious about losing weight, feeling better, and living longer, you can’t approach getting fit without a plan. Vague generalizations about eating healthier foods and exercising more can only get you so far. To truly get fit, you’ll need to design a fitness plan based on your goals, diet, and schedule.

The first step to designing an effective fitness plan is setting realistic goals. If you’re new to the world of fitness, it wouldn’t be realistic to target winning a strongman competition within the first year of your fitness journey. Internet personality and fitness trainer Wesley Virgin recommends, “Decide which parts of your body you want to strengthen or what you want to achieve by exercising. This will change your meal plan, which exercises you do, and how much time you spend exercising.”

Second, you’ll need to choose the right foods for your fitness goals. Wesley Virgin explains, “Someone who’s trying to put on muscle mass should be eating differently from someone who just wants to detox or slim down. Different foods have unique nutritional benefits that serve different purposes.”

Lastly, you’ll need to work around your schedule. If you are a student or full-time employee working many hours, you may have a rigorous schedule with less free time. In these cases, something is better than nothing. “The key is consistency,” Wesley Virgin commented. “If you can only work out 30 minutes a day, it’s better than nothing. If you maintain a disciplined routine and challenge yourself with a healthy amount of intensity, you can still get more fit than you were a year ago.”