I think it’s incredibly important to break up your week of fitness into different types of training. In my experience, a balanced approach will benefit your body more. I like to think about it in terms of the spokes of a wheel – without all the spokes in the right position, the wheel can’t spin smoothly. And if one spoke is missing, you would still get to your destination but the ride would be pretty clunky.
The different types of training I include in a week of fitness include endurance, strength, balance and flexibility. I’ll mix up the emphasis in different weeks depending on how I’m feeling and what my schedule looks like. But I feel it’s very important to include all aspects, for the following reasons.
ENDURANCE
The endorphins we produce during cardio exercise are far better than any stimulant available, and without the downside.
Call it endurance, aerobic or cardio exercise, but it should be the cornerstone of your training program because these activities keep your heart, lungs and circulatory system healthy by increasing your heart rate and breathing.
The recommended minimum of aerobic activity is 30 minutes per day (but remember a five-minute walk around the block is better than nothing at all). You can mix it up to suit your preference, the weather and where you are. Mixing it up also keeps it interesting, so choose from a brisk walk, an uphill walk, jogging, dancing, running, swimming, rowing, skipping, a game of tennis, climbing stairs – whatever gets you puffing for half an hour.
If you’re looking to build up your aerobic training, there are three areas to concentrate on – increasing your speed, increasing the resistance (for example, going up a gear on your bike) and increasing the length of time you are exercising. It’s important, however, to also include strength-focused exercise to complement the endurance factor.
STRENGTH
Essentially, this type of training makes your muscles stronger. So if you add strength to stamina, it not only helps with your aerobic workouts, it can make a big difference in everyday activities like carrying the shopping, lifting the kids and climbing stairs.
Strength training also increases your bone density, makes your heart strong, reduces your resting blood pressure, improves blood flow, halts muscle loss, helps control blood sugar, improves cholesterol levels and improves your balance and coordination.
For a basic strength program, working out on three or four days a week is plenty. In fact, this is one of those situations where more is not necessarily better because your muscles need time between sessions to repair and get stronger.
BALANCE
This is where your core is at focus. If you search online for balance or core exercises, you’ll get a lot of information about exercises for the elderly – but no matter what age you are, it’s never too early to start balance exercises because they will benefit you now and in the long term.
I like to think of these as exercises for balance rather than the core because it’s about more than the abdominal muscles, which is where core work focuses. But your core is much more than that – it consists of lots of different muscles that run the complete length of your torso working together to stabilise your pelvis and spine.
Balance training improves your posture and helps protect against back pain, and a strong core helps your body support your spine. Working on balance also benefits the mind – I have noticed more clarity, focus, gratitude and mental strength in my training.
Balance training includes slow movement classes such as tai chi, yoga, Pilates and barre. I like to incorporate some type of balance in all of my workouts, which may mean ending a cardio session with 5–10 minutes of yoga poses.
FLEXIBILITY
Balance’s best friend is flexibility, which comes from effective and regular stretching. When we’re short on time, this step is often overlooked as many people think of stretching as just a part of a quick warm-up. But our flexibility is as equally important as endurance, strength and balance, and needs its own special attention.
Stretching increases blood flow and circulation, helps reduce muscle tension, reducing the risk of injury, and helps improve your posture, your confidence and even your mood.
The key to flexibility is consistency, because it doesn’t take long for our bodies to tighten up. Doing stretches every day can make a big difference to how you feel. And for the best effect, do them throughout the day, whether you are exercising or not. Getting out of your chair and spending 5 minutes stretching can be a great alternative to drinking a cup of coffee or eating a bar of chocolate to pep you up when you’re feeling tired.
Yoga and tai chi involve good amounts of valuable slow stretching, so incorporating a class of either (or both!) in your fitness plan is a good idea. Neck and shoulder rolls, seated cow and cat positions to stretch the spine, twists you can do while sitting, arm stretches, and ankle and wrist rolls are all examples of stretches you can do sitting at your desk, in the car at traffic lights, or even in the bathroom during a toilet break. At home, I love stretching out on my lounge room floor while Violet is playing.
Go for achievable and accessible
Below is a table showing an example of how I put these principles together to create my weekly fitness schedule. As I said previously, it very much depends on what’s happening for me in my work schedule and my family commitments during that week.
The key is to be realistic and work towards a combination of endurance, strength, balance and flexibility that suits you and your week. Keep it simple to start with and you can add interesting twists and increased degrees of difficulty gradually as you go along.
Most of all, as far as possible, include exercise that you will enjoy. If you’re thinking of trying swimming but you’re not a confident swimmer or really can’t comfortably commit to the extra time it takes to get to the pool, get changed, swim, shower and get dressed again, don’t include it as a core fitness activity. Especially to begin with, you need achievable fitness activities that you like in a timeframe that works.
An example of what my weekly fitness schedule may look like:
Monday |
STRENGTH I design a circuit class on my balcony at home. It includes a warm-up and cool-down, as well as a mix of 5–6 free bodyweight exercises and as many reps as I can for each exercise. I usually do three rounds. When I’m feeling stronger I add resistance through dumbbells or resistance bands. |
Tuesday |
CARDIO I take a dance class with my husband, Misha, for an hour. We work through mini routines or, if I don’t have time to get into the studio, I practise on my own in the lounge room with the music up. |
Wednesday |
FLEXIBILITY / BALANCE I dedicate one day to a yoga or pilates class. I practise meditation and stretch daily but I like to spend 30–40 minutes working deeper on my flexibility, balance and core strength. |
Thursday |
STRENGTH Same as Monday. |
Friday |
CARDIO The tradition in our family is that on Friday night we always have a dance sweat session – Misha runs a 45-minute technique class, followed by coupled dancing. This is my favourite time of the week and the best, most intense workout by far. |
Saturday |
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX On saturday I like to get outside and do something new or interesting with Violet and Misha or my friends. Some favourites are taking a swim in the ocean followed by a soft-sand run, taking a soccer ball to the park, joining a friend’s touch football game or going for a run. |
Sunday |
DAY OF REST I always do something nice for myself on Sunday and use the day to really relax and give thanks for my good health. |
So now, why don’t you get your diary and think about what kind of exercise you can and would like to do, and when, and write it down. There’s no need to get anxious about the detail at this stage because your ‘move’ plans will evolve and change over time. The important thing is to get them down on paper and picture yourself doing them. Come Monday and it’s pouring with rain, that’s not a problem – swap your 15-minute park run for a mini circuit indoors. Flexible thinking is just as important as a flexible body when you’re jogging down that path to fitness, happiness and good health. Good luck, girl!
