As we hope you understand by now, this is not an exercise book. It’s a change-your-life book. But so many people ask us how to get started that we’ve devised this simple outline of a regimen. Use it to get started. Change it up. Make it your own.
Your first goal is to do forty-five minutes of long and slow aerobic exercise without any discomfort. In other words, you should be able to get your heart rate up to 60–65 percent of your maximum and keep it there during a forty-five-minute bike ride or hike while carrying on a conversation. (If you’ve forgotten how to figure out your maximum heart rate, it’s simple. Subtract your age from 220. That’s rough, but it will do for now.)
At the beginning, do only what you can do. Try an aerobic machine at the gym—the stationary bike, treadmill, stair climber, elliptical trainer. Jump in the pool and swim a few laps. Take a walk. Maybe ten minutes will tire you out. Maybe you’ll be exhausted after five. That’s fine; quit. Maybe your heart rate spikes. Quit. That’s also fine. Just get up the next day and do what you can. Keep at it until you can reach that forty-five-minute mark. If that means you’re working out at Level One for the rest of your life, great. Just make sure you’re out there six days a week, doing what you can.
This level is not complicated. Do forty-five minutes of long and slow aerobic exercise four days a week. Do forty-five minutes of weight training—don’t forget to warm up first—two days a week. Go to a trainer until you know what you’re doing in the weight room. Then don’t forget to go.
Here’s where you get to have fun. You’re still out there six days a week, but you’re mixing it up. Do forty-five minutes of long and slow one or two days a week. On your remaining cardio days (remember, you’ve got to do aerobics at least four days a week) go all out, reaching 70–85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Maybe you want to play around with some interval training, even hitting 85–100 percent of max for a couple of minutes, just to see what it feels like. Do weight training two days a week. You can combine aerobics and weight training on single days . . . but get out there.
And for your special Level Three bonus, do at least one day a month of extra-long long and slow. Could be a two-hour hike to your favorite fishing hole or a three-hour bike ride down a country road. Whatever you like.
But get out there. Have fun. Show up six days a week.