Thinking of starting an exercise program? Before you go out and buy those new shoes or join a health club, consider what kind of program you really need. To help, trainer Lisa Balbach has posted her guide, called How can I Determine an Exercise Program That Meets my Needs?
Start by listing your specific goals for an exercise program: losing weight, toning muscles, increasing flexibility and so forth. Once you know what you want to achieve, you can gear your exercise program toward attaining the desired results.
Most of the advice is common sense: The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you take in; you'll need to do some weight training for muscle tone; stretch if your goal is increased flexibility.
There is a suggested basic exercise program for each goal and advice on how to avoid injury as you get in shape. Of course, as with most advice on exercise and diet, this begins with a warning to consult your doctor before you start.
