Effective fitness plans promote positive changes in more than just the physical aspect of a person's life. An effective fitness can plan lead to improvement in the areas of intellectual, social, emotional, occupational and spiritual wellness. There are several key components that are part of an effective fitness plan, giving you the best possible chance to obtain long lasting results.
Personalized
Effective exercise programs are personalized to meet the unique fitness needs of an individual. When your fitness plan caters to your physical, mental, social and emotional needs, then you are much more able to see the plan as something you can make a regular part of your lifestyle. In the December 1991 Journal of "Perception and Motor Skills," researchers published a study on children and the outcomes of personalized fitness programs versus generalized fitness programs. Results of the study revealed that fitness programs that were geared towards a child's fitness level and personality were more effective than fitness programs that were more general in nature.
Specificity
While you want to personalize your fitness plan, you also want to make sure that the program is specific to the fitness goals you are trying to achieve. For example, If your two biggest fitness goals are to increase your cardiovascular endurance and increase the size of your muscles, then you must incorporate cardiovascular training and weightlifting into your program and not just do one or the other.
Progressive
Effective fitness plans are not stagnant. They incorporate regular challenges to see greater results. This means that over time your exercise plan needs to increase how much you lift, how many times a week you work out and the length of the workouts in the plan in order to get tangible results. The body adapts quickly when you do the same thing over and over again, so providing a plan that progresses gradually is important for sustained results.
Well Rounded
When a fitness plan lacks diversity an exerciser will only gain benefits that are related to the activities she is doing. Sticking with the same exercise or set of activities encourages the body to change in only those areas and not in other areas that need attention as well. In the 1998 issue of "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise," researchers indicated that exercisers need to incorporate different modes of exercise to obtain significant results. A well-rounded exercise program incorporates resistance training, cardiovascular endurance training and flexibility work.
Engaging
A highly effective exercise plan is one that keeps you interested so that you can adhere to it. While this may seem like an obvious fact, many exercisers forget that choosing activities that they like will increase the likelihood that the fitness plan will become a regular and valued part of an active lifestyle. For example, if you like to swim and hike then swimming and hiking should be staples of your exercise program. An effective fitness plan should not be filled with activities that you absolutely don't like to do.
References
- "Perception of Motor Skills." Effectiveness of a personalized fitness module on knowledge, attitude, and cardiovascular endurance of fifth-grade students: "heart smart". D. Mott, S. Virgillo, B. Warren, G. Berenson. 1991.
- "Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise." Acsm Position Stand: The Recommended Quantity And Quality Of Exercise For Developing And Maintaining Cardiorespiratory And Muscular Fitness, And Flexibility In Healthy Adults. M. Pollock, et. al. 1998.
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