Exercise Schedule for Weight Loss

Exercise is an important part of our weekly regimen, in order to stay healthy and lose weight. However, within our busy work schedules and personal agendas, it's hard for some people to find time for exercise. How much you should work out in a week depends on how active you are on a regular basis. If you are a very inactive person, you'll need to work your way up to what is expected for weight loss and health benefits, which according to MayoClinic.com, is between 30 and 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week.

Create a Routine

To help you stick to an exercise schedule, write a permanent workout schedule down on paper. Find a free hour each day, whether it is before work, during your lunch hour, right after work, or later in the night. Put aside time at least three to four days per week. Decide if you want to head to a local gym for exercise, meet with a personal trainer or exercise at home to a video. Or, even better, mix it up. By mixing up a routine, you won't get bored quickly and you're more likely to stick to it.

Commit

One of the hardest parts of exercise is sticking with it. If you only exercise for a couple weeks, and then stop the routine, you will most likely gain back the weight you lost. Join a gym, because if you're paying for a membership, it'll make you more apt to use it. Make appointments with a personal trainer, because you'll show up to an appointment. Work out with friends or family members that have a similar schedule so that you can push each other to continue with the routine. All of these methods will help you commit to a routine.

Increase Intensity

TheFactsAboutFitness.com reports that low- to middle-impact aerobic exercises aren't enough to cause weight loss. This includes jogging, walking, swimming and cycling. In order to lose weight with these types of exercise, you need to do them for more than an hour a day, which is a lot of time for people to set aside. Instead, you should do interval training, which uses the same types of exercise, but with a much higher intensity. Take a class, which forces you to keep up with a high-intensity pace. Weight train every other day, because the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn in cardio workouts.