- The cardiovascular work in the basic workout program is very light, since this is intended to supplement someone playing on a sports team already. You should perform at least 20 minutes of moderate to high intensity cardiovascular training at least three days/week. Training at or above 75% of max heartrate for much of that, with spurts or intervals above 85% (see self-improvement page for HR tracking devices).
- Make movement a part of your life. Even working out an hour each day won’t keep you fit if you spend the rest of your day sitting in a chair. Get up and move around frequently. No excuses here, as there are plenty of office or home options including standing desks, walking meetings, stretch/movement breaks, etc. Again, personal tracking devices can help here.
- As you add to the strength training, focus more on large muscle groups (upper legs, back, chest, shoulders) and big movements such as squats, lunges, pull movements (rows, pull-ups), and push movements (chest presses, push-ups). Even better if you add in whole body movement techniques such as Pilates or yoga. The small muscle groups (e.g. biceps/triceps/calves) will receive enough stimulation that they won’t require special focus unless you are a body builder.
- Find things that are fun to do and enjoyable to you. Hiking, sports, martial arts (especially jiu-jitsu), forms of boating or surfing, and even active sightseeing can all be excellent sources of physical, mental, and spiritual exercise. Swimming–especially in natural water–can be the absolute best form of low-impact but up to high intensity (cardiovascular and strength training) aerobic exercise.
- Treat your joints well with both active and static stretching. As noted in the sample workout, joint mobility is essential to accompany your strength training. Videos will eventually be added to accompany this section, but this dynamic stretching is generally done by bringing the muscles to extent of their flexibility under load. This is great to do prior to lifting or in between strength training sets. And of course static stretching after a workout or on a recovery day.
- Listen to your body and balance sleep and recovery. Recovery doesn’t have to be a complete rest day, though. Maybe skip the running and weights and go for an uphill hike when your muscles or body needs more time to recovery. Heart-rate variability (see here or here or just google it) is a great tool for gauging your readiness level (see self-improvement page).
- Remember that all aspects of health are inter-related, so your diet, sleep habits, and mental fitness will all impact and be impacted by your physical well-being, fitness, and performance.