You’ve made the choice to begin working out.
Now what??

How do I know what workout to do? What’s the best choice?

These are a couple of the questions I get in messages on a regular basis. First comes the decision to make a change and then all the questions. It’s good to ask questions though. It’s important to ask yourself more or you could end up doing a workout that you don’t like. Or a program that doesn’t get you the results you are wanting from your plan. Then you’re 7-28 days in and you’re ready to quit.

For me. I was up late watching an infomercial after my youngest was born, and I was in the worse shape of my life. I had put on lots of weight over the years, gained even more while pregnant, and then had emergency gallbladder surgery 1 month postpartum. Surgery didn’t go well and my recovery took most of the year. It was a recipe for disaster mixed with depression, anxiety, and the strong desire to wear shorts in the summer. I wanted to say good-bye to capris and gaucho pants for good, or at least not wear them as a way to hide my thunder thighs. I made the decision to change but didn’t know what to do.

So the infomercial led me to a program, where I thought I was going to develop stronger core and lose weight. Well I got one out of the two. I got a stronger core. Which at the time I could give two shakes about, if you know what I mean. I didn’t lose weight. I focused for 60 days and nothing. I must admit I didn’t ask myself any real questions before venturing on this journey. I just jumped in with both feet and started swimming. So at least I got something, right?

So here are a some questions you need to ask yourself before you jump in with both feet and don’t “waste” 60 days of your time and effort.

5 Questions to Help You Decide
The Best Workout Program For You

1. What are your fitness goals?
   Are you wanting to lose weight, gain muscle, tone up? Do you want to have more endurance to run a marathon or maybe just a 5k? Do you want the energy to run around with your kids, walk up the stairs without losing your breath, and not feel like you’ve been hit by a truck at the end of the day? Or were you like me, you don’t want your kids to be worried about losing their parent at a younger age to a controllable disease due to poor choices, like fitness and nutrition?
2. What kind of activities do you enjoy?
   Are you an outdoorsy type of person who likes to walk, hike or even run? Do you prefer to get down dancing? Do you enjoy the idea of kicking, punching, or martial arts even? Would you rather take it down a notch and go low key with little impact? Or are your ready to jump, run, squat, and push yourself to your max to see what you can achieve?
   
3. How much time do you have each day to devote to your workout?
   Be realistic with yourself, do you have the time to devote 1 & 1/2 – 2 hours going to the gym 5 days a week to reach your goals? Would you be better off spending 20-30 or even 60 minutes at home, without having to find a sitter? Or feeling it necessary to get yourself “ready” to go to the gym?
4. Do you have any injuries, ailments or are you under doctors orders?
   Often it’s when we find out that we have an illness that we make the choice to make changes in our life. We need to be honest as to what our bodies are capable of performing, and follow our doctors orders if we are limited in any way. Or do you have knee issues from time to time due to a previous injury. Do you have back problems? Are you restricted in anyway from certain physical activities?
5. Does the program have a nutrition plan?
   Once you figure out the best suited program for you based on the questions above, does it have a nutrition plan to help you reach your “ultimate” goal? If the answer is NO, is there a way to couple the program with a nutrition plan that will work congruently to help you reach your goals? Nutrition is 80% of the solution to help you reach all of the aforementioned goals and more. It’s crucial to lose weight, put on muscle mass, tone up, build endurance, gain energy, and be the healthiest you that you can possibly be.Psst… it was the missing link to my program I mentioned in the beginning. I had the workout, but I didn’t have a nutrition plan to go along with it. 60 days down the drain in my mind. Luckily I didn’t throw in the towel for good, and kept pursuing more.

Go through each of these questions. Answer them honestly and completely as you possibly can.
Ask a fitness professional like me. I’ve gone through the journey, lost 65lbs and kept it off since 2010. Ask questions based on your answers above. Like I want to lose 40lbs, have more energy to play with my kids, and be here to play with my grandkids. I love low impact dancing, and only have 30 minutes a day to workout. I don’t have any injuries or anything. Do you have any recommendations?

If you don’t want to ask someone then once you have the answers then take the time to research what would be the best high intensity workout to lose weight in 25 minutes a day at home. Or maybe you want to get out of the house and you have the time. Then ask what is the most fun high intensity class I can take at a gym near me. Do the research and then see if there’s a nutrition plan maybe online that’s recommended to be coupled with that program.

Whatever you choose… The Best Workout Program Is The One You Will Commit To And Stick To!

Thank you for taking the time to read How To Choose a Workout Plan. If you found this information useful please take the time to share it on social media or directly with your friends and family. Please feel free to contact me in comment below or message me here.