My Exercise Routine: How I Work Out and Why

For a long time, I believed that cardio was the best and only way to stay fit. I’ll blame it on diet culture, and even on the devices we wear that tell us how many calories we burn. Looking at my Apple watch and “closing my rings” conditioned me to assume that calories are the only thing that matter, that burning more of them will be ultimately tied to weight loss, better health, and to achieving my fitness goals.

I think that’s a pretty common misconception.

For many years, the cardio-first approach worked. In my 20s, I got the “runner’s high,” I elliptical-machined my heart out, and I could eat and drink whatever I wanted. The theory seemed solid - until my mid-30s. That’s when I started to notice a few things that surprised me. The first was that, no matter how much cardio I did or how many calories I burned, I plateaued. I wasn’t gaining that tone and definition that I thought I should. So I did more cardio. And guess what? I plateaued even more. My workouts just weren’t that effective.

The second thing that surprised me was how sore I felt after my cardio sessions. My muscles just didn’t seem as limber. I got injured more easily, and I felt that my legs were like lead the next day. I was at a complete loss as to how to how to move forward (literally), but I was terrified of weight training. I was convinced I’d turn into the Incredible Hulk, that I’d get big and bulky muscles, and that was a non-starter for me.

It was the experience of other women that gave me the courage to explore resistance training, and I’ve since become a convert. I’ve learned first-hand that it is impossible to gain a body-builder’s physique by accident. It takes the confluence of dedicated, excessive dietary patterns, training regimens, and even drugs and hormones to achieve that bulky physique. Instead, resistance training has given me the muscle tone and results that I’d never been able to achieve with cardio alone.

Over the course of several years, I’ve honed an exercise regimen that accomplishes three goals: (1) it gives me the mental stress-relief I rely on to temper my anxiety and improve my sleep, (2) it provides muscle tone, bone density, longevity, and so many other health benefits we’ll discuss, and (3) most importantly, it’s sustainable. It’s kept my body working in different ways on different days, and I feel so amazing that I’d never want to live without it.

The three pillars of my week are strength training, aerobic exercise, and controlled movement. I’ll break each one down into their independent benefits and synthesize how they fit together to create an evidence-based approach to exercise that’s worked for me.

Strength Training:

30 mins, 3x per week

Scientific evidence unequivocally supports adding strength training to your workout regimen. A 2018 study from the American College of Cardiology showed that strength training was better at reducing a person’s risk of heart disease than aerobic exercise, and a 2019 study in Medicine and Science in Sports Exercise showed that people who did one hour of strength training per week had a 40 to 70 percent lower risk of heart attack and stroke than those who didn’t. This was independent of the benefits from aerobic exercise.

The older we get, the more we can benefit from strength and resistance training. The muscle atrophy associated with aging lowers metabolism and makes us prone to diabetes (because muscle is a fabulous use for glucose) and osteoporosis. Reduced muscle mass is also associated with depression, mental health issues, and even cognitive decline. Weight training can counteract these changes. In a 2018 study in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, patients who performed resistance training showed a significant reduction in depression.

My strength training regimen isn’t complicated or expensive, but I have made it convenient by having a simple home gym. That way, whenever I have the time – mornings (if I’m not working) or evenings (if I am), it’s not a burden to get it done. I bought a set of free weights on Amazon – from 5 lbs to 30 lbs in 5-lb increments. Add in a yoga mat, and that’s just about all the equipment I need.

Three times a week, I do a 30-minute online strength class. I use Peloton Strength because it’s included in the membership I use for the bike, but I’ve also tried BBG Stronger and Madeline Moves, which are apps that you can download to your phone. If you like in-person classes, there are tons of those, too. You can find them at your local gym, but I’ve also loved Barry’s Bootcamp. While the weights are variable, I try to pick a weight that challenges me. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing three to six repetitions to the point of fatigue, but my goal is to be able to do the number of reps to be fatigued by the end of the round. Granted, it takes some trial and error, but you can always modify and scale down in weight if need be.

If you’re new to weight training, I recommend hiring a personal trainer to help you with your form. They’ll show you in person how to do the exercises so that you get the most benefit (i.e. you’re working the muscles you should be) and most importantly so that you don’t hurt yourself. It’s also the way I was able to overcome feeling intimidated in the gym’s weight room, which is a huge bonus, too!

Aerobic Exercise

Zone 2 cardio 180 mins per week

High intensity 1-2x per week

While aerobic exercise is no longer the focus of my training, there are undoubtedly benefits. It increases blood flow to the brain, optimizes your cardiovascular health, and creates endorphins that elevate your mood.

But the type of cardio matters. “Zone 2 cardio,” or a steady state of activity that does not spike your lactic acid (a marker of metabolic stress), is a type of endurance training that can be sustained for long periods of time. According to physician researcher Peter Attila, there are clear evidence-based benefits of doing 180 – 200 minutes of zone 2 cardio per week. It has been shown to increase longevity and improve cardiovascular and metabolic health. My zone 2 cardio is walking at a moderate pace (usually attached to two golden retrievers), but it could be jogging, hiking, or cycling at a rate that you can maintain for hours.

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is defined by intervals of intensely vigorous activity followed by short periods of rest. Indeed there does seem to be health benefits to spiking your heart rate to 85 – 100% of maximum at least once a week. (To find your estimated maximum heart rate, take 220 and subtract your age.) HIIT cardio has also been shown in studies to increase brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which participates in glucose and lipid metabolism and can enhance brain function. You don’t have to sustain your maximum heart rate for very long at all to achieve benefits – in fact you probably won’t be able to! I find that the Peloton tabata rides (or even the tabata sections of longer rides) are perfect for my HIIT training. I do use a heart rate monitor to make sure I reach 85% of my maximum heart rate, but that’s not necessary: just work as hard as you can, and you’re there.

Anyhow, gone are the days of spending hours on the Stairmaster! If I have the energy and want to do more aerobic exercise, I will, but zone 2 cardio and HIIT are more than sufficient to maximize the health benefits of cardio.

Controlled Movement

30 mins, 2-3x per week

For me, “controlled movement” means yoga, pilates, or pliability training. I try to alternate controlled movement on the days before and after weight training because it’s an amazing way to stretch and tone your muscles while releasing the accumulated tension. It helps me recover, both mentally and physically, and has become as essential to my workouts as any high-intensity work ever could be.

Often, controlled movement is undervalued because “it’s not a real workout” or “I’m not flexible,” or “it’s boring,” but it has become a form of movement that my body craves. It counters the environment of constant hyperstimulation that is created by the world’s demands on us – from our jobs, our responsibilities, and the social media rat race. Being able to turn inward, focus on my breath, and be conscious of my body’s position in space provides a groundedness that is hard to get elsewhere. If you find yourself resistant to slowing down, it’s probably a good sign that you need to.

Again, I do the Peloton yoga or pilates classes included in the app, but other popular platforms are Yoga With Adrienne on YouTube and Melissa Wood Health for pilates. Physical studios have the added benefits of in-person instruction and a sense of community. But if yoga and pilates aren’t your thing, controlled movement can also include tai chi and quigong. All of these practices serve to break the linear movements of sitting, walking, driving, and doing repetitive movements.

Recently, I’ve added pliability into my weekly routine. While this isn’t necessary, you might find it interesting if yoga, tai chi, and quigong are too “out there” for you. Pliability has been popularized by Tom Brady in his TB12 method, and it essentially focuses on lengthening and softening muscles, and making your connective tissue more pliable. It’s a method of reducing imbalance, preventing injury, and optimizing recovery. I try to do the pliability exercises recommended in the TB12 book about once a week. They require a set of resistance bands attached to a wall, and it can be a good way to change up you’re workout routine if you find yourself in a rut.

I’d love to hear about your exercise routine and the different types of movement you find most beneficial. Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!