Activity Schedules

What kind of Exercise Schedule should I set myself?

An exercise schedule doesn't have to be the same day in day out, it is better if you change the activities you do on a regular basis. Try and join a club or go to the local swimming baths once a week and incorporate this into your fitness regime, if you are not part of a club, ask a friend who to go along and join with you, the hardest part of joining a club is the first session.

On a daily basis you should try and incorporate a schedule similar to the one below:

Morning:
10 mins walking or cycling to school
10 mins brisk exercise at brake time (playing football or walking around the playground)
If you are feeling very energetic why not try a few sit-ups and stretches when you get out of bed, you will feel better for it.

Lunchtime:
20 mins exercise in your lunch brake (playing football or walking around the playground)

Afternoon:
10 mins walking or cycling home
If you still have the energy why not try a few more sit ups, try doing 5 more than you did this morning.

Evening:
10 mins exercise (dancing around your bedroom or go for a jog and meet up with friends, arrange a game of football or go for a brisk walk and have a chat)

If you still have any spare energy why not finish off the day with a couple of stretches, press-ups or sit-ups.

If you can manage to do this every day you will see and feel the difference in your body soon, if you manage to do this a couple of times a week you will still be on the right track and give yourself a great platform to build from.

Things to consider when setting your activity schedule:

1. Set yourself a target to achieve each day you exercise.
2. Build up gradually - start off slow and then build up.
3. Don't do any activity straight after a heavy meal
4. Make sure that you warm up before starting any exercise and cool down afterwards
5. Don't push yourself too much, not everybody can exercise for the same lengths of time or at the same pace!
6. Involve friends or family in your activity programme, this will make it more enjoyable.
7. Vary your activities to avoid boredom and giving up!

A good way of planning your activity schedules is to plan it in a diary, this will help you to plan for the day ahead fitting in your exercises whenever it suits you! It will also help you to record how well you have progressed and how quickly or successfully you are completing your activities.