My Fitness Routine as a Physical Therapist
Regular exercise can increase longevity, improve mental health, enhance cognitive function, maintain bone density, prevent muscle loss, improve metabolic function, and more. I have been exercising consistently for the past 6 years and it has been one of the best habits I have acquired. Find out more below about the benefits of exercise and what I do to stay fit.
Cardiovascular benefits
Heart disease and ischemic stroke are by far the leading causes of death. Exercise increases the efficiency of the cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular-specific exercise, can improve the functioning of the heart, lower blood pressure, and decrease the overall risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
Bone and muscle health
Over time, the human body loses bone mass and density. Namely, bones get weaker and more fragile as you age, making you more susceptible to fractures. Bone mineral density can be influenced and preserved with proper nutrition and exercise. Calcium is the major mineral found in bones, and a diet consisting of adequate calcium and vitamin D can help you maintain bone mass and prevent osteoporosis.
Your body also loses muscle mass as you age, and is termed sarcopenia. When both your bones and muscles are weak, you are more susceptible to falling and consequentially, serious injury. A hip fracture later in life can be lethal; the one-year mortality rate after a hip fracture is an astounding 30%. In order to prevent the loss of bone and muscle mass, consistent resistance exercise—lifting weights—is imperative. The musculoskeletal system is adaptable to the demands imposed on it. Physical stress from exercise is needed to build new, stronger tissues.
Blood sugar regulation
Metabolic function is improved and optimized with exercise. Insulin resistance, which occurs in people with type II diabetes, is when the cells of the body become less responsive to using glucose (blood sugar). Consequentially, more glucose stays in the blood vessels and damages other bodily tissues and organs. Exercise increases insulin sensitivity, allowing your body to better use glucose and stave off diabetes.
My fitness goals
Early on in my fitness journey, I was a scrawny teenager looking to put on muscle mass by any means necessary. My views on training have since switched towards longevity—I want to be able to exercise even in my 70s and 80s. My focuses now include increasing strength, stability, hypertrophy, and cardiovascular functioning. I also train to reduce my risk of injury and to participate in activities I enjoy such as golf, volleyball, basketball, and tennis.
My weekly training schedule
Each week typically consists of 2 days of lower-body strengthening, 2 days of upper-body strengthening, 2 days of low-intensity steady state (LISS) cardio, and 1 day of high-intensity (HIIT) cardio.
Strengthening workouts
On the lower body strengthening days, I start with either the deadlift or back squat. I also emphasize single-leg exercises like lunges, Bulgarian split squats, single-leg RDLs, and step-ups. Single-leg exercises are great for avoiding strength imbalances and can improve your hip stability.
The upper body days consist of a combination of pushing and pulling movements. The bench press, overhead shoulder press, and dips are staples to strengthen the chest, deltoids, and triceps. For the pulling exercises, I typically do pull-ups, cable rows, bent-over rows, and lat pulldowns to name a few.
I pick about 5 or 6 exercises to perform per workout, with 3-5 sets of 6-15 reps per exercise. It takes me about 50 minutes to complete these strengthening workouts including a 5-minute warm-up.
Cardiovascular workouts
I prefer to bike or walk on the treadmill with an incline for low-intensity steady state cardio. I strive to maintain a pace where I could have a conversation, but my breathing is faster than normal. Anywhere from 30-90 minutes duration per LISS cardio workout is ideal.
Sprinting is my choice for high-intensity cardio training. But you could also use a bike or rowing machine. I typically sprint all out for 30 seconds and rest for 60 seconds. Then repeat that cycle 6-10 times. This type of training workout shouldn’t take more than 20-30 minutes. The key here is to push yourself to maximal effort.
Rest days
Every day, I’m doing some type of physical activity. I try to space out my lifting workouts so that I’m not performing upper or lower-body strengthening workouts on back-to-back days to allow my body to recover. Also, if I feel that my body needs a break, I may skip one of my cardio workouts and go for a long walk or perform yoga instead. Rest and recovery are key to long-term improvements without increasing the risk of injury. That’s why I focus heavily on spacing out my lifting workouts, optimizing sleep, and eating non-processed foods.
How to make your own training regimen
You don’t have to exercise every day, but you should incorporate some form of exercise into your life. If you’re not currently exercising, start small—try going for a 15-minute walk most days. The benefits that come from a bit of exercise compared to no exercise at all are staggering.
If you’re ready to build your own training regimen, you need to identify your goals. Do you want to lose weight, build muscle, increase flexibility, improve cardiovascular health, or all the above? There are countless fitness programs and workouts available for free online, you just need to know what fitness goals you want to focus on.
Exercise doesn’t need to be boring either. Group fitness classes are a great way to meet new people and can hold you accountable. I find that sports like volleyball, tennis, soccer, and basketball are great choices to improve cardio endurance while also having fun.
The bottom line
The benefits of exercise are unequivocal. It is essential to physical and mental health and is one of the best habits you can adopt. The best way to start exercising is to start small and gradually progress with each workout. In my opinion, everyone should be performing some type of strengthening and cardiovascular training each week. This provides you with the basic foundation to live a long and highly functioning life.
