Are you wondering why learning about an exercise program for women is important? Whether you are a working woman with a hectic lifestyle or a homemaker with kids, fitness is an important issue to worry about.  In order to lose weight and remain fit, you need to burn more calories than you consume on a daily basis. This cannot be done just with the help of diet. As such, you need to come up with an exercise plan that will prepare your body for weight loss and help you lose more calories.  Once you are aware of the basic concepts behind an effective exercise plan, you could make your own plan according to your preferences.

Fundamentals of exercise program for women

It’s not necessary to hit the gym and involve yourself in intensive workouts every day of the week. At the same time, sticking to the same kind of exercise will not help you lose weight quickly in any way. For effective weight loss, you need to combine different kinds of exercises and also focus on specific body parts where fat has accumulated in excess. Here are the three integral parts of an exercise routine that
you need to be aware of-

Cardio Exercises

This is the one of the most important parts of an exercise program for women. Cardio exercises are those that raise the temperature of your body and your heart rate above the normal levels.  Examples of cardio exercises are brisk walks, jogging, running, skipping, swimming, biking, etc.  Playing your favorite sport can also be considered a cardio exercise.  When you are beginning your exercise routine, you could start with 20-30 minutes of cardio twice or thrice a week.  Cardio also serves as a warm up for strength training and prepares your muscles for harder exercises.

Strength Training and Core Training

When you perform strength training and core training exercises after cardio, the results are quick and effective. Exercises with dumbbells, abs crunches, specialized exercises for the abdomen, thighs, arms, etc. fall under this category. In the beginning, you could do 15-20 minutes of strength training twice a week.

Stretches or Exercises for Relaxation

A successful exercise program for women is never complete without stretching and cool down exercises. After two days of performing cardio and strength training exercises, the muscles need to cool down and relax in order get ready for more exercise.  Ignoring stretching and cool down exercises can lead to muscle strain.

Sometimes, this can even lead to severe complications.  Apart from allotting two separate days in a week for stretching exercises, you could also perform cool down exercises for about 5 minutes after every strength training session. This will really help the muscles relax and function more effectively. You could either opt for simple stretching exercise like the calf muscle stretch or go for more effective methods like yoga which will give you more benefits.

A Sample Exercise Program for Women

Monday – 20 -30 minutes of an active cardio session
Tuesday – 15-25 minutes of strength and core training (preferably preceded by 10 minutes of cardio as a warm up)
Wednesday – Cool down exercises or stretches
Thursday – 20-30 minutes of an active cardio session
Friday – 15-20 minutes of strength and core training
Saturday – Cool down exercises or stretches

As you get comfortable with this exercise program for women, you may increase the duration and level of difficulty for each session.