Balance: Key to a Successful Fitness Program

Fitness experts are saying what nutritionists have been telling us for years: The key to better health is balance. Just as a balanced diet provides all the nutrients the body needs, a balanced fitness program keeps muscles and joints in top condition.

"We're getting away from chemical rehabilitation, where we have a physical problem and find a pill or drug to solve it," says Mark Madole, strength and conditioning director at the North Dallas Athletic Club in Dallas. "Instead, we are looking more at exercise and diet as a means of maintaining good health."

Mr. Madole suggests that inactivity is like waiting for the other shoe to drop. "That 'shoe,'" he says, "may come in the form of a heart attack, back problems, stroke -- any number of conditions."

A sensible start

Get an accurate assessment of your physical condition before starting a fitness program. In a perfect world, you would go to a doctor for a thorough examination, then head to a gym or health club and train with a personal fitness coach. If you can't do that, at least see a physician and ask for a personal fitness profile.

The profile will help you set goals for your fitness program; you may decide to lose weight or improve your muscle tone, endurance or cardiovascular health. It will also identify pre-existing physical problems that a fitness program may exacerbate or need to be designed around. These problems can range from cardiovascular conditions to chronic joint or tendon ailments.

The balanced program

The body's muscles are made up of slow-twitch (aerobic) and fast-twitch (strength) fibers. "The key to a balanced fitness program is to do something that will challenge both muscle groups," Mr. Madole says.

His ingredients for a balanced program are:

A total-body workout: "This is any form of exercise that combines resistance with cardiovascular movement," Mr. Madole says. Weight training combined with running or walking is optimal, but exercising on a stationary bike that also works the arms is good, too.

Strength training: Using free weights or weight machines builds muscle mass, controls weight, builds energy and protects against injury. If weights aren't available, try pull-ups, push-ups and other exercises that use the body's weight to create resistance.

Aerobic exercise: Activities such as running, cycling and swimming burn body fat and promote cardiovascular health.

Flexibility exercise: Warming up before and stretching after a workout prevents joint injury, relieves muscle soreness and maintains strength.

A balanced diet: An easy way to derail a balanced fitness program is to fuel the body with things it doesn't need. Eat a low-fat (30% or less of your total daily calories), low-cholesterol diet high in carbohydrates (approximately 55% of your total daily calories) and fiber.

Don't forget to have fun

Boredom is the greatest deterrent to a fitness program. Running endless laps around a track can eventually turn off even the most dedicated amateur athlete.

The cure for athletic boredom is cross training -- combining several kinds of workouts that enhance or complement each other. For example, runners may pound the pavement on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and swim on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Devotees of stair machines or step classes could try weight training on alternate days.

"The way you're going to make it over the long haul is to establish a fitness program as a way of life," Mr. Madole says.

"Most important, you need to engage the entire body. If you're just walking, but not doing calisthenics or stretching, you may think you're getting a full workout, but you're not."