So you want to get in shape? So you need to understand what FITTE really means. No, I didn’t spell it wrong… FITTE stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type and Enjoyment. As you think about designing your exercise routine, understanding what the FITTE principle means will help you in your fitness and weight loss goals.
FREQUENCY: It means how often you should exercise. The frequency is closely linked to the intensity. If you’re going to be exercising at a moderate pace (and we’ll get to intensity in a minute), then 5 days a week is what you’re looking for to see the health benefits. There really is little benefit to doing more than 5 days a week and if you do, you risk injury or even hitting a fitness plateau.
If you are planning a vigorous intensity, your goal is 3 days a week. Of course, you can mix moderate and vigorous training weeks, so use a mix of 3-5 days a week. If you’re overweight and weight loss is your primary goal, then push yourself 5 days a week to increase your calorie burn.
INTENSITY: There is a minimum intensity at which going under will have no effect. That intensity is about 40% of your maximum heart rate or something like a rate of perceived exertion score of 10. Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a scale from 6 to 20 (I don’t know why it starts at 6 OK…it just does!) If you measure your intensity using this scale, then a moderate intensity is 12-13. vigorous activity will be 14-16 using the scale. And working with a score of 10… well, that’s like going to the fridge to get a soda or something, so that’s not good!
TIME (DURATION): For general fitness gains or those not used to exercising, the minimum is 30-60 minutes per day for a total of 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise. You can do it!! This should progress to 50-60 minutes a day of moderate activity for a total of 250 minutes a week. If you’re exercising at a vigorous intensity, your goal is 150 minutes a week. Fortunately, you can reap health benefits by dividing this time up throughout the day…say 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening…I told you you could!
TYPE: This can be any type of activity that gives you a sustained increase in heart rate using your large muscle groups. Walking/jogging on a treadmill, stationary bike or even playing sports or swimming. The key is to pick something you like… which brings us to the E in FITTE… Enjoy!
ENJOY: You have to choose activities that you like to do or not; or else you won’t do them anymore. Don’t like the treadmill? So don’t use it! Whatever activity you choose, it has to be enjoyable and create a positive experience for you. Don’t do what others do just because… choose something you like.
Whichever activity you choose, you need to continue to make progress to avoid plateaus. Before increasing the intensity, you should first try increasing the frequency and duration.
Have fun!!!