Is, 'more exercise' one of your New Year's resoultions for 2012?  If it isn't, it should be!  When it comes to behavior change and goal setting, being more specific increases the likelihood of success.  So when devising your exercise plan and setting your fitness goals this year, focusing on getting F.I.T.T.!

The F.I.T.T. principles of physical activity are a set of rules which help optimize any training program, and ultimately maximize the benefits received from exercise participation. Incorporate these into YOUR physical activity plans this year.

Frequency: for any component of physical activity, a safe frequency is 3-5 days/week.

Intensity: refers to the amount of effort that should be invested in a program, or any 1 training session. There must be a balance between finding enough intensity to overload the body (to maximize the energy expended), but not so much that it causes overtraining. Heart rate is used to measure the intensity of cardiovascular training.  Workload (amount of weight lifted, and the number of repetitions completed) is used to measure the intensity of resistence training.

Time: refers to the amount of time you should be exercising for.  For cardiovascular training, 15-60 minutes is recommended, working up slowly, for safety. 1-3 sets of 6-14 repetitions is appropriate for resistance training, beginning with lighter weights and higher repetitions.

Type: what to do?!  There is a wide variety of cardiovascular activities to choose from, including but not limit to: walking, jogging, cycling, rowing, cross country skiing, tennis, etc. Restistance training involves any exercise that uses a resistance to force a muscle contraction, and does not necessarily require the involvement of weights. Resistance bands and body weight exercises are very beneficial and enjoyable forms of resistance training.

Exercise these F.I.T.T. principles and achieve YOUR fitness goals this year! In general, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. The chart below shows the estimated number of calories burned while doing various exercises for one hour.  These vary based on a number of individual factors, including weight and fitness level.

chart adapted from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/SM00109