The FITT Principle
The FITT Principle is a set of guidelines that help you determine an exercise schedule and help you stay on track to reach your goals.
FITT stands for:
Frequency: how often you workout
Intensity: how hard you workout
Time: how long you workout
Type: what type of activity you perform
Let’s start with frequency. In order to achieve maximum exercise results, you must work the cardiovascular system 3-5 times per week. What that means is that you need to elevate your heart rate between 50-85% of your 100% capacity for a minimum of 20-30 minutes. If your goal is to lose weight you will need to train aerobically on most days of the week.
Intensity is the second variable to consider. Many people use the “talk test” method to judge this. If you are in the proper training zone, you should be able to speak in short choppy phrases. If breathing is labored, the intensity is too high. And, if you can sing while working out, you're not working hard enough.
The third principle involves the duration of time to be spent exercising. The Surgeon General has recommended that everyone exercise a minimum of 30 minutes on most days of the week. This includes all five components previously discussed.
Type of activity is the final principle we need to discuss. The list of activities to choose from are endless. Walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, stair climbing, cross country skiing, rowing, dancing, Curves circuit training and playing a number of sports are a few options to be considered. As you know, you need to do something to support your cardiovascular system on most days of the week, so simply pick from the list above. We recommend that you do muscle strength training activities three times per week, so make Curves your core workout at LEAST three times a week, then add other activities on your off days.
Improving your fitness and health is easy when you think about it in terms of the FITT Principle. If your time is limited then take a look at how you can best benefit within the timeframe you have by increasing intensity. If time is not a factor consider decreasing the intensity to gain duration and possibly add variety to your workout. Where there is a will there is a way. We strongly encourage you to find a way to achieve optimal health.
