A well-rounded workout plan contains five components and benefits your health in many ways. Creating an exercise routine that includes each helps counteract aging, helps prevent heart disease, cancer and diabetes, promotes strong and healthy bones and muscles, increases core strength and improves flexibility. Good lifelong exercise habits are an important part of staying physically fit as you age, but it's never too late to get started. Talk to your doctor before beginning a new exercise program.

Step 1

Write down your workout plan. This keeps you accountable and ensures that you include each aspect of a well-rounded fitness routine. Include the specific exercises and the number of minutes or sets of each that you'll do.

Step 2

Do at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week. This type of exercise comprises the majority of your workout time and increases cardiovascular health and promotes a healthy weight. Brisk walking, swimming, biking and dancing are examples of aerobic exercise.

Step 3

Include two or three 20- to 30-minute strength-training sessions each week. This builds muscle and boosts your metabolism. Lifting weights, using resistance bands, practicing yoga or doing bodyweight exercises such as pushups, situps and lunges all count as strength training.

Step 4

Incorporate core exercises into your strength-training routine. These exercises strengthen the muscles around your middle, including those in your lower back and stomach. Pilates, balancing on an exercise ball and stomach crunches are examples of core exercises that also count as strength-training exercise.

Step 5

Train your balance by balancing on one leg for several minutes. This promotes stability, which tends to decrease with age. Increase the number of minutes on each leg as you become more adept at balancing. Tai chi is another form of balance exercise.

Step 6

Stretch before and after each exercise session. Stretching before a workout warms up your muscles, which helps prevent injury and improves performance. Stretching after your workout allows for a deeper stretch since your muscles are warmed up and limber. Consistent stretching improves flexibility, posture and range of motion.


  • You don't have to include each of the five components in each exercise session. Many people strength train twice a week and do aerobic exercise on the other days of the week. Aim to include each portion on a weekly basis, since some components require more time than others.
  • Eat a well-balanced diet, which ensures that you get enough carbohydrates to fuel your workout routine and enough protein to build muscle and help with muscle recovery after a session.

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