Here are some tips that can help you understand what the best workout might be for you:

• When do you want to work out? Whether you are a shift worker or you are in the office from 9 to 5 Monday to Friday, you have to set up some time during the week for your workouts. Improvised workouts are great, but they should only really be an addition to your scheduled workouts. This is because if you plan, you are more likely to do it even if you don’t feel like it.

• Do you like company? Answering this question will help you narrow down the different things you can do for you workouts. For example, if working out with someone motivates you or you do not mind having company, you should consider team workouts like doing sports or even just running together. If working out with someone gives you the chills and you’d rather not share your sweat, at least you know to skip the salsa-dancing or the zumba class.

• What do you like to do? Whether it’s dancing, being outdoors or doing cardio in the gym, consider doing something you truly enjoy. Life is too short to spend your workout time doing something you do not enjoy. There must be something you like, as there are countless possibilities. If you like being indoors with company, consider gym classes. In the summer time swimming, hiking or taking long walks might also be put into your workout routine. Know what you want out of it (i.e. lose weight, just stay healthy or work out some particular muscles) and go for it. If your aims do not fit with what you enjoy, compromise by alternating exercises you enjoy to exercises that help you achieve your goal.

• What CAN you do? Unfortunately for different reasons we all have types of exercise we can do and types of exercises we cannot do. This could be due to injuries or any other medical condition. For example, if you have heart disease, it might be best to consult your doctor before scheduling your exercise routine. This is because you might need to monitor your exercise very carefully. For more information on this you can read this article.

• What’s convenient? We all want to be superheroes and aim to go to the best workout place ever –whether that is a park we really like, or a gym we adore. However, let’s face it: we are constrained by our home and work locations. Instead of aiming to go to the faraway marvellous place and then ending up cancelling for different reasons, find a place that is nearer your house. You’ll be able to stick to your workout plan more easily and you will go more regularly as the lazy person inside you will not be able to stop you from going so close.

• And….change! Or not. Whatever you choose, stick to it. However, do so until you are bored of it. Stick to your workout for at least two weeks and then if you get bored of it after that, switch to something else. If you then like your second workout much more and you want to keep it going for a while, do so. As long as you keep yourself interested, you work out regularly and you feel good, nothing should stop you from changing your workout around or keeping it the same.

But what is a health and fitness plan?

Anything that improves your physical and mental health can be considered to be part of a health and fitness plan. From exercising to eating properly to sleeping enough hours, many things in your daily life can contribute to making you feel better, as these things affect your overall health.

There is nothing wrong with browsing through general health and fitness tips to get inspired or get some advice: however, you should ultimately create a personalised plan. There are certain elements and factors that you might want to consider when you create such plan, tailored to your needs and wants. Here we consider some of them:

• Age: A younger individual (i.e. children and teenagers) should move much more than adults or an elderly person. It is known that a person’s fitness declines with age, especially once reaching the age of 45. Hence, age is an important factor to consider when planning on creating a personalised fitness plan.

• Time: How much free time do you have? This is an important point that will help you establish whether you are really going to be able to do the workout routine you saw in the magazine just the other day. If the routine is 45 minutes, but you do not feel like you can take the time off all at once, then consider a few shorter routine, or break the one you found into pieces. Note: be careful before you break your routine into pieces, as it might be a 45-minute workout for a reason. For example, it might be a routine aimed at increasing resistance, and it would obviously not achieve the goal if you break it into parts.

• Physical condition: If you are not feeling well for the moment or have a temporary or permanent physical condition, you should tailor your fitness routine accordingly. The problems you might experience can be ranging from having the cold to having a back problem. If you want to start a fitness and health routine properly, you have to take into account the limits that your body can reach. If you are not sure about what those are, ask your doctor.

• Mental condition: Again, whether your state of mind is stress-related or you have a diagnosed mental condition, you should take that into account when creating your perfect health and fitness routine. Self-help books, taking a few days off work or seeing an old friend can all affect positively your overall health and you should give these factors some consideration.

Have we forgotten anything? Remember your own health and fitness plan will not be perfect straight after you create it. Tailoring it to your needs is an on-going process and when you change lifestyle, you might have to tweak it again. The important thing is that you give yourself time to plan it because, if you do, you’ll benefit from taking care of your own health.