This post will walk you through 5 easy steps that can help you figure out YOUR Ideal Fitness Fit (or IFF). Your IFF will result in a routine that is well-balanced, exciting, budget-friendly, and practical.

women in a fitness outfit in front of a river

“Hey there! Amber here again with another weekly installment for the Fed & Fit Project blog, where we chat all about mindset, nutrition, and fitness!”

Establishing a fitness routine that YOU LOVE can feel a little bit like you’re chasing a unicorn. Do they actually exist? Can you actually establish a routine that works for your body, goals, schedule, preferences, and budget? Some of the work we do in the Fed & Fit Project (which is targeting a late Summer re-launch) is aimed at helping you find that exact fitness unicorn. We call it the Ideal Fitness Fit (the IFF). It’s a custom-fit routine that helps you get in a sweat without feeling drained. After some practice, your IFF will leave you feeling REFRESHED (vs. drained) and excited for the next session (vs. dreading it).

Spending an hour in the gym each day bored on the treadmill to get a good workout can be a thing of the past. There are more effective (and shorter!) ways to get your workout in and, with a huge variety of different activities, you can actually find something you enjoy.

A quick checklist of your IFF (Ideal Fitness Fit):

  • Include a variety of different types of exercises like mobility, strength training, endurance, and, yes, fun!
  • Keep you excited and motivated.
  • Be personally feasible and fit your budget, location, schedule
  • Result in the healthiest, happiest you.

Step 1

Write down the following training types across the top of a piece of paper: strength, speed, endurance, and mobility. Think of all the fitness pursuits that fall under each of these training types. Create a written list of pursuits for each training type. Here’s a few examples of workout types:

  • CrossFit: Strength, Speed, Endurance
  • Kickboxing: Speed, Endurance
  • Athletic Yoga: Endurance, Strength, Mobility
  • Restorative Yoga: Mobility
  • Spinning: Speed, Endurance
  • Dance: Speed, Endurance, Mobility
  • Barre: Strength, Moderate Endurance

Step 2

Find two different colored highlighters or pens. Use one color to circle the fitness pursuits that sound like the most fun and use the other color to circle the fitness pursuits that are the most practical (think: expense, location, scheduling). If a pursuit is practical as well as fun, circle that pursuit twice, using both colors.

Step 3

On a separate sheet of paper, write down any fitness pursuits that you circled twice using both colors and that span two or more training types. If you can build a complete fitness plan with these pursuits, this is a good place to stop! You’re ready to move on to Step 4.

If you don’t have enough double-circled pursuits to build a complete fitness plan, then expand your list by including the items you circled that are the most practical.

Step 4

The next step is putting this new plan into action. Break out your planner and start scheduling these workouts! This could involve getting set up at a gym, reserving class times, or setting reminders on your phone for when it’s time to do your home workout. The thought behind this step: if it’s not scheduled, it doesn’t exist.

Step 5

Remember that you can always go back to the drawing board. If you become interested in a new sport, I encourage you to chase that passion! Your IFF will constantly evolve and it’s your job to make changes if boredom ever sets in. Don’t be afraid to try new things, you never know what you are going to wind up loving!



About the Author

Cassy Joy Garcia, NC

Cassy Joy Garcia, a New York Times best-selling author, of Cook Once Dinner Fix, Cook Once Eat All Week, and Fed and Fit as well as the creative force behind the popular food blog Fed & Fit.


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