Note: This article was originally published in the January 2012 issue of The Wellness Beacon newsletter.

In order to develop an effective exercise program you must adhere to certain basic guidelines. Here are 7 principles of exercise that you can implement whether you’re a weekend walker or seasoned athlete:

Progression

• Gradually increase your exercise intensity (how hard you work) and/or duration (how long you work out) in order to improve your physical fitness. For example, if your physical fitness goals are centered on losing weight, 30 minutes of leisure walking (~2.0-2.5 mph) won’t cut it as you will not burn a sufficient amount of calories.  However, if you walk at a more moderate pace (~3.0 mph) for 60 or more minutes you’ll burn the calories necessary for achieving your weight loss goals.

Regularity

• Exercise often. Shoot for at least 4 days of cardio (i.e. jogging, bicycling, swimming) and 2 days of resistance training (i.e. free-weights, universal machines, Pilates). Infrequent exercise will do you more harm than good. You should also implement regularity in your daily eating and work/rest patterns.

Overload

• In order to improve your health and physical fitness, ensure that the amount of work you perform during any exercise session exceeds the normal demands that you place on your body. If you’re looking for some real results, you’ll have to put in some real effort. For example, if you walk to work or school at a 2.5 mph pace, treadmill walking at this same pace during an exercise session won’t be of much benefit to you. However, if you add a 1-2% incline to your treadmill walk, you can successfully overload your body and achieve the results you’re looking for.

Variety

• Even the most perfect exercise program will become stale after a while. To stop this from happening, implement a variety of exercise activities so that you don’t get bored. Try breaking away from “traditional” exercise on occasion. Go for a 4-mile hike or play a game of tennis. Such activities are equally as effective as structured exercise. Adding variety will also increase your motivation and progress. Your muscles have memory cells that may become unresponsive if they are not shocked occasionally with a change in routine.

Recovery

• After a hard day of exercise training, give yourself an easier training day or rest day to help permit adequate recovery. For example, if you engage in a highly intense bout of running on Monday, follow up with moderate-intensity biking on Tuesday. Likewise, if you perform heavy weightlifting on Wednesday, take a day off or work an alternate muscle group on Thursday.

Balance

• An effective exercise program is one that includes activities that address both the cardiovascular system (i.e. cardio exercise and spontaneous physical activity) and the musculoskeletal system (i.e. resistance training and flexibility exercise). Cardio exercise and spontaneous physical activity reduce body fat and enhance the efficiency and functional capacity of your heart, lungs, and blood vessels in order to ensure that your body is able to deliver the necessary oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to your body’s organs. On the flip side, resistance training regulates metabolism and improves muscle tone, strength, and endurance while flexibility exercise improves joint stability and integrity.

Specificity

• You must ensure that your exercise program is geared towards specific goals. For example, if you’d like to become a better runner, you have to implement regular running into your program. Although swimming is great exercise, it won’t improve a 2-mile-run time as much as a running program will. Likewise, if your goal is to improve muscle tone, cardio won’t cut it. You have to implement some sort of resistance training into your exercise routine in order to tone your muscles.

You can remember these 7 principles by thinking of them as the 7 P.R.O.V.R.B.S. By implementing these P.R.O.V.R.B.S into your exercise program I can guarantee you’ll experience great gains in your overall health and physical fitness.

For more of the latest and greatest in health, fitness, and nutrition, "Like" me on Facebook at Nina Cherie, PhD of Complete Health Solutions and follow me on Twitter at @NinaCheriePhD.

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Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a physician for advice.

Before starting an exercise training program you should first make sure that exercise is safe for you.  If you are under the age of 55 years and generally in good health, it is probably safe for you to exercise.  However, if you are over 55 years of age and/or have any health problems, be sure to consult with your physician before starting an exercise training program.