Women 35+: What is Your Fitness Routine?

I'm 48 and just reached my goal weight. I've been exercising like a fiend (burning 4-5,000 calories a week!) because I enjoy being able to eat like a normal person while still losing every week. Right now I'm bumping up my daily net calorie goal by 50-100 per week to gradually transition into maintenance.

I work part-time at 4 different places. One of them, my main job, is 1.5 miles from home, so I walk to and from work 5 days a week. Two of the days, I have time to walk home for lunch, so I get 2 walks in. Weekly total: 21 miles, about 5 to 5.5 hours. Bonus: no parking hassle/expense, save on gas, traffic is irrelevant.

I supplement this with workout DVDs I do at home before breakfast (4-5 days per week). I'll be able to do less of these, now that I'm at goal! I have about 35 DVDs I cycle through--I pick whatever fits my schedule and feels right. Sometimes 25 minutes, sometimes 45 or 60. I vary between moderate and high intensity, depending on how much recovery I need. All of these incorporate strength training, either combined with cardio or using body weight. It's not "heavy" lifting, but it's enough to tone everything and increase everyday strength and energy. Once a week, I take a Zumba class,which I can walk to directly from work, then walk home.

When the weather's decent, I ride my bike to work and errands (not this time of the year!) Leaving the car at home whenever possible is the most painless way to add more exercise to your daily life, I've found. Of course, if I had a full-time job and/or kids it would be a lot more challenging to fit this in.

I'm 41. I have two kids in elementary school. I get up at 5:45 to workout at home. Right now I'm doing P90x; when I'm done with that, I want to start heavier lifting. I have a bench, rack and a whole bunch of free weights at home. After the kids get on the bus, I work M-F until 2 pm. If I have a lot of energy and feel like doing a second workout, I'll do some light cardio in the afternoon before the kids get home. Then it's homework, kids activities, dinner (I cook from scratch almost every night) and a little down time before bed. My hard workout has to be in the morning. There are too many other things going on in the afternoon and evening and I am not the kind of person that can work out at night after the kids go to bed. Heck, usually I go to bed an hour or so after they do. On the weekends, when the weather is good, we try to go on family hikes. In winter, I like to cross country ski on the golf course near my house when I have a couple hours free.

I try to hit the weight room 2x a week and I work with a trainer once a week.

Weights weights weights. It's more important than ever once you hit your 30s.

So, I'm almost at my weight goal, and my main concern now is to become more fit. Since starting MFP 6 months ago, I've been taking a twice-a-week Pilates class, which has been great. Other than that, though, my exercise has been kind of hit or miss. I need to develop more of a regular habit of exercise. I'm curious to hear from people on: how do you regularly integrate exercise into your life? And do you have a full-time job as well? Do you take regular classes, or work out on your own? The same time every day, or no? I have a job that allows me a lot of flexibility as to when I work, which you would think would mean it would be easy to get exercise in, but I need to develop a ROUTINE. I'm just curious to hear what other people's routines are.

I'm 35 and I do 45 mins of cardio per day 6x a week and 40 mins of weights 6x a week - I'm in the best shape of my whole life.

41
SMASH weights 3x a week bout an hour
walk or cardio 45 min to 60 min 2x a week
rinse
repeat.

I will be 39 next month (for the first time lol, I expect I will turn 39 many times before I finally admit I am 45) and I work full time (well, more like 50-60hrs/week) and devote 20+ hrs a week to practicing and rehearsals (as a musician). My "routine" is running, 5 days a week-first thing in the morning (after coffee). I do a longer run on Saturdays, and about an hour or so the other four days. Running clears my head, calms me down, and generally helps keep me from responding very inappropriately to a myriad of frustrating people all day long. At this point, running just "is" for me-as much as going to work just "is". I may have slightly different internal motivation for running than some, but if it is something you want, you just fit it in-like anything else you want. If you don't want it, then you find any number of excuses for why it doesn't work-just like anything else you don't want.

I'm 35, I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and I work part time as a secondary school teacher.

I have personal training once or twice a week (alternate weeks), go to the gym on my own for weights and cardio, and I do spinning, aerobics and zumba. In total I go 5 times a week. I've been doing this for the past 18 months, since my daughter was 8 weeks old, and I did this for the year after having my son and before getting pregnant with my daughter, I did it while pregnant with my son, and for the year before getting pregnant. I went to the gym irregularly for a bit before that, and went 5 times a week when I was 23-25 too.

My husband works shifts so I fit my exercise round that, or I use the gym crèche, and on the days I work I go straight after work before picking my kids up from nursery. This week my husband is on late shift so i've been exercising in the morning. Next week he's on earlies and I want to do a spin class Mon morning so the kids will go in the crèche. I'm at work Wed and Thurs and will have PT after work Wed and do zumba after work Thurs. Fri I am off (I work every other Fri) and I'll have a PT session again. I do aerobics on a Sat morning as my husband is usually home - he works 1 Saturday in about 8.

With my PT i do mainly weights now that I am getting closer to my goal. I used to do more of a mix of weights and cardio, but he says that I do enough cardio on my own.

I walk a lot too with my kids.

I'm 36. SAHM, but both kids are in school most days except for my daughter's frequent doctor appointments. I'm doing P90X 6 days a week.

So, I'm almost at my weight goal, and my main concern now is to become more fit. Since starting MFP 6 months ago, I've been taking a twice-a-week Pilates class, which has been great. Other than that, though, my exercise has been kind of hit or miss. I need to develop more of a regular habit of exercise. I'm curious to hear from people on: how do you regularly integrate exercise into your life? And do you have a full-time job as well? Do you take regular classes, or work out on your own? The same time every day, or no? I have a job that allows me a lot of flexibility as to when I work, which you would think would mean it would be easy to get exercise in, but I need to develop a ROUTINE. I'm just curious to hear what other people's routines are.

integrating exercise has never been an issue for me . i enjoy it so i do it . my suggestion would be to get into a habit of going and dont allow yourself excuses to miss. even if you say you dont have time. put your clothes on and do something for 15 minutes

i have a full time job and a full time social life. but i wouldnt consider continually skipping a workout same as i wouldnt consider continually skipping brushing my teeth or taking a shower, like i said it's a habit.

i generally dont like classes so i work out on my own. the exception to that is crossfit. it's great being a class where everyone is focused on putting their all into a workout rather than other classes i've gone to where the instructor is half-arsed about it or chatting with people in the class.

in general my routine involves 3 days of weight training (whether that be crossfit, strong lifts, or olympic lifts) and 203 days of cardio (running, walking, swimming, versaclimbing, rowing or stairmaster). i also have a day of stretching

I'll be 52 on Sunday.

I do a full-body high-intensity super slow weight workout 2-3x a week, and Jazzercise 3-5 times a week, plus walking almost every day and trying to hit my husband's water aerobics class occasionally.