Advice on weekly exercise regime

[Wishimaywishimight]

Hi, I am in my early 50s and looking for some advice re what exercise to do each week. I am healthy and a good weight so the aim is just to keep my heart and lungs and bones in good shape, keep myself flexible with good posture.

Currently I exercise for 30 minutes in the mornings x 5 times a week so a mix of; Pilates (1 session), Weights / kettlebells (2 sessions), Cardio (1 session), Bums or Tums (1 session). All of this is at home, using DVDs (old school I know but I have a pretty big selection so don't get bored).

In the evenings I do a few minutes skipping and 20 minutes hooping (using a weighted hoop). I do short walks (20 mins or so) at lunchtime. I have an exercise bike also which DH uses but I rarely do.

My query is re the morning routine - am I best to continue doing as I am i.e. a mix every week or would I be better concentrating one type of exercise for a week at a time e.g.;

Week 1: Cardio DVD / Exercise bike x 5 sessions
Week 2: Pilates x 5 sessions
Week 3: Weights / Kettlebells x 5 sessions

Anyone have a view on this?

I think your schedule sounds great and if it works for you and you can stick to it/enjoy it, that's the most important thing.

For health, it is best to mix cardio and weight-bearing each week as per nhs guidelines www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-guidelines/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/#:~:text=do%20at%20least%20150%20minutes,not%20moving%20with%20some%20activity

The only reasons I can think of not to do this are if a) training for an event or b) like me, usually strength train hard, about to go on holiday, so will take the chance to rest all muscle groups for a week and just walk/swim/run or c) injury or illness that affects what you can do, safely.

@MsMartini Many thanks for responding. That has been my 'gut' feeling i.e. that a good mix is best. I was just having a re-think and wondering would I be best properly focussing on one aspect eg weights, for a whole week then moving on to cardio for a week etc.

I'm glad to hear it seems that I am on the right track as I do enjoy (mostly!) what I am currently doing.

Well yes, if you want to really build strength, say, you would need more than 2 by 30 mins sessions a week - but week in week out (mostly) and probably not with kettlebells.

I exercise a lot for the gains and the skills - but for health I would use the NHS guidance as a basis, make sure I was doing the 5 cardio and 2 strength really properly - and then do whatever I enjoyed most on top!

You've got a good mix through the week. Doing themed weeks is more likely to be counter-productive because you'll over-do the same muscle groups for a week, then neglect them until the cycle comes around again and it's a higher injury risk.
Mixing it through the week as you do gives active recovery where the focus and intensity varies by the day.