When you are out to get into basically good shape just for your health, it is more important that you just keep up a decent consistency and push yourself a little bit. Getting into all of the details of what you need to do for that is kind of like talking to someone who prefers to automatically deposit part of each check into some index funds about how to most effectively value a company you might want to invest in. It is just a bunch of wasted words that would go into one ear and come out of the other. However, if you are interested in pushing yourself to the top of what you can physically accomplish, you have got to do some particular things. And you can not afford to skip either of them.
First off, you are going to need to work out just about every day. While you can take one day off per week to do lighter things, such as a long brisk walk and some light yoga, you need to be active every day if you want to reach the pinnacle of your personal potential. Just following the classic advice of working out for half an hour three to four times per week is not going to cut it at all. You have got to be highly active every day, because you can lose a very significant amount of your physical fitness in as little as a day of being inactive.
The second thing that you are going to need to pay attention to is your heart rate while you work out. In order to get into decent shape, you need to keep your heart beating at 60 percent of your max. But if you want to reach the top, you have got to keep your heart beat at least up to the 80 percent level. To find your max, subtract your age from 220, and then get to it.