What would a "perfect" week of exercise consist of, if reasonable weight loss were the goal? I'd like to lose five pounds -- safely, of course.

If you follow the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines, a perfect week of exercise consists of three to five sessions of cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise for 30 minutes or longer and two to three resistance workouts (usually weight training) per week.

A reasonable goal for weight loss is no more than two pounds per week, so you'd be looking at three to five weeks to take off five pounds without suffering from eating too little or killing yourself working out.

For maximum calorie burning (and aerobic fitness), extend at least three cardiovascular sessions to 45 minutes or longer. You'll burn more calories that way.

I would train with weights twice a week and do the entire body each time. If you were to do a "split" routine, in which you work your lower body one day and upper body the next (or some variation on that theme), you would spend too many days lifting weights. Doing all of your major muscle groups in one session lets you take a couple of days off in between workouts so you can give full value to your aerobic exercise on those days.

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