Photo: Williams + Hirakawa

Bob Greene instructed boot campers Amy, Kerri, and Yolanda to implement this basic exercise routine, which he recommends for anyone beginning a workout regimen. (If you think you may have any contraindications to these exercises, check with your physician first.)

Cardio: 30 minutes, five days a week.
Work out in the morning—doing so will jumpstart your metabolism for the day, and increase the likelihood that you'll stick with your plan. Aim for an exertion level of seven, which means you feel like your body is working fairly hard but you can maintain the pace for the rest of the workout; you're breathing deeply, but can still carry on a conversation.

Strength Training: Three days a week (on nonconsecutive days).
For each of the eight exercises below, do two or three sets of eight to ten repetitions. Select a weight that causes your muscles to slightly burn after repetition number six or seven; it should be challenging to complete repetition ten. Otherwise, the weight isn't heavy enough. Between sets, don't take more than 15 to 30 seconds of rest.


THE BASIC EIGHT STRENGTH EXERCISES:

		Squats How to do a squat correctly.			Lunges The right way to do a lunge.
		Chest Press How to do the dumbbell chest press.			Shoulder Press The right way to do a shoulder press.

		Butterfly Train your chest muscles with the butterfly.			Dumbbell Fly How to do a dumbbell fly.
		Biceps Curl The correct way to do a biceps curl.			Triceps Extension Tone the upper arm with the triceps extension.