Type of Exercise
     Cardiovascular (cardio) exercises are the exercises that get your heart rate up and help with your endurance. This is very important to have in your routine. This is also the one that is generally your favorite. Since you want to be between a 6 & 10 on the RPE scale. I discuss this later. Try to aim for 6 days of cardio a week.
     Strength training is what builds your muscles. This does not necessarily mean they bulk up. Strength training is where you tone your muscles which will make your cardio easier and you feel stronger. This should be done 3 days a week. Yes, this means that you will have to schedule strength and cardio on the same day.
     Flexibility is very important to have in your routine. This helps you get through life and be able to do daily activities. It helps your muscles stay flexible and have greater potential.
Rest is extremely important for your body and for you. You need to remember to allow muscles to rest 24 hours in between workouts. Alternating between your upper body, lower body and core muscles daily will provide adequate rest.

How and When
     Intensity will help you determine how hard you are working. You want to try for 3 days of high intensity and 4 days of mild to moderate intensity workouts. I know you're probably thinking that this means you need a heart rate monitor (which would help), but you do not need one. A great way to determine the intensity of your workout is using the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE).
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale:
1. Inactive - no change in heart rate
2. Barely moving - little change in heart rate
3. Moderate - moving, but could do this forever
4. Getting tough - heart rate is going up, but could still do this for a long time
5. Tough - heart rate getting faster, but can carry on a conversation
6. Tougher - sentences are becoming staggered words
7. Hard - breathing is hard and I have to concentrate
8. Very intense - have to push myself and concentrate to maintain this level
9. Superintense - I don't think there is anything harder than this
10. Very, very Hard - I can only go a few seconds at this level

     When you ask yourself how you are doing, answering with one of the above answers will allow you to determine the intensity of your workout.
     The next thing you should consider is the duration, or How long does the workout need to last? This will be dependent upon you. Do you have time for a long or short workout? Make the workout fit into your day. If you have time for a 90 minute workout, that is wonderful. If your day only allows for a 15 minute workout that is great as well. When you schedule shorter workouts, you will get the greatest benefit from making them high-intensity workouts. It's like money, you want to get more for what you pay. Making shorter session harder work will allow you to reach your goals just as well as making longer sessions harder.
     Frequency is another item you want to consider when creating your perfect exercise routine. This is going to let you know how often you plan on working out. Can you exercise 6 of the 7 days? That would be awesome and 7 out of 7 days would be perfect, but I know life happens. This is also a good time to decide which days you will do your strength training, flexibility work, cardio or get your rest.
Here is my workout plan:
Monday: Upper body ST, 30 minutes moderately intense cardio

Tuesday: Core ST, 60 minutes of cadio (20 minutes High intensity, 40 minutes moderately intense)

Wednesday: Lower body ST, 60 minutes cardio (20 minutes High intensity, 40 minutes moderately intense)

Thursday: Full body ST, 30 minutes moderately intense cardio

Friday: Upper body ST, 30 minutes moderately intense cardio

Saturday: Core ST, 60 minutes cardio (20 minutes High intensity, 40 minutes moderately intense)

Sunday: Lower body ST, 15 minutes high intensity cardio