Are you doing aerobic exercise (such as running) at least 5 days a week, but still not seeing the physical results you desire? Wouldn’t it be nice to improve your conditioning (including trimming and toning) without spending any additional time?  You can! The idea is to train smarter, not harder. Consider this:

A growing body of clinical evidence shows that the healthiest bodies are those that reflect the hard work of a varied exercise rountine, including resistance training. Current fitness recommendations from The American College of  Sports Medicine are for adults to  strength train twice a week (three times is optimal).

Here’s how to put this principle to work if your exercise routine is an aerobic activity everyday, (or 5 days a week ). Simply swap out 2 days of  aerobics  for 2 days of reisitance/strength training. You don’t have to add any additional time to your training,  just mix it up. When I strength train, I generally perform about 5-6 exercises (each challenging enough to do 10-12 reps) and I do 5 sets of each. Moving quickly from one exercise to the next, without a break, helps keeps my heart rate up and provides for a more intense level of training (more fat burn and muscle enhancement).

Stop thinking you  have to work harder to get healthier. I love this concept of living healthier by making small changes or swaps that add up to permanent change and real results. Please check out Simple Tweaks for a Healthier Life by fitness blogger Anne Mauney, MPH, RD for more ideas to make fitness, food and  healthy living more manageable. And if you are interested in maximizing training gains after strength training, you won’t want to miss my next post!

Do you have fit tips to mix it up or simple tweaks for better health?