All for One

Aerobics, strength development, stretching — you’re supposed to divvy up your exercise routine among various forms of fitness training. And while you may be busy, the old “short–on–time” excuse for dodging exercise is dead. You don’t need hours in the gym to cover each base:

• Shoot for all–in–one workouts. Take a class that combines cardio with muscle work, like kickboxing. For lower impact, try yoga, which improves flexibility, strengthens muscles, and enhances balance.

• While rotating body parts (legs one day, arms the next) is recommended if you hit the weight room, it’s possible to combine work on multiple body parts if you alternate days. Holding free weights in each hand, squat against a wall. As you return to standing position, push the weights over your head like a bench press and engage your core to work your lower and upper body.

• Give up the all–or–nothing approach. While at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 times/week is necessary to stay on top of your health, a study published in Journal of the American Medical Association found that even 75 minutes/week of activity is beneficial for normally sedentary individuals. Just move as often as you can.