5 Fitness Shortcuts For When You're Just Too Busy To Hit The Gym

5 Fitness Shortcuts For When You're Just Too Busy To Hit The Gym, We know how it goes: For weeks, you've been on a workout roll. The check-in guy at the gym knows you by name. The recommended 150 minutes of cardio plus 2 to 3 strength training sessions weekly? Got it covered. But then work piles up, the kids' sports season kicks off—and, soon enough, the new staff at the gym doesn't recognize you.

Sound familiar? The good news is that you don't have to go back to square one every time life gets busy. "If you're active, you can maintain your fitness level in less time than you think," says Carol Ewing Garber, PhD, a professor of movement sciences and education at Columbia University. So when your schedule gets hectic, don't sweat having to skip a few workouts. The following shortcuts can help preserve all the hard work you've already put in—so you can pick things up right where you left off. (Got 10 minutes? Then you can fit in the Fit in 10 workout.)

1. Squeeze in one resistance-training session a week.

Even if you can't make your regular total-body conditioning classes, hit the weights at least once every 7 days. In a study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, adults who strength trained 3 times a week were able to maintain their muscle when they dialed their routine back to one workout a week over the course of 8 months. No time for the gym? Keep a set of weights at home, or consider using resistance bands: Research shows these stretchy bands offer similar results as dumbbells. (Here are some resistance band exercises to get you started.)
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