A viable fitness plan includes a well balanced diet and regular exercise. Exercise alone will not give you the same benefits that the combination of exercise and diet provides. It is, however, important to know which exercise works best with your lifestyle. Some people may get frustrated with the results they get from their exercise routines. This leads to disappointment and eventually, they abandon their fitness goals. Knowing the exercise routines that work best for you will make you reach your fitness goals faster. And the faster you achieve your goals, the more likely you are to maintain it.

Develop some muscles. Resistance training involving the use of weight machines or weights builds muscles and burns calories. Some health experts equate a 20 minute resistance workout to 45 minutes of cardio workout in terms of calorie expenditure. This is because muscles utilize more calories than fat cells. Free weights exercises are similar to resistance training but without the use of machines. Free weights involve the use of dumbbells or kettlebells. Resistance bands make use of elastic bands to flex and build up muscles. Exercise bands are available in levels ranging from 5 to 300 lbs and this exercise routine is perfect for frequent travelers. You can tone up your body at a resistance that suits you anytime, anywhere.

Cardio and aerobic exercises. These exercises are proven to imrove heart and lung capacity. Consistent cardio exercises can lower your risk of diabetes as well as some forms of cancer. Depending on your weight, cardio exercises burn a significant amount of calories. It increases your metabolism and continues to burn calories as much as 6 hours after exercise. Any exercise that raises your heart rate can be considered a cardio exercise. Do at least 30 minutes of cardio exercises every day.

Although walking, jogging and bicycling are considered cardio exercises, they are also activities that can be done outside of your workout schedule. Including these types of exercises to your fitness routine can significantly increase calorie expenditure. You can easily incorporate it to your daily routine by doing a little advance planning. Take note of all the routine activities you do for the week and try to take note of opportunities for incidental exercise. For example, playing jump rope with your kids. Biking to the drugstore instead of using the car. There are so many opportunities to get moving. It only waits for you to use it to your advantage.

These exercise routines are proven ways to provide you with maximum benefits. You can do one or both or all of it. You can mix it up for both cardio and muscle development. In the end, the best exercise routine is the one you’re going to stick with. Any exercise is beneficial as long as its done properly and consistently.

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