The dynamic duo? Aerobics and weight training. Do two of our favorite things: speed walking and a little resistance work. Even if you do the absolute minimum — 5 days of walking and 2 days of strength training — for just 20 to 30 minutes a day, you’ll get more out of it than if you do just one. Try Joel Harper’s resistance workout to boost your upper-body strength.
Researchers observed that people with diabetes who did the combo trimmed their waists, lowered their blood sugar, cut back on their meds, and (nifty bonus) lost 4 pounds of pure fat. Set your workout goals with this personal tracker.
The beauty of combining both types of workouts is that it doesn’t have to take more time. The mix seems to maximize the benefits of whatever you do. Even though the combo plan was tested on people with diabetes, it will work for anyone, whether you need to exercise to lower your blood sugar or just want to get healthier, have more energy, and reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease. Who wouldn’t want that?