If you think your life is too busy to find time to exercise, then you’ll be surprised to learn that you can get a great workout in less time than you think. This article contains many tips that can teach you to maximize your workout in a short amount of time, and can help you stay healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

To help you stick with your fitness goals, find yourself a workout buddy. This person will help you stay accountable for showing up to your workouts. Having a buddy can also keep you motivated on the days when you’d rather not do your workout. Laughing and talking as you work out will allow you to work out longer, which causes you to burn more calories than if you were just working out alone.

Take a day off each week. This will allow your body some much needed rest, but it will also give you a chance to think about something other than fitness for a while. That way, you can return to your fitness program with fresh eyes to see if you’d like to try something different or want to change a few things.

As you get older your muscles become significantly less flexible, which increases the risk that your muscles will become painfully strained. If you are younger than 40, you should try to hold each stretching position for at least 30 seconds. After 40, increase the holding time to a full minute. This will keep your muscles pliable and strain-free.

Health experts all agree on how important exercise is to staying healthy. Even if you think you’re too busy, you should dedicate a little bit of time every week to fitness. If you follow these tips, you can achieve a great workout in a short time to fit your busy schedule, and still maintain a healthy lifestyle.