Diet Talk from the Doc
by Dr.Diet, Diet.com's Medical Director

You can spend less time in the gym and get the same results, say some fitness experts. A few of the time savers discussed in this article include:

-- Doing just 1 set of strength moves instead of 2 or 3 (which is the recently revised guideline from the American College of Sports Medicine).

-- Doing bursts of high intensity intervals for 30-60 seconds which will allow you to decrease your workout time but burn the same number of calories.

-- Using the incline on the treadmill as a way to shorten your session but burn the same number of calories.

-- Don't rest as you alternate between your upper and lower body strength exercises, making your usual routine shorter and more efficient.

To read the full article, click here:
Re-Work Your Workouts and Spend Less Time in the Gym

Dr. Diet weighs in:

Workout time savers are always welcome (especially the new strength training guidelines that you only need to do one set of 8-12 reps) but I do worry that some of these other tips may put you more at risk of injury.

For example, if you don't have good knees or if you tend to get low back pain, using the treadmill incline may not be a good idea. If you have feet problems, faster intervals during your aerobic workout may not work that well for you. And if you avoid resting in between your strength exercises, fatigue could affect your form, which could also heighten your risk.

When you're short on time, rather than fast pacing through your regular workout, I encourage you to adapt your workout to whatever time you do have. My philosophy is that doing something is always better than doing nothing. For example:

-- If you can't get to the gym, walk briskly outside.

-- If you can't make your yoga class, do some stretches at home using a great book called Stretching by Bob Anderson.

-- If you don't have time for your full weight machine circuit, do some simple resistance exercises at home using free weights and bands.