Fitting in fitness can help you maintain your conditioning so you don’t have to start from scratch come January 1.

You’ve worked hard to get in shape, so don’t let it slide during the jam-packed holiday season. If you slack off during December, you’ll lose conditioning quickly.

A better tactic: Do what you can.

“It takes a lot more effort to get your fitness level back than it does to maintain it,” says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at Quincy College in Massachusetts, and author of 24 fitness books. So during busy times of the year, strive for maintenance.

If you’ve been strength training by doing three sets at several weight machines three days a week, for example, scale back to one quick set two days a week. If you’ve been jogging for 40 minutes every other day, cut back to 10 or 15 minutes. “If all else fails, try to get at least 10 minutes of some kind of exercise every day during this especially busy time of year,” he says.

Westcott offers these suggestions for maximizing your exercise time.

Up the Intensity
To do more in less time, increase the intensity of your workout. If you go from 20 minutes of walking to 10 minutes of jogging, for example, you’ll increase your fitness benefits, he says.

The Physical Activity & Public Health Guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association support this less-is-more concept. They recommend moderately intense cardiovascular activity such as brisk walking for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or vigorously intense cardio (as in running) for just 20 minutes a day, three days a week.

“Everything we’re learning is that higher-intensity, shorter-duration exercise promotes physiological benefits and undoubtedly more psychological perks because you really feel like you’ve been doing something instead of just going out and moving a little faster than normal,” Westcott says.

If you’ve got just 10 minutes, hop on a stationary bike and do 10 minutes of intervals. Alternate one minute of intense cycling with one minute of recovery. “With just five hard bouts and five recoveries, those 10 minutes fly and you get better results, according to the research, than if you cycled consistently at a lower level longer,” Westcott says.

Try Circuit Strength Training
Another exercise that takes just 10 to 15 minutes is the circuit version of strength training. Go from machine to machine quickly with little rest between.

“You’ll get both cardiovascular and strength benefits,” Westcott says. You’ll burn fat, boost your metabolism so that you’ll burn more calories even at rest, and help reduce your risk for osteoporosis.

Westcott led a study that found circuit training three days a week was more effective for getting in shape than running or brisk walking for 50 to 60 minutes five or six days a week.

To circuit train successfully, do one set of 12 repetitions on six to eight different machines. Rotate lower body exercises with upper body exercises. Repeat this routine two or three days a week, with a day off between workouts.

“Circuit strength training should exhaust or fatigue the target muscles within about 90 seconds or less, so you won’t be spending much time on each machine,” Westcott says. Keep the circuit simple. You can add more weight and more machines as the routine gets easier or your free time increases.

Sandra Gordon spoke with Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at Quincy College, fitness research director for the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Mass., and author of 24 fitness books.

© StayWell Custom Communications. Information is the opinion of the sourced authors and organizations. Personal decisions regarding health, diet, and exercise should be made only after consultation with the reader's own medical advisers. This material may not be reproduced for redistribution without written permission from StayWell Custom Communications.