Strength

Weights – 10 minutes.

This part changes each of the three days in the week. Try legs on the first day, back/shoulders on the second and chest/arms on the third. At the beginning, I don’t think you should do more than 6-8 sets, but if you can manage 8-10 without wiping yourself out, go for it. Again, the goal is to get just enough of a workout to make you feel energized and ready to come back the next day.

I'll post a future blog on specific weight-lifting exercises, but I'm talking about the standard stuff most workout programs obsess over – squats and hamstring curls, rows or pull-ups, dumbbell raises, presses and bicep curls. Stick to the basics and you can’t go wrong.

Most workout programs focus too much on weights and not on the other two areas, but you do have to do them, especially if you’re interested in losing fat and building muscle. And hey, who isn't? People who say they only want to get "toned" are effectively saying they want to lose fat mass and gain muscle mass. That's how your muscles bulge out against your skin and make you look athletic, or toned.