Breathe Magazine

Forget hours on a treadmill. Strength training is the new way to get toned and healthy for good.

We know—you don’t have the time to go to the gym for an hour every day. Now you can finally stop feeling guilty about it. New studies from the University of Maryland found that doing a total-body strength workout for 15 minutes, two to three days a week, will give you the same health benefits as hitting the gym every day. Not to mention, strength training can get you back in your skinny jeans in no time—and keep you in them for years to come.

“Most women don’t realize they are losing muscle at a rate of five pounds per decade, and that muscle loss is partly responsible for the fat gain that women see as they get older,” says Dr. Wayne Westcott, fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts. “Also, metabolism slows down by three percent every decade. Strength training can maintain high metabolism, maintain muscle mass and help you avoid fat gain.”

As if that isn’t enough of a reason to pick up weights stat, research also shows that strength training helps prevent osteoporosis, reduces the risk of diabetes and most cancers, eases lower back pain, increases good cholesterol, and reduces high blood pressure.

No weights? No time? No problem. If you’ve got a folding chair, you can do this easy workout by personal trainer Dolvett Quince, owner of Body Sculptor, Inc. in Atlanta, in as little as 15 minutes a day. Repeat three times a week and start reaping the rewards.

Want more?

Check out Dolvett Quince’s new workout DVD, “Me & My Chair,” for other easy exercises you can do right at home.

$24.99 • meandmychairworkout.com

Breathe is giving away two copies of “Me & My Chair.” Click here to win!