workout routines

If this month has marked a new commitment to fitness, your exercise goals are probably focused on how to stay motivated and consistent. But as your workout becomes more routine, take a look at your regimen to make sure it is well-rounded and provides results.

Make sure your fitness routine is a mix of cardio, strength training, and stretching to keep the body balanced and prevent injury. Besides your normal cardio workout, make sure you're scheduling at least two 20- to 30-minute sessions each week that focus on strengthening underused muscles. And don't stick with just one genre or level of difficulty; variety and challenge are both key to getting the results you want and ensuring you won't become bored.

You'll also need to pay attention to flexibility; stretching exercises and Pilates or yoga classes help. After any workout, don't forget to properly cool down the muscles and also schedule a longer stretch or foam-rolling session to ensure that your muscles stay flexible and healthy. This will also help muscles recover so you aren't too sore to complete the next day's exercises. Read more tips on building the right workout routine here, and tell us what your weekly workout plan looks like!

Getting your daily workout over and done with involves a lot of schedule coordination. That's not all it takes, however; if the only time you have to exercise is during lunch, you've also got to motivate yourself to leave your desk and make your way to the gym. Don't skip your lunch workout by motivating with these tips.

Snack timing: It's a catch-22; you need to spend your midday break at the gym, but you're starving by the time the clock strikes noon — making a salad bar run all the more tempting than a treadmill run. Unfortunately, wolfing down a huge meal before the gym isn't the best option if you've got 45 minutes of heart-pounding fitness to slog through. Instead, time your midday snack so you've got enough fuel for your workout without feeling weighed down. Check out our pre-workout snack ideas to eat one to two hours before your workout, like cereal with skim milk or trail mix and a latte, so you can have enough energy for the gym. And while you're at it, make sure to bring your lunch so you don't have to worry about working out and finding food during your limited time off.

Choose your workout: Don't want to sweat so much during your midday workout that you have to spend an hour in the locker room? Choose something that still hits your workout goals without the red face and limp hair. Choose a Pilates or yoga class if you don't want to go all out, or pick a shorter, intense class that still affords you time to shower and primp before having to head back to work.

Read on for three more tips.