Same Workout, New Pants Size

Make your usual workout burn more calories -- without working a stitch harder -- with this simple switch: Do cardio before you strength train.

Doing cardio first -- brisk walking, cycling, swing dancing,
whatever -- can help you do your full workout, and thus burn more calories, instead of pooping out halfway (not 'cause you have to poop, but because your legs feel exhausted). And finishing your workout with weights helps boost postworkout metabolism -- the rate at which your body burns calories after you're done. The result is an overall higher calorie burn. Plus, muscle burns more calories than fat, upping the total even more.

That said, if you can do only one, do strength training. But don't make the choice. We don't. Both of us think physical activity is SO important that we both make it a priority on our schedules.

Also, don't start obsessing about what you do when. Yes, cardio-first workouts help you get a calorie-burning bonus. But if you've only got 20 minutes -- enough for a quickie weight routine -- grab it. ANY kind of exercise burns calories. It's far more important to get moving than to chew it over so long that you end up doing nothing.

In fact, what's so gratifying about exercise is that unlike the list of things you need to clean out of your life (Cheetos, excuses), physical activity is something you can add almost as much of as you want. All while watching Raymond reruns. Don't have a treadmill in front of the TV? Get some dumbbells. Or do sit-ups. Or jumping jacks. Just do something!