Putting in the time and physical and mental energy to stick with a consistent workout plan is serious business. Needless to say, you want to maximize your efforts and get the greatest benefit that you can out of your exercise routine; after all, we’re all busy women!

I routinely try to plan my workouts so that I reap maximum benefits with minimal time spent and I’m sharing some of my best advice here.  So read on to learn my top five tricks to improve your workouts, starting today!

5 Tricks To Revamp Your Workout

1. Stick To 30 Minutes of Efficient Exercise

You’ll probably be thrilled to learn that only 30 minutes of exercise is optimal for activating autophagy, which can basically be thought of as hitting the re-set button on a cellular level. When you are not over-feeding your cells by constantly snacking, you give them a chance to go into their self-cleaning mode.

When autophagy is running smoothly, your body has the ability to effectively keep inflammation in check. Systemic inflammation (versus acute, like in the case of an infection) has been linked to myriad degenerative conditions ranging from accelerated aging to cancer.

Instead of focusing your exercise routine around chronic cardio (a misconception many women have), follow the recommended four, 30 – minute workouts per week that are outlined in Glow15.

2. Focus on HIIT and RET

On a similar note, maximizing those 30 minute workouts by combining HIIT (high intensity interval training) with RET (resistance exercise training) is what I advocate in my Glow15 program. It’s worked for me and I’m thrilled to share it with you!

Many studies have confirmed the impressive benefits of HIIT, from up to 30% more calories burned to an increased metabolic rate for hours post-exercise (meaning you’ll continue to burn calories while at rest).

According to the Mayo Clinic, RET (any type of strength training) provides unparalleled benefits like muscle gain and preservation, prevention of diseases such as osteoporosis, weight loss and more. And no ladies, I promise you won’t bulk up!

3. Balance Your Macronutrient Intake

With the Glow15 program, you’ll time your workouts in accordance with your eating plan (my book provides a detailed outline, but this is just a tip to get you started).

Keep in mind that protein is often the most-ignored of the macronutrients. So much attention has been dedicated to carb and fat counts in the press and wellness community that we sometimes forget how important adequate protein intake can be.

Protein is critical for muscle gain, so you’ll want to plan your workouts on what I call “high days,” which are days when you eat anywhere from 10-35% of your calories in protein, while keeping it closer to 5% on other days. This “protein cycling” offers added benefits beyond just consuming enough protein n a daily basis.

Research shows that certain types of intermittent fasting (IF) and protein cycling, combined with the right type of high quality workouts are optimal for activating autophagy (and that’s the goal).  Always honor quality over quantity. Glow15 is not about counting calories!

4. Enjoy What You Do

Plain and simple, it’s essential to actually love (or at least like) your workouts! If you’re not a gym person, don’t go to the gym. If you hate running, don’t run. You get the idea! With the endless options for ways to stay in shape, choosing something you find pleasurable is almost guaranteed to keep you motivated and improve your workouts.

On my program, you can successfully do HIIT and RET by picking from a long list of exercises, such as body weight circuits at home, walking uphill (or sprinting if you prefer), swimming, dancing, etc.

And we now know that just moving around throughout your day is much healthier than sitting at a desk all day long. Set an alarm if you need to that can remind you to get up and move for about 10 minutes every 2 to 3 hours. Research shows that sitting for long periods of time increases your risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

5. Caffeinate

As long as you don’t have a health condition where caffeine is not advised or not allowed, caffeine can be a powerful boost to your workouts. In fact, studies show that just one serving of a caffeinated beverage (obviously we’re not talking sodas or energy drinks here) can increase exercise performance, focus and fat burning. In Glow15, I provide a recipe for a specific unique tea that scientists have shown to be effective for boosting metabolism and helping women increase their lean body mass while shedding fat. In the meantime, consider jump-starting your workout with green tea, earl grey or one cup of coffee upon waking up. Add some healthy fat such as MCT oil for an added health boost.

There you have it, my top five tips to improve your workout! Remember, if you enjoy your exercise, you’ll keep doing it. So jump in the pool, run around outside, walk some stairs while listening to music or do some gardening to give your yard a nice facelift. You’ll feel better, sleep better, be happier and maybe even add years to your life. So get going and enjoy amping on your muscle power and your mood.