30 Minute Workouts

P90X can kiss my but. So can every other workout that takes over an hour of my life and leaves me feeling like walked in dog poo.  I'm so not into that kind of workout.  I get that maybe it works in some people's lives, but for me, P90X and its counterparts are a sure way to triple my stress and make me despise working out.

I believe in sustainable workouts and P90X is the farthest thing from that for me. I also believe workouts should be tailored to the needs of our individual bodies.  For instance, some of us need more cardio while others may need more time building muscle.  Or you might have bad knees and no matter how many calories running burns, its just not the thing for you.  So based on these principles, and well a few others, I've designed my own workout plan that I really think I can stick with.

My Workouts:

A couple things you should know first: I design my workouts with a couple key principles in mind. The first very simple principle is just that moving burns calories. The second common knowledge principle is that muscle burns more than fat and the third principle is that your body begins to burn fat between 10 and 15 minutes of exercise. Based on these, each of my workouts includes running, strength training, and lasts for at least 20 minutes.

My current plan includes 4 separate workouts, each focusing on cardio and a major muscle group; arms, legs, abs, and back. I try to hit all of them each week but shuffle around the order.

Here's some interesting articles that relate to my workout philosophy:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/8-ways-to-burn-calories-and-fight-fat

http://www.livestrong.com/article/419744-working-out-time-and-fat-burning-myths/