When it's time to hit the gym, most of us are in a serious time crunch. If your idea of a gym workout involves walking on the treadmill, riding the stationary bike or just doing laps around the track, you could be wasting your time. Sweating up a storm with basic cardio feels good in the moment, but you won't be doing your muscles any favors with that routine.

The best way to maximize your time is to do resistance training; you can burn up to four times as many calories by adding weights to your routine in the form of power squats, lunges and other weight-bearing sequences. Here are a few ideas to ramp up your usual cardio routine and blast off extra calories in no time:

1. Wear ankle weights. If you insist on strapping on those running shoes and doing laps around the track, bump up the resistance by wearing some ankle weights. These will make your usual jog that much more challenging and will give your lower legs a serious workout.

2. Play with resistance bands. Resistance bands use your own weight for resistance and help you strengthen and tone up muscles in a flash. You can do simple lunges, squats and pull ups with a set of bands by your side; they're perfect for that midday training session at the office or anytime you need to squeeze some training into your day.

3. Wear weighted hand gloves. Can't get away from the treadmill or elliptical machine? Pull on a pair of weighted hand gloves that add some resistance to your lower arms and help you tone up.

4. Do your crunches with a medicine ball. A 5 lb. medicine ball is all you need to add some power to your crunches. Just hold the ball with both hands above your head as you perform your oblique twists and ab crunches on the yoga mat. You'll feel the burn much faster and may finally see some results from your hard work.

5. Jump into the pool. Those ladies in the water aerobics class know a thing or two about resistance training. Performing simple walking or stretching routines in the water is a great way to burn calories and get those muscles in great shape.

It's been a long and stressful day at the office, or you've been blessed with looking after a gaggle of young kids over the Spring Break holiday. Whatever the case may be, hitting the gym for a workout or even your new exercise regimen suddenly disappeared into the abyss of the priority list. Working out regularly promises dozens of health benefits, including lower blood pressure, decreased stress levels and even a better sense of well being. Unfortunately, most of us don't make enough time to meet our weekly minimum requirements; when health and fitness take a backseat, we also put ourselves at risk for fatigue and stress.

Fear not! There are some ways to schedule a workout into even the busiest schedule. If your calendar is packed to the brim with to-do items, here are some ways to sneak in a workout or two in your busy day:

Spend Mondays with a Personal Trainer
If you can invest in a personal trainer, get your week off on the right start with a one-on-one session first thing on Monday morning. If you can't spare the cash for a trainer, enlist a buddy instead; make a commitment to hit the gym together first thing on Monday to kick those post-weekend blues together and get a positive start on fitness for the week ahead.

Become an Early Riser
If you're already getting up early to head to the office or wake up the kids for school, set your alarm for 45 minutes earlier than usual to get a head start on your day. Just 30 minutes of vigorous activity - jump roping, speed walking or a quick jog - is enough to get your metabolism in gear and burn fat all day long. Keep those running shoes by your bedside and throw on your workout gear before the household begins their day.

Make the Most of Lunch Hour
Have 15 minutes to spare during lunch hour? Change into some walking shoes and hit the streets for a power walking session. If you live in the city, this is a great way to window shop and explore new neighborhoods. If you're in the country, enjoy the fresh air and great outdoors while burning a few extra calories!

Learning fitness training tips is an important element of any exercise program. There are some very basic ways to incorporate to safely exercise.

Warming Up
A brief warm up is one of the most critically important fitness training tips. People often overlook this step and increase their risk of injuries when exercising. Even exercise videos don't always provide a warm-up, so it is important to take just a few minutes before starting any fitness program to do so. You can walk slowly in a circle and do basic stretches and push-ups.

Too Much Muscle Training
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Overusing strength training workouts such as dumbbell moves can tear the small fibers of your muscles and even decrease muscle mass. Most strength training should be done every other day, unless you are a professional bodybuilder.

Not Eating Enough Carbohydrates
People on low or no-carb diets put their muscles at risk when they exercise. Eating whole grains and not white flour is a good way to promote good health and fitness.

Not Drinking Enough Water
Always drink water before, during and after an intense workout. Failure to hydrate properly could lead to severe health problems such as heatstroke.

Exercising for Too Long
Too much exercise is a bad thing, because it can cause the ending of periods in women, promote bone loss and damage muscles. Working out more than 90 minutes a day is usually considered excessive.

Lack of Proper Shoes
Some people do indoor walking videos without proper tennis shoes or wear work shoes to the gym. Getting a good pair of men's sneakers or women's workout shoes is extremely important to avoid injuries, especially in those who carry extra weight.

Cooling Down
Cooling down, especially after a hard cardio workout, is important to ease your body back into normal activity. Walking slowly and stretching are great ways to cool down after any aerobic workout.

Implementing fitness training tips is easy to do, whether you want to walk in your neighborhood, workout at the gym or use an exercise video at home.

When the workday feels like a drag and hitting the gym after work feels like Mission Impossible, consider breaking up your day for a mid-day fitness circuit. A quick, high-intensity lunch time workout can give your metabolism a boost and help you log in that much needed gym time. If you have just 20 to 30 minutes to spare on your lunch break, consider jumping into any of these mini-workouts to keep up with your fitness resolutions this season:

Chair Squats
You won't even need to leave the office for this simple routine; just pull a chair away from your desk and do a series of squats by standing up and hovering over the chair base for 15-20 reps. Use a pair of water bottles as weights for extra resistance.

Speed Walking
Put on a pair of walking or running shoes and head outside for a brisk 20-minute walk. Head on over to your favorite smoothie place, coffee shop or just go on a window-shopping hike across town to log in those miles; just make sure your pace is fast enough to increase your heart rate.

Yoga Poses
An empty employee lounge or conference room is the perfect place to de-stress and stretch with a few yoga poses. Find a quiet space where you can center yourself and enjoy a few minutes of bliss; a few focused, intense stretches will get the blood circulation going and help you re-energize in the middle of an otherwise stressful day.

Wall Push-Ups
Another in-office maneuver, this exercise will tone up those biceps, shoulder muscles and upper back. Stand facing a wall about 2 feet away from the base. Push your palms against the wall and lean into the movement to do a standing push-up. Repeat for 15-20 reps or until you feel a burn.

The best time to do undertake the mini-workout is right before you dig into the lunch pack; you'll get to rev up your metabolism before noshing on that meal and may even burn it off faster. A brief, high-intensity workout will help build up endurance and stamina and keep you charged up for the rest of the day; follow the energy spike with a light brown bagged lunch for even more health benefits.