Blake Lively’s Hilarious Attempt at Getting Out of a Workout Sesh Will Make You LOL

Strength Training: 2-3 Days

The magic formula, according to Noam Tamir, CSCS, founder of TS Fitness, is three days of strength training, two days of cardio, and two days of active rest per week.

Strength training days are absolutely crucial for maintaining a healthy weight. In addition to forming and shaping a strong, sexy bod, adding muscle mass increases your resting metabolism — meaning you'll burn more calories when you’re at home on your couch, enjoying a good Netflix binge. If you’re not looking to add any noticeable muscle, you can theoretically strength train twice a week and make use of that third day for cardio, but we wouldn’t recommend skipping it altogether.

You can strength train in a variety of ways, too. Lifting is an obvious option, but for those who are really looking for a leaner physique or who just hate lifting, pilates and intense vinyasa yoga are also fabulous. Functional training, like rock climbing or rowing, also qualifies.

Make sure to take a break between your strength training days. Most experts say that you need at least 48 hours for your muscles to recover. In the meantime, there’s cardio!

Cardio: 2-3 Days

Cardio is undoubtedly important, not only for keeping your heart healthy, but also for burning fat. Without getting too technical, you should aim to hit 85-100 percent of your target heart rate for roughly 15 minutes. You can calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. So, if you’re 27, your max heart rate would be 193, and 85 percent of that would be 164.

You can get there with high-intensity interval training, long-distance running, Zumba, cardio kickboxing — whatever floats your boat.

Active Rest: 2 Days

Finally, one of the most important parts of your workout plan: active rest. Two days of your week should be fully focused on letting your muscles rebuild through gentle stretching, walking, restorative yoga, or foam rolling. By completing these kinds of workouts twice a week, you’ll be staying active and building flexibility all while chilling out!

The Dangers of Over-Exercising

It’s important to take time off from your workouts if health is your overall goal. For one thing, over-exercising can lead to adrenal fatigue and other disorders, as exercise is literally added stress for your body. Your adrenal glands respond to exercise by releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, and over time, not giving your adrenals a break can lead to tiredness, lethargy, and even thyroid problems.

And besides, it’s important to take a mental break from exercise. When you start to obsess about fitness, is when a healthy habit turns into something more sinister. Do yourself a favor and take at least two days a week for rest or active recovery. Your body will thank you!

Take it slow.

If you're just getting back to a workout regimen after a longish break, maybe don't try to start where you left off. "Trying to go all-out your first session back in the gym is a recipe for injury and frustration, so avoid that temptation," advises Greg Pignataro, a personal trainer with Grindset Fitness who specializes in strength and conditioning. "When trying to get back into the swing of things, start at a level that's no more difficult than a four or five out of 10. Starting at this manageable level will help prevent you from feeling overwhelmed. Slowly and consistently ramp up the challenge over your next few weeks. Do this, and you'll be back at your old level of performance — or beyond it — before you know it." (from How to Get Back Into Exercising After a Break)

Use a foam roll to help prevent injury.

Foam rolls can improve your performance, deepen your stretching, increase flexibility, and better your workout results. Using one for a few minutes a few times a week can help prevent injury too. "Personally, I use a foam roller any time I'm doing a cardio workout (such as running or spinning)," says celeb trainer Juliet Kaska. "I try to always foam roll out my legs before these types of workouts, especially my IT band because I'm prone to IT syndrome. Recently, I didn't stick with my usual foam rolling routine before a treadmill boot camp workout class and I ended up injured." Rolling, Kaska explains, specifically helps her clients release tightness and increase range of motion (especially for hip and knee flexion), and it can even reduce inflammation after a hardcore cardio sesh. "Foam rolling is really good for releasing tension by rolling out the knots that accumulate throughout our body from stress, misuse, and physical activity. Plus, it improves circulation, can help reduce [the appearance of] cellulite, and feels so darn good." (from Why Foam Rolling Is What Your Workout Routine Is Missing)

Save most of your stretching post-workout.

"After your workout is a better time to stretch with more dedication," says Nichole Tipps, lead trainer for V Shred, a virtual fitness training program. "Your muscles are tense, and they are tired and stressed in a good way. So stretching can help relieve that tension and reduce the soreness that results from working a muscle." Before your workout do a light stretch and then allot 10-15 minutes for post-sweat stretches. "Ease your muscles into the idea that you will be challenging them to perform," Tipps instructs. (from This Is the Best Time to Stretch During Your Workout)

Shake up your routine.

Finding what you love applies to work AND fitness (and pretty much everything else).. Break out of a fitness rut by trying something new – boxing, spinning, yoga – or mixing up your routine each week for a little variety. Here are 7 Tips to Actually Enjoy Exercising, including grabbing a buddy, making a killer playlist and stocking up on new gear to get you motivated. Brit + Co Founder and CEO Brit Morin also tried a new running workout to break out of a running rut and make it way more FUN. Read more ways to shake up your routine.

Start with strength, end with cardio.

Not sure whether to hit the weights or the treadmill when you make it to the gym? "The biggest scientific benefit to finishing with cardio is an added metabolic burst," explainsBree Branker, FitOn trainer. "This can contribute to faster and greater weight loss." The rush of cardio at the end of your workout can inspire you to come back for more too. "I love to end sessions with cardio to really achieve that high heart rate, sweat-all-over type of accomplishment that screams, 'I did it!'" (from Cardio or Strength? This How You Should Start Your Workout)

Train your flexibility.

"It's important for adults to be strategic about including flexibility training into their workouts, because maintaining flexibility and physical function as we move into middle and older adulthood is associated with better quality of life and independent living," says Dr. Rachelle Reed, PhD, Director of Fitness Science at Orangetheory Fitness. Dr. Reed explains two main types of flexibility training that you should aim to incorporate into your routine: "Dynamic stretching, where a stretch is performed by moving through a challenging but attainable range of motion several times in a row, and static stretching, where a stretch is held in a challenging but attainable position for a longer period of time (at least 10-30 seconds)." (from Here's Why We Lose Flexibility As We Age — And How to Get It Back)

Don't be discouraged if you've been out of the game.

It's never too late to start exercising if you want to improve your health found a study published in JAMA Network Open. Dr. Jennifer Haythe, MD, a New York-based cardiologist and co-director of the Women's Center for Cardiovascular Health and Columbia, explains, "The heart is a muscle and can always be trained like any muscle. Picking up exercise at any time has been shown to improve blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, mood, and sleep." Starting at just two hours a week and gradually increasing can be enough to make a difference. Anthony McClain, a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and host of podcast Bout That Time, explains, "Six to eight hours of vigorous activity sounds nice to me, yet studies have shown as little as 30 minutes of moderate/vigorous activity five days a week yields consequential qualitative and quantitative health benefits." (from It's Never Too Late to Start Exercising, According to This Study)

If you're a new mom, you got this.

Don't believe the postpartum hype about getting back into shape. Leah Keller, founder of Every Mother and creator of the EMbody Program — a prenatal and postnatal fitness system, debunks all the myths in 5 Postpartum Fitness Myths You Probably Fell For. "Your core and your body can be stronger and fitter than ever before," Keller states, "and many women experience a new self-confidence and body love that surpasses anything they knew prior to becoming a mother." We second that! Exercise can help new moms sleep, regulate their mood and energy, and increase productivity too. "You can restore core strength and function in as little as 10 minutes a day, and total body fitness in 10- to 30-minute workouts a few times per week," Keller adds. Just listen to your body and find a workout that works with your schedule, budget and fitness needs.

Ease in by starting at home.

Jump start your new workout routine at home to build up your confidence and get motivated, especially in the throes of winter. Here are workouts you can do from the comfort of your living room — no fancy workout clothes necessary!

• These 6 Moves Will Strengthen and Tone Your Entire Legs and Butt from Emma Elfving, an instructor at Barry's Bootcamp in San Francisco
• 4 Booty-Sculpting Barre Moves You Can Do at Home from Certified Holistic Health Coach (IIN) and Tone It Up trainer Tori Simeone
• 6 Yoga YouTube Channels to Help Keep You Grounded Anytime and Anywhere from Brit + Co

What are your fitness goals this year? Share with us @BritandCo!

This article has been updated from a previous post.

July 2016: Meghan and Harry meet

After initially meeting on Instagram (a classic plot point for 21st century relationships), Meghan and Harry met for a first date in London.

“I was scrolling through my feed and someone who was a friend had this video of the two of them [and Meghan], it was like a Snapchat,” Harry said of is digital introduction to Meghan in the Harry & Meghan Netflix docuseries. He remembers asking himself, "Who is that?"

November 2016: Meghan and Harry reveal they are officially dating

It was an official statement from Kensington Palace that confirmed Meghan and Harry's relationship.

At the time, Meghan faced mass amounts of sexist and racist backlash through the media for her association with the royal family. Kensington Palace denounced the hate in a statement:

“Some of this has been very public — the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and Web article comments,” the statement read. “Some of it has been hidden from the public — the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriends; the bombardment of nearly every friend, coworker, and loved one in her life.”

Despite the hate, Meghan and Harry persevered as a couple.

September 2017: Meghan shines a light on her relationship with Harry

Meghan revealed even more information about her connection with Harry in a Vanity Faircover story in September 2017.

“We’re a couple. We’re in love,” she told Vanity Fair. “I’m sure there will be a time when we have to come forward and present ourselves, and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours. But we’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story.”

November 2017: Meghan and Harry are engaged

Meghan officially moved to London in the fall of 2017 and the couple announced their engagement not long after.

Harry proposed to Meghan at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace with a ring made from two of Princess Diana's diamonds, and she said "yes" on the spot!

An official statement from the palace detailed their engagement further:

“His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle,” it read. “His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle became engaged in London earlier this month. Prince Harry has informed Her Majesty The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents.”

Meghan recalled the moment Harry proposed on the Harry & Meghan Netflix docuseries:

“He’s down on one knee and I was like, ‘Yes!’ I was so joyful and excited. I was like, ‘Ah we’re doing this."

May 2018: Meghan and Harry’s wedding

Meghan and Harry got married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. They admitted a few years later that they had actually exchanged vows three days before they walked down the aisle, for the sake of privacy.

“No one knows that,” Meghan said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. “We called the archbishop and just said, look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us, so the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the archbishop of Canterbury.”

Millions of people tuned in for their televised wedding ceremony on May 19, 2018.

October 2018: Meghan announced her first pregnancy

On October 15, 2018, Kensington Palace released a statement informing the public that Meghan and Harry were expecting their first child the following spring.

The news broke while Meghan and Harry were on a 16-day royal tour through Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand. The pair returned home and settled in at Windsor Castle's Frogmore Cottage to start prepping for the baby.

May 2019: Meghan and Harry welcome their first child

January 2020: The couple steps back from their roles in the royal family

After "many months" of deliberation, Meghan and Harry had decided to "transition" from the royal family in early 2020.

In an official statement, they shared their plans to step back as ‘senior’ members of the royal family, become financially independent from Her Majesty, and split time between the United States and United Kingdom.

"This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity," the statement read. "We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties."

They moved to the U.S. a couple months later, staying in Montecito, California until they bought a home in Santa Barbara in the summer of 2020.

November 2020: Meghan announced she had a miscarriage with her second child

Meghan admitted she experienced a miscarriage with her second pregnancy, writing in a vulnerable New York Times op-ed essay that the loss of her second pregnancy with Prince Harry felt like “an almost unbearable grief.”

“I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second,” Meghan wrote. “Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal.”

March 2021: Interview with Oprah

The couple sat down for a very candidinterview with Oprah in March 2021, coming clean on multiple topics that had arose since living in the public eye. From Meghan’s mental health to the dynamic of the royal family – including the racism Meghan had experienced since becoming a member – they spoke honestly.

June 2021: Meghan and Harry welcome their daughter, Lilibet

The pair publicly announced their second pregnancy in February 2021, welcoming their daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten Windsor, a few months later.

Lilibet was born on June 4, 2021 in Santa Barbara, California.

June 2022: Meghan and Harry attend the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Meghan and Harry headed to Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, marking their first joint appearance in the U.K. in over two years at that point.

The two weren’t publicly mingling with other senior royalty in attendance, though they reportedly introduced Lilibet to the Queen in private during their trip.

"They aren't part of the [working] royal family anymore, and that's a decision they have taken — but maybe [the public] hasn't quite accepted that yet," a source close to the couple told Peoplein 2022. "Yes, they were low-key. They paid their respects and went home."

September 2022: Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral

Meghan and Harry were called to Windsor Castle on September 8, 2022, shortly after Queen Elizabeth II passed away at age 96.

They briefly reunited with Kate Middleton and Prince William to support the royal family amid the news. According to Kensington Palace, the rare meeting was actually William's idea, with a source noting that it "was an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family."

December 2022: The Harry & Meghan docuseries drops

The first volume Meghan & Harry Netflix docuseries hit screens on December 8, 2022. The pair addressed their full love story, their new family, and dived deeper on their reasons for distancing from the royal family in the three-part series.

March 2023: Meghan and Harry were told to leave their royal residence in the U.K.

Meghan and Harry were asked to “vacate” Frogmore Cottage in the spring of 2023.

"We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage," a spokesperson for the couple's Archewell Foundation told People.

January 2024: The truth comes to light about Queen Elizabeth’s blessing for Meghan and Harry’s daughter’s name

An inside source disputed the claim that the late Queen Elizabeth had not given Meghan and Harry her blessing to name their daughter after her known nickname, Lilibet.

“Meghan and Harry 100 percent got permission from the queen to use the name Lilibet,” the insider said. “The report is not true. [Harry and Meghan] don’t know where this is coming from...They’re shocked that this is coming now; it seems out of nowhere and out of left field. They just feel like it’s more of the same spear campaign that continues against them.”

March 2024: Meghan and Harry were in Austin, Texas for SXSW

Meghan was slated to speak on a South by Southwest panel for International Women’s Day 2024, so she and Harry traveled to Austin, Texas.

While they were in Austin, the couple had a date night at Soho House Austin.

“They were happy and in great spirits,” an eyewitness told People. “Harry was very animated throughout the dinner. They were super low key and seemed happy to be around the upbeat vibes at the lively venue.”