On Monday, January 5, 2004, a very strange phenomena will overtake Americans. They will practically trample down the doors to local gyms all over the country in a collective consciousness that is rising up against all the holiday dietary sins -- too many cheese balls, too much idle conversation over a buffet table, missed workouts, too much to do with too little time --

January is the favorite time of year for personal trainers and gym proprietors because the client influx is predictable. And so is the gradual fade of enthusiasm that begins fairly soon after that for many of us.

There are lots of approaches to fitness that can keep your interest and encourage your consistency. Cross-training is one of them. A cross-training program usually includes a combination of different exercises, each performed for a specific period. The exercises can all be aerobic, but they usually include other types of exercise.

To improve aerobic fitness, for example, you can bike for 30 minutes. To increase strength, you can lift weights for 30 minutes. You can do one form of exercise each day or combine a bit of both on the same day. If you do both on the same day, you can change the order in which you do them.

Cross-training can also include a variety of different exercises in a single routine to promote aerobic fitness (moving within your workout from bike, stair-trainer, treadmill, walking, running, jumping rope, or different strokes and intensity when swimming.)

Circuit training can also keep your interest when you do high-repetition, low-resistance weight training and move quickly to the next exercise.

Another variation is to alternate from an aerobic exercise like the stationary bike to a weight training movement, then quickly back to a different aerobic exercise, like the tread mill. By switching between these activities without a break, you keep your workout momentum, time seems to go by a little faster, and the workout is effective.

Boredom can really undermine a fitness plan. So try to mix it up during your workouts and you might find it a whole lot easier to stick with it.

A Cross-Training Sampler

Here is an example of a cross-training program that provides all-around fitness. It can improve aerobic fitness, muscle strength and endurance, flexibility, and also help with weight control by helping you burn an extra number of calories each day.

Monday: Stretching for 10 minutes, upper body weight training for 30 minutes, fast walking for 20-30 minutes, with or without hand weights.

Tuesday: Swimming with alternating strokes for 20-30 minutes, yoga or slow stretching for 30 minutes.

Wednesday: Running or jogging for 20-30 minutes, lower-body weight training for 20-30 minutes, end with slow stretching.

Thursday: Swimming for 20-30 minutes, slow stretching or yoga for 20-30 minutes.

Friday: Rowing machine, bike, or treadmill (or alternating between 3 aerobic activities, outside or inside) for 20-30 minutes, slow stretching or yoga for 20-30 minutes.

Saturday: Take a day off!

Sunday: Walking or hiking comfortably for 30-45 minutes. Slow stretching or yoga for 20-30 minutes.

Another aspect of planning workouts that keep your interest is to determine which types of aerobic exercise you like more than others and really lean toward those. Making yourself jog if you don't like that form of exercise is kind or like eating something for dinner that you know is good for you but you just don't enjoy. Chances are, you'll tend to skip that food. Chances are, you'll avoid your workout if you don't enjoy the method.

This sample routine is primarily indoor based because of winter conditions. But cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or other winter aerobic activities are another great way to incorporate variety into your fitness plan. And variety is good insurance against fitness burnout. Hope to see you holding your own at the gym clear into summer!

– Pam Brooks