When it comes to exercise, there’s a difference between what’s ideal and what’s, well, possible.

Maybe in a perfect world, you’d devote an hour a day to fitness, a finely tuned program of strength training and cardio. In the real world, it can be difficult. That’s OK, experts say: Even shorter bouts of exercise can have health benefits.

“There are certainly ‘optimal’ ways to train,” said Barb Puzanovova, a Nashville-based personal trainer and behavior change specialist, “but you can see increased mobility, better sleep, better strength and increased bone density with shorter, simpler workouts.”

Here’s how to make the most of your exercise time — even if you only have 15, 20 or 30 minutes.

Focus on strength training.

Jessie Mundell, a fitness trainer in Ontario, said she prioritizes resistance training when time is short. “Strength training is so effective at elevating the heart rate, and then bringing it down a bit during rest periods, and then back up again,” she said.

A 2021 analysis of 45 studies on resistance circuit-based training found that it improved not only muscle mass and strength but also several important markers of cardio-respiratory fitness, especially among people who were new to it.

Hit the major movement patterns.

“Working through movements you do in everyday life gives you better spatial awareness, coordination and overall strength to reduce your chance of getting hurt,” said Joe Holder, a personal trainer in New York. (If you are pregnant or have an injury or other condition, check with your doctor about which exercises are safest.)