Five Quick Exercises to Fit into Your Busy Schedule

If you have ever used the excuse that you are too busy to exercise, it is time to come up with a new excuse! Here are some quick things to fit into your schedule to keep you fit. Sneak them in throughout your day, every day, and you will soon feel lean and strong.

1. Put TV time to use

If you take any time at all to watch television or DVDs, put that time to good use with a Pilates ball! Sitting on a Pilates ball alone is great for your back and abdomen, because you are constantly making small corrections to keep your balance. While you sit and watch, lie back (carefully!) and do some crunches. You will feel the burn in your obliques as well as your abdominal muscles. Get a stretch band and use it to tone your arms by doing some curls. Step on the middle of the band and hold the ends in one hand, brace your elbow on your knee, and draw your fist up to your shoulder. Be sure to do the same number of repetitions on both arms. To work your triceps, hold your hands just above your head with your upper arms level to the floor. Keep your elbows still while you straighten your arms, pulling your hands apart.

2. Tone your legs with dolphin kicks

Lie face down on the floor, supporting your upper body on your elbows (make sure to keep them directly under your shoulders) and bending your knees. To relieve the stress on your shoulders from lying in this position, pull your shoulder blades down. The natural tendency is for your spine to sink toward the floor, so pull your abs up to support it and keep it flat. Keep your hips facing forward throughout the exercise-don't let them rotate. Inhale, and then contract your glutes and hamstrings as you exhale and extend your left leg straight out to hip height. Hold it for a few seconds, and then bend your knee and lower it back to the floor.

3. Multitask! Do leg lifts in your office chair

While you work away at your computer, you can put your body to work to tone up. Try some leg lifts to work on your quads: sitting in your chair with your feet directly under your knees, slowly straighten your left leg until it is straight out in front of you. Hold it for a few seconds, and then slowly lower it. Do a total of 10, and then switch to the other leg and work your way up to more. If you can not count and work at the same time, keep going until you feel the burn and can not lift your leg any more.

4. Tighten up those flabby arms with free weights

Sit on a chair or Pilates ball (the ball is good for adding intensity, but you might want to start with something more stable until you get the hang of this exercise). Put a free weight in each hand-depending on your fitness and strength level, start small with a one-pound weight and work your way up. Hold your arms so your upper arms go straight out to your sides and are parallel to the floor and your lower arms and hands are pointing straight up (like a goal post). Inhale, then slowly exhale while you raise the weights until your arms are straight up over your head. Inhale again, and slowly lower the weights behind your head while keeping the elbows steady. Inhale, and then reverse the process. The whole time, keep your abdominal muscles pulled back to your spine to support it and keep your back straight.

5. Flatten your belly with intense crunches

Crunches are a classic way to flatten the tummy, but these ones provide extra intensity so you can accomplish more with fewer reps. Lie on a mat with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle and feet flat on the floor. Pull your abdominal muscles to your spine until your back is flat on the floor and keep it that way through the whole exercise to support your spine and properly develop the muscles. You can rest your head in your hands, but do not use them to pull your head up. Inhale, and then slowly exhale while you contract your abs and push them down toward the floor, using that contraction to pull your knees and upper body toward each other simultaneously. Curl up as tight as you can and hold your position for a few seconds, then inhale and exhale while you slowly lower your feet and head back to the floor.

Best of luck and happy fitness!