The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day! (44 page)

• Simultaneously, raise your arms and reach them across your body toward the right, turning to look in that direction. That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 12 to 15, then switch sides.

Pedal Crunch

A

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor, and a slider under each foot. Place your hands behind your head so your elbows point out to the sides.

B

• Extend your right leg, sliding the foot along the floor as you contract your abs and lift your head and shoulders off the floor, twisting toward the left knee.

• Slide your right leg back to the starting position and repeat with your left leg. That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 12 to 15.

Sliding Bridge

A

• Lie faceup with your knees bent, feet flat, and a slider under each foot. Place your arms at your sides, palms facing down. Squeeze your butt to lift your hips off the floor so your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.

B

• Keeping your abs and butt contracted, slide through your heels and straighten your legs until your butt almost touches the floor.

• Bend your knees and slide back into the bridge position. That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 8 to 12.

Mountain Climber

A

• Assume a push up position, arms extended, hands on the floor directly beneath shoulders, legs extended, balancing on toes, with a slider under each foot.

B

• Keeping your body in a straight line, slide the right knee toward your chest.

• Return to start and repeat with the left leg. That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 12 to 15 at a brisk pace.

Slider Pushup

A

• Assume a modified pushup position from your knees, arms extended, hands on the floor on sliders, directly beneath your shoulders.

B

• Bend your arms and lower your chest toward the floor as you slide your left hand back toward your ribs and your right hand out at a diagonal.

• Push up and slide both hands to start. Immediately repeat to the opposite side. That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 12 to 15.

Chapter 11:

15-Minute (Or Less!) Anywhere Workouts

THERE’S NO REASON YOUR BUSY LIFE SHOULD KEEP YOU FROM STAYING FIT AND TRIM. NOT WHEN YOU HAVE A PLAN TO TAKE WITH YOU.

Superfast Workouts To Go!

Let’s face it, life often gets in the way of our workouts. There are holidays and travel days and snow days and sick-children-at-home days that leave us stranded with not a gym in sight. Then there are the regular old marathon-day-at-work days that have you chained to your desk for 12 hours at a stretch. But you can make finely toned muscle in 15 minutes’ time, wherever you are—all you need are your arms and legs (and maybe a chair and a swing.) These exercise plans can be done at the office, in a hotel room, on the playground with your kids, even 35,200 feet in the air, which is why they’re also known as no-more-excuses workouts.

Start with the basics...

Chances are you spend the vast majority of your day working, which probably means you’re parked in a chair behind a desk. Even if you do plan to go to the gym at the end of the day, your body needs a break during the work hours. So we’ve broken from our usual routine to give you five mini office-warrior workouts (lasting 1 to 5 minutes). Try these first and get into the habit of doing them every day whenever you need a lift. Do all five at once and you’ve done your 15-minute workout for the day.

FIND IT QUICK:
YOUR DO-THEM-ANYWHERE CIRCUITS

OFFICE WARRIOR: 1-Minute Super Stretch Workout

Rag doll

Seated Twist

Hunch Buster

OFFICE WARRIOR: 1-Minute No-One-Will-Ever-GuessWorkout

Palm Press

Seat Press

Table Press

OFFICE WARRIOR: 4-Minute Total Body Tune-Up

Chair Dip

Chair Hover and Squat

Desk Pushup

Leg Extensions

OFFICE WARRIOR: 5-Minute Water Bottle Workout

Oblique Bend

Inner-Thigh Squeeze

Overhead Raise, Triceps Press

Leg Curl

Ab Twist

OFFICE WARRIOR: 5-Minute P.M. Slump Workout

Desk Mountain Climber

Arm Pumps and Punches

T Tip

Pendulum Lunges

Chair Lift

Hotel Room Workout 1

Side Bridge Abduction

Wraparound Ankle Touch

Double-Stop Pushup

Plank Bird Dog

Windshield Wiper

Supine Row

Hotel Room Workout 2

One-Leg Squat Floor Reach and Press

Pushup Crawl

Front Lunge Floor Reach and Reverse Twist

Grand Plié Squat Reach and Jump

Playground Workout

Swing Lunge

Monkey Up

Bench Jump

Swing Pike Pushup

35,200-Feet-in-the-Air Workout

Core Lifts

Wrist and Ankle Circles

Armrest Arm Boosters

Heel Raises

Seated Eagle Spine Stretch

Toe Raises

Upright Reverse Crunches

Bun Squeeze

YOUR 15-SECOND REFRESHER

Feeling tired and tense? Get out of that chair and stand in a corner--and try this quick stretch: Facing the corner of a room, raise your hands to shoulder height and place forearms, elbows, and hands against each wall. Lean inward to stretch tight chest and back muscles. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds while taking in deep lungfuls of oxygen. You’ll feel better in no time. Now, back to work before the boss sees you.

OFFICE WARRIOR: 1-MINUTE SUPER STRETCH

Unless you take your muscles though a healthy range of motion regularly, they will get stuck in the hunched over and shortened positions that desk work puts them in. This routine unties knots in the back, chest, and shoulders. Even just 20 seconds away from your computer screen reduces fatigue and increases blood circulation, according to Cornell University researchers.

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