The regularity of your workouts often diminishes as the holiday season approaches — it’s just too easy to find excuses when you’ve got holiday shopping to do, time is short and the weather is cold and uninviting. That doesn’t have to happen, however. Exercise physiologist Liz Neporent, MS, CSCS, author of Weight Training for Dummies, shares some great advice on how to get a meaningful workout in just 15 minutes a day…

Add Them Up

Workouts don’t have to happen all at once to be effective. “You’ll burn the same number of calories if you break it up into three sessions,” Neporent told me. She suggests three five-minute walks, morning, lunch and evening, adding that in some ways, this is even better than a single 15-minute session. “Since you’re only doing five minutes at a time, you can pick up the pace and work harder than you could for 15 continuous minutes.” The benefit? There’s a slight rise in metabolism after every exercise period, so three five-minute bouts gives you the benefit of that ‘afterburn’ three times during the day.

Turn on the TV

Another interesting idea — use your TV for strength training. Not literally! Neporent told me that most cable companies have a library of 10-minute workouts you can access for free on demand. Time-Warner and Comcast systems, for example, offer “Exercise TV On Demand,” with a variety of programs like “Power Sculpt,” “Pure Sculpt Workout” and “Dynamic Sculpt and Stretch.” With many to chose from, you can do a different routine every day.

An Easy Routine

For a do-it-yourself version, Neporent suggests this 15-minute total body option. Start by doing just one set and work up to two. With all strength training, start with a lighter weight and then gradually increase the number of reps or weight as you get stronger. Always rest for 30 seconds between sets.

Squats work the lower body.

  • Stand about one foot in front of a chair, back to the seat, feet placed about shoulder-width apart.
  • Squat till your butt lightly touches the seat of the chair… then slowly come back up.
  • Keep your back straight and eyes looking forward.
  • Do 12 to 15 repetitions.
  • Try it with dumbbells or some kind of hand weights for additional resistance, starting with low weight and building up over time.

One-legged squat. Great for isolating the glutes (butt muscles) and quads (thigh muscles).

  • Stand up straight and place your right foot as far forward as you can comfortably reach.
  • Bend your left knee and lower your torso toward the floor until your left shin is parallel to the floor and your left knee hovers just above the ground.
  • Make sure the right knee remains directly over your ankle as you go down and come back up.
  • Do 12 to 15 repetitions.
  • Repeat with opposite leg.

Standing one-arm dumbbell row. Excellent exercise for the back.

  • Standing straight up, hold a five-pound dumbbell in your left hand.
  • Take a giant step forward with your right leg, then bend forward and rest your right hand on the right knee. Dangle the left dumbbell straight down.
  • Keep your back straight.
  • Pull your left elbow up in the direction of the ceiling, bringing the weight along in a motion that looks like rowing.
  • When the weight just touches your chest, lower it until your arm is straight again.
  • Do 12 to 15 repetitions.
  • Repeat with the other arm.

Push-up. This is the best overall exercise for the upper body, working the abs, arms, chest, back and shoulders.

  • Lay on the floor, face down, palms flat on the floor under your shoulders.
  • Push off the floor, raising yourself up onto your toes while you rest your weight on your palms, with wrists directly below your shoulders.
  • Keep your back flat, spine in a straight line, and abs tight… do not let your butt stick up in the air.
  • Hold this position for 20 to 60 seconds.
  • Lower toward floor in one movement (chest stays in line with butt), hovering above floor for a second, then push back up to starting position.
  • Do 12 to 15 repetitions.

Best is what we used to call the “boy” version (“full body”), but Neporent notes it’s not a bad idea for beginners to start with knees bent and on the floor (the “girl” kind).

Plank. Effective for the abdominal area.

  • Lay on the floor, face down, weight resting on your forearms, palms flat on the floor.
  • Push off the floor while raising yourself up onto your toes while you rest your weight on your elbows.
  • Keep your back flat, spine in a straight line, and abs tight… do not let your butt stick up in the air.
  • Hold this position for 20 to 60 seconds, extending the time as you get stronger.

Shoulder press. For the shoulders, of course.

  • Sit on a chair, with your feet firmly planted on the floor, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with palms facing forward. Start with five- or eight-pound weights.
  • Lift the dumbbells straight up to the ceiling until your arms are extended, but do not lock your elbows.
  • At the top position, your arms will naturally be slightly in front of your body.
  • Lower to starting position and repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions.

Chair dips. Great exercise for the back of the arms.

  • Sit on a bench, chair or coffee table strong enough to support your weight.
  • Put your hands on either side of your hips with palms resting on the bench and fingers hanging over the edge.
  • Move your feet out about two feet forward from the table (as you progress, you can extend your feet further out so that your legs are fully extended).
  • Supporting your weight with your arms, move your buttocks off the table and slowly lower toward the floor until your elbows form a 45º angle (but don’t go any lower than this).
  • Lift yourself back up and repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions.
  • Beginners may need to start with fewer reps.

Bicep curls. Works the front of your arms.

  • Stand with your hands at your sides, a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward, back straight and feet shoulder width apart. Start with four- to six-pound weights.
  • Bend your elbows to raise the dumbbells up toward the shoulders and then lower them back down.
  • Repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions.

Outdoor Run/Walk

This one is my favorite, the 15-minute outdoor workout that’s perfect even in cold weather, which Neporent calls the “walk-run alternate.” Walk for one minute, then run for two… and repeat the three-minute cycle five times. “It warms you quickly so the cold weather won’t bother you as much, and because you’re alternating running with walking you really maximize calorie burn.” And, she adds, it’s such a basic workout “almost anyone can do it — if it’s hard at first, just flip it around so you walk for two minutes and jog for one.”

If you stick to a schedule of three or four of these 15-minute workouts each week, you’ll be a lot less likely than everyone else to gain that standard seven pounds this holiday season — and you’ll probably stay healthier, too.

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