Time for a Quickie? - exercises

American Fitness, March, 2001

A FAA Certified fitness pros Nancy Popp and Julie Upton have come up with some innovative ways to work out when time is limited.

Sliding Glass Door Plies

Spray your sliding glass door with window cleaner. Now, instead of using a wiping motion with your arms and back, let your lower body do the work. Facing the door, stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder width apart, toes turned out. Hold the towel or rag against the glass with both hands. Bend your knees, keeping your tailbone pointing to the floor and the torso straight. Do not let your hips rotate back. Lower yourself. When your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor, hold for a moment. Then squeeze your buttocks, press from your heels and return to the standing position, wiping your door on the way up. This will tighten and strengthen your hips and buns--and your door will sparkle!

Red Light Crunches

The car's a great place to work your abdominals and no one will ever know. Each time you stop for a red light, simply contract your stomach, pulling your navel in towards your back. Hold for 10 seconds for light core strengthening, which is good for your posture. Do as many as you can, as often as you can.

Julie Upton and Nancy Popp (along with Minna Lessig) are the stars of the QUICKFIX[TM] videos, where they lead viewers through micro-workouts geared for maximum results. Released in October, 2000, the four video titles are QUICKFIX[TM] Total Body Toning, QUICKFIX[TM] Legs and Arms, QUICKFIX[TM] Buns and QUICKFIX[TM] Abs. They are available for $9.99 where fitness videos are sold or by calling (800) 272-4214.