The Lean, Clean Workout Routine
By Estelle Sobel | 6/6/2006

As the temperature rises, it's easy to blow off a workout to stay cool and dry in front of the fan with a glass of iced tea. But by picking up the pace of your usual housework, and sneaking in some aerobic moves and toning exercises, you'll have a total body workout on your hands in no time (minus the sunburn)!

The trick: Just try to get your heart rate up — exercise at a level no higher than you would rate as feeling "somewhat hard." Talk to your doctor about the right routine for you, but a good plan to start with is 30 minutes of aerobic activity on most days — try three to four times a week at first. When you get the hang of that, add strength training and toning exercises — go for three times a week. Always gradually warm up with mild calisthenics and light stretching before working out (you never want to over-stretch a cold muscle), and cool down by gradually tapering your exercise intensity. This is a good time to focus on flexibility exercises.

Have It All with Housework
With that plan in mind, here are some indoor moves that'll get your housework done, too:

* Suck It Up. Vacuuming is great exercise, especially if you make a conscious effort to concentrate on tightening your muscles as you push out and pull back in the machine. Your carpets — and your biceps — will thank you for it!
* Squeaky Clean. Washing your windows makes for great stretching and toning exercises; the combination of up and down movements will work wonders on your arms and shoulders.
* Get Organized. Been putting off that major reorganizing project? Call it exercise and get it done! Take the contents of your pantry, book shelves, linen closets, etc. out, then reach up and put them back in, in order. You're getting in another great upper-body workout!


Wipe, Breathe, Wipe, Breathe
Now the trick is getting your heart rate up. No problem, with these suggestions from Cory Everson, California-based fitness expert and six-time Ms. Olympia:

* Let's Go To the Videotape. Exercise tapes and DVD's are great utilities for rainy days and extreme heat. You can choose from beginner to advanced and pick a different video every day (yoga, aerobics, beginner kickboxing — just about anything you can think of), to challenge and motivate yourself. If your routine gets boring, pull out a fun one, such as salsa dancing or disco aerobics.
* Step to It. Instead of going to step class, use the steps in your house. Vary the moves: First, step up and down on the bottom step for two to three minutes; rest a minute or two and repeat. As an additional approach: Holding onto the handrail, walk up and down the first three stairs (great for butts and thighs). When you get the hang of that, try walking briskly up and down the stairs a few times (use the hand rail for support).
* Whistle While You Work. Crank up the music and take on the quick clean challenge. While you're at it, take little breaks to do these moves:
Stair Dips. Sitting on the bottom step, knees bent and leaning on your heels, put your weight on your hands and lift your body up and down 12 to 25 times to work out your chest, triceps and shoulders.
Rug Crunches. Lie on the carpet or rug with hands across your chest and your chin tucked; do 10 to 30 crunches, lifting your shoulders slightly off the ground and squeezing in your stomach muscles.
Wall Push-Ups. Do 10 to 20 push-ups — off the wall! Or do them the traditional way.
* Join the Circuit. Circuit training is a great way to burn calories. Walk in place at varying speeds for ten minutes. Follow with 10 minutes of toning exercises. Then, another 10 minutes of aerobic exercises (maybe a videotape), and the finish: 10 more minutes of toning.


Tone Your Zone
Who says you have to be at a gym to do toning exercises? Many of them require nothing more than your body, so while you bustle around the house doing chores, don't be afraid to stop and squeeze some reps in. Figure out what area you want to tone, then see our Workouts for example exercises.

Make "Me" Time
The phones ring, the kids are calling you, sometimes it seems impossible to catch a minute's breath. When everyone you know needs you for something or other, here's how to work in your much-needed private time.

* Work out before your kids wake up, or do it after they go to bed.
* Make your workout part of your social life — do it with your buddies!
* Take the phone off the hook or let your calls go to voicemail. You'll get back to whoever called later.