Dear Friend,

I hope you had a wonderful Easter and Spring Break spending time with the family and relaxing. It’s probably a safe bet that you indulged a little (or a lot) in some chocolate eggs and other goodies when the kids were out of school! Hey, it’s Spring after all!

Well, no worries – because today I’m going to show you how to burn off those extra calories. And what’s more, you can do these highly effective “office” exercises anywhere and anytime without even breaking a sweat…like, even right now!

Yours In Health,

Dimitri

Get Fit In Your Home/Office

Doing a little exercise while you work allows you to kill two birds with one stone. You can improve your health and save time. But it get’s even better, because by doing the simple exercises listed below you oxygenate your blood, stoke your metabolism, get the endorphins cranking, ramp up your energy, sharpen your focus…and get a lot more done in less time (and you feel really good, too).

And you can do it all in five minutes, right at your home/office desk…without even breaking a sweat! It’ll brighten your eyes, put color in your face and make your office mates wonder why you’re so darn perky! (You know, when they give you that look that says, “There’s something different about you, and it’s good, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is!”). Here goes:

Chair Squats – While sitting in your chair with legs bent 90 degrees at the knee, put your arms straight out in front of you so they’re parallel to the floor. Now tighten your abdominals and press through your heels to stand straight up. Try not to “cheat” by leaning forward. From the standing position, lower your backside down to the chair as if to sit down, but only touch (don’t bounce) the chair seat with your rear and drive through your heels to raise your body back up. Try and do at least 10 repetitions. You can do 2-3 sets of 10 of these in less than 4 minutes. Believe me, it will get your heart rate elevated! Plus this exercise works ALL the core muscles. Do it right now, OK? C’mon, I’m serious!

Ab Squeeze – While sitting at your desk with good posture (shoulders back, chest out, eyes forward), squeeze your abdominal muscles tightly and HOLD for a count of 10-20 seconds. This is an isometric (static) exercise…and it really works! Again, do at least 2-3 sets. This is something you can every hour on the hour if you like. You WILL feel it tomorrow!

Deep Breathing – Slow, deep breathing is incredibly beneficial. Most people go through their entire day without taking a really deep breath. All that shallow breathing never properly oxygenates the blood and allows carbon dioxide to build up in your blood stream, which can cause fatigue and keep your brain from functioning optimally. So here’s what to do. Exhale thoroughly through your mouth. Keep blowing out as long as you can. When you’ve completely expelled all the old, hot air then slowly inhale deeply through your nose allowing your stomach to relax so you can take in the maximum amount of fresh, cool air. Hold it in for a count of 5, then slowly exhale through your mouth again. Repeat 3-5 times. You’ll notice almost instantly how much better this makes you feel. Yes, that is an exercise! And a great one!

Take a Walk – If time permits, go take a BRISK 5-10 minute walk outside. If you have stairs, take the stairs (down and back up). Walk with purpose – this isn’t a leisurely stroll, this is a mini-workout. And every bit helps. It’s all cumulative. That’s one of the wonderful things about exercise. Some days you can’t fit in a full workout, but you can still do a couple simple exercises like these that DO benefit you. They burn calories, accelerate your metabolism and make you feel great.

Okay, that’s it for now. Ready…Squat!