It happens that your hectic schedule prevents you from hitting the gym or using your fitness equipment at home. Sometimes you’re just too tired to work out after office hours or taking care of the kids. The amount exercise you get during weekends just doesn’t feel sufficient. So how can you get a regular work out if you got little available time for it?

The truth is you can still get your regular dose of work out while at the office or looking after the kids. But it’s probably not like anything you have seen or tried before. In fact, if you do it in the office where people can see you, you might get some funny looks from your co-workers.

Does it sound impossible – getting work out right in the office or at home, with limited time and with no exercise equipment? Perhaps you might even think it’s not that effective at all. But researches have shown that doing this form of work out is just as effective as doing it in the gym using all those machines!

So here’s how it’s done:

To tone the muscles, you need to have resistance. But as said earlier, you can get an effective work out even without barbells or any other gym equipment. How? By using your own body weight. Of course with this kind of work out, you can not expect the same effects all those gym equipment do on your muscles – bulking them up. Again, this is for toning the muscles, giving you that firm and lean look.

Normally, you need to do cardio exercises for 30-60 minutes 5 times a week, or pump iron at the gym for a number of reps and sets. With this work out regimen, you only need to devote 2-3 minutes per session, at around 6-8 times each day. If you got your own private office, you need not worry about onlookers thinking you’re going nuts. But if you don’t, try not to be too self-conscious about it. Some people who did this work out in view of everyone even got their office mates to joint them!

Again, you don’t need to purchase any equipment for this. All you need to have is a small space to perform short bursts of work out routines. Another great thing about this approach is you can adjust it, depending on your available free time. Just try to do as much of it whenever possible, completing the 6-8 times per day frequency.

Now what exercises are to be done?

Actually, there are many exercises you can incorporate into this regimen. But it’s best to focus on some, as they target large muscle groups, enabling you to do more in less time. For your upper body, you can do some push ups, which will tone your arms and chest area. Then you can supplement it with abdominal exercises – crunches, leg lifts and plank. For the lower body, try to focus on doing lunges and squats. Also, you can walk up and down the stairs to target multiple muscle groups in your lower body all at the same time.

Doing these exercises does not require you to carry weights as your own body weight would suffice to provide resistance. However, if you really want to challenge your body, you can employ things you can normally find in the office or at home during your work out. For instance, you can carry plastic bottles filled with water while doing lunges or walking up and down the stairs.

Now you can no longer blame your job or looking after the kids for all those excess pounds you carry around. No matter where you are and no matter how little free time you got, you can squeeze in some quick and easy work out regimen for fitness.