2Inspire Health & Fitness Magazine #42 - January 2023

Calorie Deficit vs. Healthy Eating: The Difference Shows Up in How We Look Key

Inflammation and the Health of Your Joints

Heart Health: What Types of Foods are Good and Bad for Your Heart?

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE

Key to Healthy Weight Loss: Becoming Mindful of Your Body’s Signals - pg. 3

Good Physical and Mental Health All Tie in Together with Weight Loss - pg. 7

Calorie Deficit vs. Healthy Eating: The Difference Shows Up in How We Lookpg. 11

Yoga for Back Pain Relief - pg. 15

Inflammation and the Health of Your Joints - pg. 18

Heart Health: What Types of Foods are Good and Bad for Your Heart? - pg. 22

5 Most Effective Exercises to Do at the Gym When You’re Short on Time - pg. 26

Key to Healthy Weight Loss: Becoming Mindful of Your Body’s Signals

When we find ourselves in a situation where we’re unhappy about our looks, meaning size and shape, and worried about our health, it’s time to make a change for real. It’s time for a mindset shift into good health and weight loss that can be sustained over time. Not a weight

loss plan that will have you yo-yo-ing back and forth between bigger and smaller pants sizes.

This all begins with a good nutrition and exercise plan, which can include a calorie deficit. But to really make the total transition and transformation into

a healthy lifestyle and fit body requires mindfulness.

Many of us have not learned to become mindful of what our body is trying to tell us. Habits are ingrained. Things like, “It’s 12:30 and that’s lunch time… better go get a big plate of filling, high-

calorie foods and eat it all, because that that’s what we do at lunch time” keep us stubbornly set in our ways.

(Never mind that just an hour ago you were noshing on bagels and cream cheese at the impromptu office birthday celebration down the hall. But that wasn’t a “meal” so it didn’t count… right? And it’s lunch time so it’s time to fuel up.)

The truth is that our body can tell us exactly what, when and how much it needs if we listen. Are you ready to start listening?

If you need a good rule of thumb for scheduling healthy snacks, you can go by the advice of Health and Fitness Coach Jennifer Kaye. She advises to “eat small, healthy mini meals every 3 hours.”

But even if you didn’t have that advice, your body would probably send you a signal that it’s low on fuel and in need of some food for energy and brain power.

Often, including but no limited to the above example of having a highcalorie, fat-laden bagel “snack,” our eating habits

are based on impulse and emotion-driven actions –like obligation.

Someone bought bagels, and it’s someone’s birthday. They look good, so you should eat them. Right? That’s generally the rationale for eating too much, though we don’t typically analyze it.

At that moment, you may not have actually been hungry, especially if you’d just finished your healthy breakfast of oatmeal with grated apple, walnuts and a splash of milk.

So how could you do a better job of reading your own hunger signals?

Become Mindful of What Your Body Needs: Hunger, Activity, Rest, Stress Relief

We talked about the importance of reading our body’s signals so we can learn to give ourselves what we need, without overdoing it. All of this is in the name of improving our health, getting fit and eating foods that nourish and heal our bodies.

The sensation of hunger: Your body will let you know when it’s in need of more sustenance by the following:

• Empty feeling in the stomach – gives the sensation of needing something.

• Hungry “feeling” (we all know what it feels like to be truly hungry, right? It’s different from salivating at the sight of a tempting treat. Hunger feels URGENT.)

• Growing stomach –getting primed for digestion, ready to accept new food to make into fuel.

• Lessening attention span – more brain food needed before you can concentrate on the tasks before you.

• Mood changes – when we’re very hungry, we might become irritable. Maybe distractions are getting the best of us, or nervous tension is growing as a reaction to sensory stimuli – noise, movement, visuals.

What signals can you become aware of that your body is trying to send you?

• Possible fatigue – need to replenish energy. Sometimes when you’re home relaxing, instead of stressing you out, hunger can feel more like being tired.

What about needing exercise?

Sometimes we just don’t want to do it. Right? But the truth is that our bodies tell us every day when it’s time to move, use our muscles, and burn some energy which equals calories.

How many times have you come home after a busy day to sink into the couch cushions with a bag of salty snack food and a drink. Goal: fill your body with filler food and then drift off to sleep. Right?

Or how about spending an hour or two in a mindless, motionlessness state, doing something like scrolling social media or binge-watching your shows?

Sounds great, but what about the exercise you promised yourself in the name of weight loss and better health?

At that time, your body may have been trying to tell you it needed to move and release tension. The problem is that most of us ignore the signals. If we continue to ignore them, maybe we feel even more tired, or become grumpy, or even argumentative.

Signs that it’s time to move:

• Restlessness – a feeling of unrest and tension inside your muscles. Some of us are so used to feeling like this every day that we don’t even recognize what it really means.

• Inability to concentrate. We tell young children to go outside and run around. But why after we reach adulthood, do we then deprive our own bodies of our need to “get the wiggles out” before we can really focus?

• Lethargy. Believe it or not, when we’re tired it often means we need to move and get our blood flowing.

More about knowing when to nap or relax versus when to power through it and get some exercise...

It’s important to mind your own signals on this one, too. You could be exhausted based on something stressful that’s going on. You started a new job and it took all your mental energy. Or maybe you didn’t sleep well the night prior.

If you really need that 15-minute power nap, take it.

But then, awaken refreshed, to give your body what it truly needs which is the gift of movement.

You could be tired because you ate too much. Your body is struggling to function under the burden of too much food. Exercise could get your digestion going. This means you’ll process what you ate faster, so you can feel lighter and have more energy. This will boost your metabolism, too, which helps with weight loss.

Yes, feeling tired and sluggish can actually be a sign that it’s time for us to get exercise in. Once we get over the procrastination hump and just do it, we’re bound to feel so much better.

Good Physical and Mental Health

All Tie in Together with Weight Loss

Eating is an opportunity to fuel your body with the right kind of nutrition that helps everything work the way it’s supposed to.

Weight loss doesn’t need to be something that only happens to other people or to strangers you come across on the internet.

Seeing other people lose weight, transform their physical body, increase their strength and improve their health is a beautiful thing. If they can do it, you can do it.

The pictures that you see on social media are of real people even if you may not know them. They are real-life examples of what can happen if you create a plan for yourself and stick to it.

Stop comparing yourself.

Each person’s journey is unique. Each person is beautiful in his or her own way. Each person has habits that they must unlearn so that they can make room for improvement.

Many times, we wish that we looked better, or we compare ourselves to other people and we

think that we are just not capable of living up to that standard or level of excellence. This is an unhealthy mindset that needs to be transformed.

Why them and not us? Who told you that being healthy, looking good and feeling proud of the way you look is something that only other people have a right to?

If you need some some support to get past the emotional blocks that stand in the way of your successful weight loss and health improvement plan, talk to a health coach or find a good motivational group online who can keep you mentally strong and hold you accountable.

The mental shift is an essential component to your weight loss and healthy lifestyle change. So find a way to get yourself there and start noticing the difference in how you look and feel.

Body-Shaming Self-Talk that’s Got to Go. Make Room for a Fit, Healthy and Happy YOU!

Lots of people stay stuck in a negative mindset about the appearance and physical shape of their bodies. It doesn’t matter so much which word you use, how often you send negative messages about your body to yourself.

It doesn’t even matter if you choose to say the words out loud versus just thinking about them. It even matters none if you voice your negative thoughts about your own body image to friends and family.

You might do some, all, or none of those things. But if you’re having a negative perceptions of yourself and how you look, then essentially you are brainwashing yourself into a limited mindset that stops you from losing weight.

Stop saying the following things that “we all say” about our body, ability to lose weight, get fit and so forth.

“I’ve always been the chubby one. My sister (so-and-so) inherited the skinny genes… not me!”

“I’m just not athletic/good at sports. So I won’t be successful at (walking, running, working out at the gym, yoga, etc.)”

“I’m too uncoordinated for (yoga, Pilates, Zumba, spin class, aerobics, etc.).”

“Everyone in my family is fat. That’s why I’m fat, too.”

“I’m just not a person who looks good in shorts.”

“I’ll always be ‘plus-size.’”

“I’ve got “dad-bod”.”

“Check out this (beer gut/mom belly) etc. I’m sporting!”

“I have (thick thighs, a big booty, a chubby belly… insert body part critique here).”

Statements like the ones made above may have some degree of truth to them. If you’ve always been “the chubby one” of your family then that may be accurate for the time being.

But imagine if one day you weren’t “the chubby one” anymore. Could you un-do that association or nickname? Maybe you could… but you won’t know if you continue to allow yourself or other people to say those words about you.

Labels can keep us mentally blocked and stuck. Take a look at every “before and after” pic of people who have lost a lot of weight. Each person was at one time “the chubby one,” or sported “the dad bod” yet managed to change their mental outlook in order to welcome healthy habits.

D E V E L O P Y O U R I N N E R

S T R E N G T H & P O W E R

You already possess everything you need to be the person you want to be— you just have to learn how to access these powerful traits and use them to live to your fullest potential.

In Unleash Your Mojo, you’ll learn how to recognize all the greatness inside of you. Better than that, you’ll discover how to put it to use to get the life you’ve always dreamed of.

Calorie Deficit vs. Healthy Eating: The Difference Shows Up in How We Look

Wondering about a calorie deficit for weight loss?

The bare-bones, simple plan if you want to eat and lose weight is to reduce your overall calorie consumption. You can do this by eating less food, or by burning off the food that you do eat via exercise.

Theoretically, the “calorie deficit” approach to weight loss means that you could still lose weight eating empty-calorie type foods. Some people who do this, believe that it’s okay to reach weight loss goals eating chips, donuts and processed snacks as long as you’re limiting portions. They’re sticking to an exercise plan and not over-eating these foods, so they’re losing weight.

The truth is that even though you can still get into a small size this way, it’s not an optimal plan if your goal is weight loss and good health.

You’ll definitely see a striking difference in appearance between someone who manages to get thinner by living on a small amount of empty-calorie type filler foods, versus someone who eats and exercises to deliver good nutrition and physical activity to their body.

To visualize the difference, let’s imagine two different bodies.

The first is the body of a person who has lost weight by increasing their intake of nutritious foods, and increasing the

amount of exercise they do each day.

The second is the body of a person who ONLY focuses on eating less, but pays no mind to the nutritional content of what they put into their body each day.

What does a healthy body look like when the weight loss plan includes a wellbalanced and nutritious approach to eating, along with regular exercise?

• Slimmer overall

• Toned, fit muscles

• Good muscle definition

• Losing weight in the right places i e trimming down the tummy

• No cellulite or low cellulite compared to what it was

• Bright eyes and a clear, glowing complexion

• Healthy, shiny hair and strong nails

• Good mouth health, no increase in tooth decay, healthy gums

• Good digestion, regular BMs and little digestive upset

• Little to no inflammation

What does a body look like after weight loss due to calorie restriction coupled with poor nutrition, or filler type foods that offer no real nourishment?

• A thin, possibly scrawny appearance

• Poor muscle tone, lack of definition in muscles like the calves, gluteus, biceps, etc.

• Stubborn areas that may hang on to fat such as the middle, or the thigh area if that’s a problem

• Loose or sagging skin as a result of losing fat and muscle mass but not gaining or toning muscle

• Hair and nails may be dull, thin and brittle but depending on other factors like inherited traits, whether or not hair was damaged by coloring etc

• Skin may look dull, show acne, be overly oily or dry and flaky due to poor nutrition and poor digestion which affects the skin’s appearance

• Digestion may be poor, with resulting symptoms and inflammation

An exercise in observation to help you make healthy choices...

As you may or may not have observed, the general appearance of a person who is eating well, limiting intake of fattening and sugary foods, exercises and consumes a variety of fruits, veggies, lean protein, and fiber from grains, looks much different from a person who mainly focuses on “starving themselves” to lose weight.

This is a good mental

visual to recall when you’re about to embark on a “lose weight quick” starvation plan, use appetite suppressants, or take any other types of shortcuts to weight loss that don’t involve adopting healthy habits.

The condition of your health 100% shows up in your appearance! We instinctively know a healthy person when we see one, even if we haven’t said the words out loud. It’s subtle but unmistakable.

Next time you’re out and about shopping at the stores, pay attention to thinner people and how they look. Can you pick out the ones who treat their body well by eating healthy foods and exercising, versus the ones who simply cut calories but do very little in the way of moving their bodies or partaking of a balanced, nutritious diet?

Once you become aware of this, it’s time to make positive changes toward your healthy weight loss goals.

Yoga for Back Pain Relief

Yoga in general relieves back pain. However, if you’re looking for a few specific yoga poses that are targeted for this purpose, try knees-tochest and bridge pose. Here’s a quick how-to on each.

Knees-to-Chest

Lie on your back on a thick or double layered yoga mat. Stretch your arms overhead and your legs out long.

In full body stretch pose, take a deep breath and let it go. As you exhale, draw your navel to your spine. Bend elbows and knees, hugging them toward one another. Wrap your hands around the front of your kneecaps or behind the backs of the knees. You may keep your head resting on the ground or lifted up as you tuck your chin into your chest.

Begin to rock gently from left to right side. Feel the spinal support muscles of the back being massaged by the mat and floor below you.

When you’re ready, return to center and place your

feet down and arms by your sides.

Bridge Pose – Yoga to Help with Back Pain

To do bridge pose, lie on your mat with your feet hip width apart below your bent knees. Take your arms down by your sides, palms pressing into the floor. Feel your low back, ground down toward the mat and inhale fully. On your exhale. Begin to lift your tailbone and hips up slowly, so that they float away from your mat.

Continue by peeling one vertebrae at a time up toward the ceiling. Notice if your shoulder blades can hug into the midline. You can even try standing the shoulder blades on their tips, if that feels okay in your body. If so, try interlacing your hands below your back.

Enjoy a deep few breaths here before rolling back down just as slow as you can, one vertebrae at a time. Finish with a knees to chest pose for balance.

Figure-4 Stretch for Back Health

To do figurefour stretch, stand one foot on the mat and bring the other knee into your chest. Cross the ankle of the lifted foot to the knee of the standing leg. This creates the figure four shape, or at least a sideways triangle.

Notice if you can press your knees gently forward and flex your feet. Activate your arms down into the mat by your sides for a moment. After taking a full cycle of breath here, you can add on to the stretch, wrapping your arms around the back of your right knee in the figure four shape.

When you do this, you should feel a stretch in the IT band around the outer right hip. This stretch opens up space in the hips and lower back and helps to prevent sciatica nerve pain.

Stay here for a few breaths. Before placing your right foot back down to the mat. Release your left ankle from the figure four shape and repeat on the opposite side.

D O W N L O A D T O D A Y

Inflammation and the Health of Your Joints

Joints are places of the body where many moving parts come together. Joints contain Bones, Muscles, Ligaments, Tendons, Arteries, Veins, Nerves and Lubricating Fluids. So it’s no wonder they can be a point of contention for so many people.

One of the worst and most common complaints

about joints is their tendency to become inflamed. This can happen for many reasons.

For example, joints are the body’s normal immune response to having an injury or dealing with an infection. Allergies cause irritation which may also cause inflammation.

The most common causes

of joint inflammation are associated with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis and lupus.

Massage for Joint Health

Health professionals agree that massage is not just for muscles. Although muscles may receive most of the attention during a massage therapy session,

joints also receive many of the benefits.

Massages increase the blood flow to tissues surrounding the joints, which aids them in maintaining mobility, lubrication and healing injuries. According to The Arthritis Foundation, a moderate pressure massage should reduce arthritis pain and ease tension.

If you suffer from arthritis, try a lymphatic massage, which is designed to reduce swelling and inflammation. These issues often occur in or around joints. (Ever had swollen ankles?)

However, for those who can’t get to the masseuse, there are some yoga poses and self-massage techniques that are sure to offer some of the same benefits as a massage from a therapist.

Yoga Poses for Reducing Inflammation

Searching for yoga poses to help reduce inflammation? Great thinking, because with youga, you’re putting your own healing energy and intentions right back into your own body. Also,

who better to know the right pressure, temperature and location for a yoga pose or massage? None other than you!

Legs Up the Wall

Legs up the wall is one of the most beneficial yoga poses because it helps to support the lymphatic system.

The lymphatic system is known as the garbage collection system of the body. Its job is to remove toxins from the bloodstream and excess fluids from wherever they have gathered.

When you think of the lymphatic system, you may recognize the term lymph because of your lymph nodes. You may have noticed tender or enlarged lumps at some point in your underarms, chest, throat or groin areas. These could have been swollen lymph nodes.

Lymph nodes can become swollen and painful when the lymphatic system

gets overwhelmed by a particular threat, like a cold.

An especially good time to do this pose is when you are under the weather, tired or restless. Fluids also tend to get stuck in the lower legs and ankles of people who spend a lot of time on their feet.

Adding this anti-gravity move to your nightly routine will be a great way to support your joints as well as your immune system health.

To do the post, roll a mat out from the wall. Cover it with a blanket especially if you have tile or hardwood floors so that you will stay warm.

Make sure the wall has an open space on it and that there are no pictures or artwork that’s going to get knocked over when your

legs go up the wall.

Then sit with your left hip close to the wall so that you are looking down the wall.

As gracefully as you can, hoist your legs up the wall as you slide your back down and onto the mat to the right of you.

If your bottom is not touching the wall, scoot closer using your shoulder blades and hips as feet until you are touching the wall.

Keep your legs straight. Then flex and point your toes a few times before relaxing your feet completely.

You may also choose a place for your arms and hands that feels relaxing. Maybe by your sides or overhead or with your hands resting on your low belly.

Take a few rounds of deep breaths.

You can stay here as long as you want, inviting a few movements with the legs into a straddle or tree variations. Or you may just want to remain with your legs straight up against the wall.

It feels extra good to cover yourself with a blanket, especially if you will be here for a few minutes or more.

Five to ten minutes is an optimal time frame to stay in this pose. Doing it right before bed can be very relaxing and helps the nervous system transition toward sleep mode.

To exit the pose, bring your knees into your chest and rock to one side, taking your time to come back to a seated position. Notice the effects.

Self Massage for Optimal Joint Health

Have you tried Abhyanga? This self-massage technique is from Yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda. It is a lovely practice that brings nourishment to the skin, helps circulation and strengthens the immune system. How to do Abhyanga:

Abhyanga is traditionally done before a shower or bath. For starters, you’ll need to find some organic olive, sesame or coconut oil or unscented lotion.

Using a small, plastic squeeze bottle for your oil,

place it in a cup of warm water for 5-10 minutes to warm it up. Pour a quarter size amount into your palm. You may like to add a few drops of lavender, frankincense or your favorite essential oil blend too.

To begin your massage, move from the extremities toward the center of your body (hands to heart) and from bottom to top (feet toward the head), always massaging long strokes on the long bones and in a circular motion over your joints. Massage toward the heart with very gentle pressure.

Give extra love to the hands and feet. If you can, grab a buddy to help with your back. Move slowly – there’s no rush! To seal in your self-care, finish with a few deep breaths with your hands over your heart. Then take a warm shower or bath using a gentle cleanser.

Make sure to get the bottoms of your feet clean and dry them well. Put on socks or slippers and your comfiest clothes. Enjoy a nice cup or tea or meditate.

Heart Health: What Types of Foods are Good and Bad for Your Heart?

In addition to helping you lose weight, focusing on fat will definitely affect your heart. A few decades ago, so-called health experts of the day kicked off a major low fat and no fat trend, with major food brands following suit. If you wanted to drop some pounds and trim your middle, you were told to only eat low-fat no fat or reduced fat products.

With a little more information at our disposal these days thanks to the internet, our fear of fat has evolved to a greater understanding that fat is an essential nutrient that our body needs to perform at its best. The types of fat that consume and in what quantities, play a part.

Our endocrine system is nourished when we eat foods that contain fat. But everything should be in balance and it’s likely that if you consume the typical American diet then you are over indulging in the harmful types of fat.

Saturated fat that comes from animal products, and hydrolyzed vegetable fat otherwise known as trans fats, are the worst kinds of

fats to consume in excess. These fats alter your blood chemistry and can lead to high blood pressure and eventual hardening of the arteries.

If the arteries are not flexible it becomes more difficult for our body to pump blood to our extremities and deliver oxygen to our cells. We are at increased risk of heart attack and stroke if this happens.

well as omega facts from olives, nuts and seeds, end up healthier for longer.

What Types of Foods are Best for Your Heart?

Blood tests show that those who consume a Mediterranean type of diet show up with healthier blood work, lower cholesterol, and live longer than those whose diet consists of more saturated fat such as that which comes from red meat, bacon, sausage, ham, hot dogs and other salted fatty meats. In combination of an active lifestyle that includes regular, moderate exercise, many live into their nineties.

Whole grains.

Studies have found that Mediterranean people who consume omega-3 fats such as those found in fatty fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines, as

Anytime you can switch from enriched processed white flour based foods to whole grain-based foods, you’re doing your heart a favor. You’ve probably noticed on a box of Cheerios that this cereal is said to contribute to heart health. Cheerios are made from whole grain oats, but just because the maker of the food didn’t shout it out on the label doesn’t make other whole grain foods any

less heart-healthy. Cereals that are prepared from whole grains have proven beneficial because they help to flush LDL (bad) cholesterol from the blood.

A colorful variety of fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables of all kinds, including broccoli, cabbage, dark green lettuce, green leafies such as spinach and chard, are high in nutritional value including vitamins and minerals. These are excellent for our health, and the better quality soil that these plants are grown in, the more nutritional benefit they carry. Fill your plate half of the way with fresh vegetables. Diivide the other half of your plate between a low fat protein and a whole grain starch. This is excellent policy for getting a balance of nutrients into your diet each day, and you’ll find more information about it on the CDC (center for disease control and prevention) website.

Where does the hearthealthy fat come in? Maybe you’re used to

pouring bottled dressings over your salad. Some of these are cheaply made using plant oils that are not particularly beneficial. They also likely ccontain additives to prolong their shelf life and improve the taste so that people will crave them.

nourishment to your body. Beans and legumes.

Be sure to add a variety of beans, lentils and other legumes to your hearthealthy diet as well. A bowl of seasoned lentil soup supplies protein while giving a serving of iron to your body. Soup made with beans or lentils makes a great healthy start to your dinner. You might even end up consuming less meat because the protein-packed beans will fill and nourish you.

A homemade dressing prepared with extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and some of your favorite flavorings like mustard or raspberry or garlic makes the perfect heart healthy dressing, just two tablespoons will do for an average size serving of salad containing mixed vegetables.

You can even use the same heart-friendly mixture, healthy oil and acidic vinegar, to drizzle over lean meats such as chicken breast. This will work to enhance flavor, aid digestion and deliver boost of extra

Fresh food, colorful plate, and a variety of foods with the majority being vegetables, is the way to go.

Mediterranean people have a track record of living into their 90s and beyond. Feeding your body a general diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits, contains whole grains, goes easy on the meat and incorporates healthy fats as well as a few servings of seafood a week, are the keys to improving your heart health in a very delicious and enjoyable way.

5 Most Effective Exercises to Do at the Gym When You’re Short on Time

The most overly-used excuse for not going to the gym to exercise is a perceived lack of time. And while most of us usually can find the time if we really want to, there can be unexpected things popping up occasionally right before a workout that can shorten up the amount of time available. Keep in mind with shorter workouts, you are trading time for intensity; because you have less time to exercise, you must do it at a higher level of work. When something unexpectedly does come up, here are some ideas to get the most out of the time you have.

Cardio

1. Rowing Machine

One of the best machines to use when pressed for time is a rowing machine. Why? Because it works both the upper and lower body at the same time thus maximizing your time on the machine. To kick up the intensity of your cardio workout, crank up the resistance and speed up the pace.

2. Treadmill

Treadmills are very versatile as machines that work the lower

body. To make up for the shortened amount of time, increase the intensity by upping the incline and increasing the speed. To add some upper body in the mix, pick up a pair of dumbbells in an appropriate weight and do lateral and forward raises, or bicep curls while walking.

3. Elliptical Machine

Some people prefer using an elliptical trainer over a treadmill, because it has a lower impact on the lower body joints, especially the knees. If using the stationary handles, it just works the lower body, but most ellipticals also have a pair of handles that oscillate back and forth making it a full body workout. To increase the intensity, increase the angle of the footpads and crank up the intensity. And because it is powered by the user, the speed can be increased by moving the footpads back and forth quicker.

With the increased intensity of any cardiotype exercises, be sure to keep track on your heart rate and keep it in your Target Range (220-age x70% to 80%).

Strength Training

4. Compound ExerciseUpper Body

With the short amount of time you have available, strength training should focus on exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time. For instance, to target the upper body – shoulders, upper back, neck and triceps - do shoulder presses with either a pair of dumbbells or weighted barbell.

5. Compound ExerciseLower Body

For the lower body, do dumbbell or kettlebells squats and weighted lunges that target the quadriceps, glutes and calves. To do a combined compound exercise, do weighted lunges and when in the down position (foot forward/ knee bent at 90-degree angle), raise the dumbbells up in a bicep curl. Return back to the lunge position, push back off your forward foot returning back to the starting position.

Getting in a workout in a shortened amount of time is not difficult if you have a plan going in and minimize the time spent not exercising.