by Lois Lawrence

Created on: October 14, 2009   Last Updated: October 16, 2009

Few of us have the luxury of carving out an hour or more from our schedule each and every day to drive to the gym, change into workout gear, and join a class or make the rounds of the equipment.

But skipping out on exercise when time is short can too quickly become a habit. The question we should ask ourselves each day is not whether we will work out, but where. If the answer must be at the office or between classes at school, then so be it. While it can be inspiring to work with a personal trainer or take part in a class, on days when that is not possible we need a ready plan for how to give our body the daily dose of movement it needs to stay strong and healthy.

We asked Atlanta-based ACE-certified fitness trainer, Shelley Kirkwood, for some workout ideas for those times when a trip to the gym is not an option. If time is an issue, Kirkwood suggests working your upper body one day and lower body the next.

Kirkwood says, "Once we accept that maintaining good health is crucial to our happiness and longevity, finding 20 minutes to an hour a day becomes a lot easier." It's all about priorities, and good health needs to be number one or everything else will suffer.

Here is her plan for a pair of efficient 15-20 minute workouts that can be done anywhere and will tone your body and give you a cardiovascular boost in as little as twenty minutes.

LOWER BODY WORKOUT

First, walk briskly for five minutes to warm up your body. If you can't get outside, walking or jogging in place works just fine.

Next, perform a set of 15-20 walking lunges. Start by standing with arms at your side, abs tight, back straight, and head neutral. Step forward on your right leg and bend your left knee almost to the floor, making sure your forward knee stays behind the toe. Rise from the lunge, bringing your left leg forward, and repeat the move stepping forward with the left leg. If space is limited, simply turn and go in the opposite direction until you have repeated all reps. Kirkwood cautions that you should concentrate on keeping your weight on your heel as you sink and rise from the lunge.

Now jog lightly or walk briskly for one minute to allow your muscles to recover.

Next, place your hands against a wall for balance as you raise up high on your tiptoes. Imagine that you are are trying to peer over a tall fence. Repeat this calf-raise 25-35 times.

Once again, jog or walk for one minute to recover, then repeat entire sequence three more times.

UPPER BODY WORKOUT

This is her upper body and cardiovascular workout. It will take just 15 minutes.

Begin by marching in place. Raise your knees high and swing your arms vigorously for one minute

Next, stand in an upright position and extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height while you begin making small and then larger shoulder circles. Continue for a full minute gradually increasing the size of the circles.

Now do a set of 10-15 push-ups. If floor push-ups are too difficult, try using a support that is about waist high such as a counter top. As you grow stronger, you can support yourself on a desktop and eventually graduate first to an even lower support such as the seat of a sturdy chair and then to the floor.

Repeat the entire cycle until your fifteen minutes are up, each time reversing the direction of the arm circles.

While it's healthy to add as much variety as possible to your daily exercise program, on those days when time is at a premium and your attention is focused elsewhere, instead of making excuses it's nice to have a quick, easy, and familiar back-up plan.

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