Create A Home Gym

5. Object: Picture of disliked person
Exercise: Karate Kicks
Target: Buttocks, thighs and pent-up aggression
Give your butt a boost! Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent slightly. Lift your knee so that it's level with your hips, then kick your foot out toward the photo, contracting the muscles in your thighs and buttocks. Slowly lower your leg and return to the starting position. Repeat, alternating on both sides.

6. Object: Wall
Exercise: Wall slides
Target: Thighs
Ready to see tone in your legs? Stand 12 to 16 inches from the wall, bend your knees and move your upper body until your back is touching the wall. Continue lowering your hips until your knees are at a 90-degree angle (no lower). Hold for 10 seconds, then slowly stand up. Repeat.

7. Object: Small Cooperative Pet
Exercise: Pelvic lifts
Target: Hips and abs
Strengthen your middle! Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor, with your pet seated securely on your abdomen or lying across your hipbones (for safety, hold with both hands). Straighten your right knee and extend your leg, keeping your thighs parallel and your knees together. Press your left heel into the ground and lift your pelvis a few inches. Hold for a few seconds, then lower. Repeat alternating each side.

8. Object: Pillow
Exercise: Lateral Kicks
Target: Buttocks and outer thighs
Say so-long saddlebags! From a kneeling position, place your elbows on the floor to prop up your upper body. Bend one leg behind you, holding a pillow between your foot and the back of your thigh. Lift that leg out to the side, squeezing the pillow and keeping your hips square. Hold for 3 seconds, then lower. Repeat on both sides.

9. Object: Stairs
Exercise: Stair race
Target: Cardiovascular
Get fit without running! Stand at the bottom of the stairs, and race upstairs as fast as you can. Carefully come down, then climb the stairs slowly, taking two steps at a time. Try to find a staircase with 10 steps minimum and build up to more and more repetitions.

10. Object: Couch
Exercise: Crunches
Target: Abdominals
Flatten those abs! Lie on your back on the floor, with your hips a few inches from the couch, knees bent and heels resting on the couch's seat. Press your lower back into the floor. Inhale, tighten your abs and lift your shoulders (don't lead with your head or neck). Pause for a second, then exhale and lower yourself back down. Repeat.

Do you have a workout area at home? No? Take another look. You don't have to own weights and a treadmill to get a good sweat. If you have a can of food, or a couple of books, then you've got all you need. Many of us don't have time for the gym, and I personally don't care for sweating with strangers, but it's easy to work out in front of my favorite TV show.

No matter how out of shape you are, you can do these simple moves. It's recommended that beginners start with two or three sets of 10 repetitions, then work up to sets of 15 and, finally, 25. Pick which exercises you like, and remember to stop anytime you feel light headed, dizzy, or out of breath.

1. Object: Dining Table
Exercise: Standing side leg lifts
Target: Upper thigh
Get your thighs tight! Face the table with your feet hip- distance apart; hold onto the table top for balance. Maintaining a slight bend in both knees, slowly lift one leg to the side and hold for a second or two. Lower it slowly, trying not to relax the muscles. Repeat on both sides.

2. Object: Chair
Exercise: Semi-seated squats
Target: Thighs and buttocks
Don't miss that behind! Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your back toward a chair and your abdominal muscles tight. Squat, shifting your weight onto your heels as if you're going to sit in the chair; keep your chin upwards, and your shoulders back. Just before your behind reaches the seat, stop and hold the position for a second; then slowly straighten up again. Repeat.

3. Object: Coffee Table
Exercise: Tricep Dips
Target: Triceps
Get rid of that flappy arms! Sit on a sturdy coffee table (or the edge of a sofa). Grip the edge with fingers pointed toward your behind. With knees bent and feet planted, straighten your arms and lift your backside off the table. Then bend your elbows and slowly lower your hips; stop as soon as you feel pressure in your shoulders. Push back up until your elbows are almost straight, don't lock them. Repeat.

4. Object: Blanket
Exercise: Push-ups
Target: Arms and chest
Improve your bust by getting on your hands and knees on a folded blanket, with your palms down and shoulder-width apart. Extend your knees back as far you can. Keeping your back straight and your abs tight, inhale, lowering your chest until it's a few inches from the floor. Hold for a second, then exhale and push back up to the starting position. Repeat.