GET IN SHAPE AT THE OFFICE WITH ONE MINUTE WORKOUTS

Sitting at a desk all day can add on the pounds and reduce your energy level.

Now you can get into shape at the office in only one minute at a time, thanks to the book "Gotta Minute? The Ultimate Guide of One Minute Workouts for Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime!," by Bonnie Nygard, M.Ed. and Bonnie Hopper, M.Ed.

Here are just a few tips to begin sculpting your new Olympian body at work:

Create ways to do more walking. Make time to walk in the morning, at midday and in the afternoon. Although five minutes would be better, one minute is still good. If you think you can’t spare a minute, or that it might look odd, find some excuses to walk. For example, instead of going to the closest bathroom, use one farther away, perhaps on a different floor. Then you can walk up and down the steps as well.

Instead of discussing something with a co-worker on the phone, walk to their office. If they are of like mind, you can even suggest that you have a walking meeting. The same can be true of your breaks, instead of sitting in a lunch room, take a walking break with a friend.

You can even walk back and forth while talking on the phone. If the cord is too short, buy a longer one. One word of caution: running or jogging in place can damage your joints, so please limit your one-minutes workouts to walking.

There are also a number of great exercises you can do while sitting to tone and stretch your body.

To stretch your pectoral (chest) muscles, simply reach your arms around the back of the chair and expand your chest.

While seated, alternately extend each leg in front of you, which works the quadriceps.

You can work your inner thighs and hips by doing a seated jumping jack motion, that is, lifting your feet in the air, spreading them apart and then back together.

When you have the chance, stand up and do push-ups against your desk or a wall. Be sure to hold your arms shoulder width apart and wear non-slip shoes.

There are lots of other quick and easy ways to keep in shape at home, in the car or at the office in Gotta Minute? The Ultimate Guide of One-Minute Workouts, so walk to your local bookstore and pick one up.