Diet & Fitness 

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Seven no-excuse exercises

Convinced you need a roomful of fancy equipment to sculpt your muscles? Think again. A couple of pillows, some soup cans and your own body weight will do

Twice a week, do one set of 8 to 15 repetitions of each of the following no-frills exercises. Once you can breeze through the routine without breaking into a sweat or feeling achy for a day or two afterwards, increase to two sets per exercise three times a week. You should see a difference in the form of firmer, tighter muscles within six to eight weeks.

1. Squat (legs)
Stand with your feet as wide as your hips, your weight slightly back on your heels, and place your hands on your hips. Pull your abdominals in, stand up tall with square shoulders and a lifted chest. Sit back and down, as if you're sitting into a chair directly behind you. Lower as far as you can without leaning your upper body more than a few inches forward (this depends on your flexibility and your build). If you can bend your knees far enough so that your thighs are parallel to the floor, don?t go any further than that and don't allow your knees to travel out in front of your toes. Once you feel your upper body fold forward over your thighs, straighten your legs and stand back up. Take care not to lock your knees at the top of the movement.

2. Pull-overs (upper back)
Place two or three large pillows on the floor. Lie down on the pillows so that your entire head, back and shoulders are resting on them. Pull your abs in gently so your lower back doesn't arch up. Grasp a can of tinned soup (or light dumb-bells) in both hands and straighten your arms upwards so that the can is suspended directly over your upper chest. Lower the can behind you until the bottom of it is level with the back of your head.

3. Push-ups (chest, shoulders, arms)
Lie on your stomach, bend your knees and cross your ankles. Bend your elbows and place your palms on the floor a bit to the side and in front of your shoulders. Straighten your arms and lift your body so you're balanced on your palms and knees. Tuck your chin a few inches towards your chest so your forehead faces the floor. Tighten your abdominals. Bend your elbows and lower your entire body at once. Rather than trying to touch your chest to the floor, lower only until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Push back up.

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