Phone fit

3. Stand and stretch while on the phone, if possible. Some of us spend over half the day on a chair then wonder why we suffer from back pain, stiff muscles and tight joints. If you must sit, do some shoulder shrugs, neck rotations or leg stretches while you talk. At home, if you have a cordless phone, walk around while you talk. You could also climb stairs or get on an exercise machine while you chat. Remember, a good way to tell that you're exercising at a moderate rate is to test that you can still carry on a conversation while moving.

4. Keep some 'body tools' by the phone. While you talk, ease tension spots with self-massagers that are designed to pin-point tense spots around the body. These gadgets, available at a variety of body-conscious shops, are often grooved wooden rollers or balls, but come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials.

5. Never answer on the first ring. Telephone calls frequently disrupt our already harried lives. So instead of racing for the receiver, 'take a six-second breather,' says Professor Ronald Nathan, author of several books on stress management. 'Wait six seconds, or about two rings, before picking up the phone,' he advises. 'Use that time to take a deep breath and relax.'

© 2000 Carol Krucoff. All Rights Reserved.