How to pull it off:
The Faker knows how you feel. Exercise is so time-consuming. And not fun. And so ... sweaty. But that doesn't mean you can't reap the benefits of working out while in reality clinging to your couch potato ways. Celebrity trainer and reality-TV vixen Jackie Warner is here to help.
The star of Bravo's "Work Out" and author of the forthcoming book "This Is Why You're Fat" still advocates full workouts - her services at her Beverly Hills spa cost just $300 per hour. But she also offers tips to give the appearance of a workout while never setting foot in a gym. Heck, you don't even need to put on gym shoes.
1. The quick blast. Before work, do 10 squats, 10 push-ups and 10 crunches 10 times. And do it as hard and as fast as you can. Yes, this might sound like an actual workout, but don't worry, lazy bones! Warner says it only takes about six minutes. "You're completely fatiguing the abs, the chest and the glutes because you're doing so many reps, but it seems to go by fast because you change what you're doing every 10 times," she said.
2. The stairwell sneak. Men, do 100 push-ups throughout the day (to develop upper body and core), and women, 100 squats (to work the legs and rear). But do them in small increments, say 20 before work, 20 before lunch (maybe in the supply room), 20 in midafternoon (perhaps in the stairwell), 20 after work and 20 before you go to bed. "Twenty is not a number that scares people," Warner said. "And at the end of the day you can say, 'I did 100 push-ups or squats!' Then it sounds like a lot." Plus you can double your faking pleasure by making everyone wonder what the heck you're up to in that stairwell/supply room.
3. The shoulder trick. Work your shoulders for a few minutes before work. Warner said this is popular with celebrity clients who will be going sleeveless in front of cameras. "Building the shoulder out gives an appearance of the waistline being smaller," she said. She suggested three weight exercises that work the front, middle and rear deltoids: lifting dumbbells from the front of the legs to shoulder level; from the side to shoulder level; and, bending over, raising the weights from the ground to your side. Do three sets of 10 with a minute of rest between each set.
4. The party arms. If you want toned-looking arms in a pinch, try quick arm weights, maybe 15 alternating biceps curls, then dips using the edge of a table or counter, then the shoulder routine. Your muscles fill out temporarily, but only for an hour at the most. "Unfortunately, not much longer than that," Warner said. "But it's why everyone loves how they look after the gym."
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(c) 2009, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.