Articol publicat in "Cosmopolitan" - Nov. 2001 - All that your muscles want! Gymnastics? Me? ... At the gym? When?! And if everything may take place during your daily activities, not a minute more, What about that? You always search for a scapegoat. It is easier to blame something else for your lack of will. Push-ups, exercises for the stomach muscles, weights ... but you can’t understand them! What is to be done?! What and how to do in order to have energy with minimum of effort? As appetite comes when eating, „instant gymnastics” begins as a game. And it slowly becomes a ritual, creates addiction and is mentally ordered by a certain daily routine activity. Thus, driving, teeth brushing, boiling water for tea, vacuuming or TV watching are accompanied by “mini-exercises” that will make you feel less guilty for eating an extra chocolate! If you are TV-addicted it is sufficient to use the TV breaks for some waist twists, genuflexions and “air” bicycle. When you spend hours and hours at the office, before your computer, try to do some stretching. At the beginning, before it becomes a habit, set your alarm or your mobile phone to ring each hour and don’t forget to drink a glass of water, too.left alt="-">FACE: For start, unwrinkle your front, lift your eyebrows, open your eyes, your month and pull out your tong. Then, to holdup the double chin, pull down, as much as you can, the corners of your chin. NECK: Relax your shoulders and slowly bow your head to the right, pull down the shoulders and try to bow the head, first to the right shoulder, then ahead, to the left and backwards. IMPORTANT: The exercises must be done slowly, without forcing the muscles. Focus on the muscle you are stretching ad stretch it only until you feel a slight tension; stop if it becomes painful. SHOULDERS: Put your arms near the body ad raise your shoulder as much as you can. Then pull them as low as you can. Continue with rotations. SUPERIOR SIDE OF THE BACK: Cross your fingers, stretch your hands and push the arms forwards, keeping your palms to the exterior. With your finger crossed, behind the nape, pull the elbows backwards, tying to bring near the omoplates. At the end, put your both arms around your shoulders, as if you were trying to hug yourself and round off your back as much as you can. INFERIOR SIDE OF THE BACK: Sit on a chair, bow, hold your ankles and put your head against them. HANDS, HAND JOINTS AND ARMS: Keep your hand before you, palms down, squeeze your fists for a second and then open your fingers for 5 seconds, as you were checking-up your manicure! CHEST: When you stay with your elbows on your desk, press your palms and push them one into the other, as a Japanese salutation. Count to 8, relax and strain again; repeat 5 times. ABDOMEN: For a fast result it would be ideal to ... make some abdomen exercises every day (in the morning or in the evening)! If you don’t succeed, the try the following exercise. Sit on a chair with your back straight and your legs at the shoulders’ level. Strain your abdominal muscles and round your back as if someone would kick you in your stomach. Stay like this for 5 seconds, come back to the initial position and repeat the move. LEGS: When you stand up, with your entire sole on the ground, pull the fingertips up, until you feel the ankle muscle straining. Then lift on your fingertips. Alternate the move backwards and forwards 8 times. CONCLUSION: You don’t need a special suit, or money for the gym; it takes a few times and it is supercomfortable way for maintaining a good tonus. All you have to do is associate all these exercises with common daily activities. And to make them become reflexes. Choose your moves and the moment to do them; all you need is a little bit of will.