home workout

If the 2012 Summer Olympics has you glued to your TV, that doesn't mean you're also stuck sinking into your couch. Be inspired by the athletes, get off your tush, and do these quick and easy exercises.

• Couch Triceps Dips: Sit on the edge of your couch or coffee table and rest your hands on the edge so your fingertips are pointing away from you. Walk your feet out so your pelvis is hanging out in the air. Slowly bend your elbows backward to lower your hips to the floor and then slowly straighten your arms. Do two sets of 15.

Keep reading to learn some more TV-friendly exercises!

When it's too chilly to even imagine donning all the layers needed to run outside, you need a simple indoor workout to fall back on that will get your heart rate soaring and work your entire bod.

Here's a five-minute circuit workout you can do at home using set of stairs, a jump rope, and an exercise ball. If your house or apartment is only one floor, just use a sturdy low bench in place of the stairs. No jump rope on hand? Use your imagination and pretend; just jump in place without it. Using the exercise ball for push-ups and crunches makes these two moves more challenging, but if your home gym doesn't have one, just do those exercises on the floor. Crank up your favorite workout tunes and keep an eye on the clock, repeating this circuit one time through:

One minute walking up and down the stairs: 8 calories burned
One minute strength training (30 seconds push-ups, 30 seconds crunches): 5 calories burned
One minute jumping rope: 11 calories burned
One minute skipping around your house: 10 calories burned
One minute fast-paced jumping jacks: 8 calories burned

Total calories burned per round: 42

Repeat this five-minute circuit five more times for a total of six rounds and you'll burn 252 calories. This indoor circuit can be done at home, in a hotel room when traveling, or even at the gym (if you don't feel silly skipping in public!).

We are pumped to share one of favorite stories from Health.com here on FitSugar.

From the editors at Health.com

No time to rush to the gym for your daily workout? We've got you covered. From fab abs to thighs of steel, these easy to try-at-home exercises will have you looking and feeling great. This fun, 20-minute, equipment-free interval workout was created exclusively for Health by Crunch Gym’s regional group fitness director, Marc Santa Maria.

Hoppers
Hop from leg to leg and then hold your jump on the third hop: hop, hop, and hold; hop, hop, and hold. Continue for one minute.
After a 30-second break, repeat two more times.

Power Push-Ups
Start standing, bend at the waist, and put your hands flat on the floor. Walk your hands out to regular push-up position, do the push-up and walk your hands back to your feet. Stand back up. Repeat 10 times.

Health.com: 30-Minute Workout, No Gym Required

Step-It-Ups
Find a raised surface like a bench or stairs and count how many times you can step up and down in one minute. Be sure to alternate which foot steps up first. Repeat for a total of three sets, and try to beat your number of steps each time.

Touch & Squeezes
Get in push-up position. Bring your right knee up to touch your right elbow, and squeeze your abs in. Hold for a few seconds and do the other side. Repeat each side 10 times.

Health.com: The 7 Best Fat-Blasters

Chorus Line
Stand on one leg, raise the other leg, and bend at the knee, making the thigh parallel to the floor. Straighten the raised leg and hold. Repeat 10 times, making sure to point those toes. Then do the other side. For more stability, put one hand on a wall.

Check out the rest of the workout after the break.

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

If you've seen the new svelte Jennifer Hudson (that's "J-Hud" to you) in Weight Watchers commercials, you know that the transformation from "hopeful" to "diva" can be a big change. And not just from a physical standpoint.

That's why — whether readying clients for class reunions, weddings, new jobs, new chapters, or performing nightly in front of millions of viewers — frequent American Idol trainer Marco Reed's GetBeyondFit program weighs stress management and stamina as heavily as body sculpting and nutrition.

Idol top-three finalist Haley Reinhart buddies up to trainer Marco Reed.

At this time of year, after American Idol has reached its stunning conclusion, and TV audiences are readying themselves to move onto other shows like The Bachelorette, Marco Reed's job is just beginning.

After the initial hoopla has died down, the show's producers recruit this go-to trainer to ready their new pop stars — like David Cook and Adam Lambert in the past — for album releases and solo tours. (Though Casey Abrams and Haley Reinhart have not trained with Reed, they have been in touch.) An avid watcher of the show, Reed confesses, "I really enjoyed Casey Abrams and Haley. However, I would love to work with Lauren once the show ends. She has a sparkle about her, and I think she would benefit from my GetBeyondFit program."

But what makes that program so unique? And how can we get on board? To find out, keep on reading!

Enter to win in the Get Fit For 2011 giveaway by completing any challenges you may have missed, like FitSugar reader oatmealrunner, who shared her review of the Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown DVD for the eighth challenge of our Get Fit For 2011 giveaway.

I've decided in an effort to stay fit and save some cash, I am going to try a variety of DVD workouts (via Netflix) and give you my review. This way you know what videos are worth renting/buying and which ones you can leave on the shelf. Now onto the review.

I purchased the Yoga Meltdown workout DVD sometime ago but have not thoroughly reviewed it. Being an fairly dedicated yogi (6 years of practice and counting), I was curious to see what Jillian was going to do — yoga and yelling don't exactly mix if you ask me — but I was willing to go into it open-minded.

The DVD consists of 2 workouts: level one and level two. I felt that level one focuses a lot on arms, whereas level two is more about the legs and abs. Each workout is approximately 30 minutes, which is great if you're strapped for time.

See the review when you read more

In my little utopia, I'd have a little sunny yoga deck off my bedroom where a personal yoga instructor would help me with my practice in privacy. Sadly that is not my reality, but I have found a pretty darn good substitute. It may not provide the sunshine, but YogaGlo does just about everything else.

Branded as "everyone's yoga," YogaGlo offers something for everyone — without all the boredom that some find in DVDs. For $18 a month, which is about the going rate for one studio class, subscribers can pick from over 600 classes. Unlike my local gym, which only offers a few versions of 55-minute classes, YogaGlo serves up sessions for folks who have five minutes, 15 minutes, 45 minutes, or 210 minutes. And it's not just basic yoga. Anusara, Hatha, Kundalini, and Yin are just a few of the versions offered at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Want to learn more about it?