Get your sexy back

When it comes to building an exercise programme for personal goals, not everyone can show up at the gym for a complete body make over. With reasons varying from distance to your nearest gym, to time constraints, sometimes the gym is just not workable.

But what if there was a way to achieve that perfect body  from the comfort of your home? You are probably thinking that you have neither the space nor the money to invest in training equipment. And if all it takes is a chair, the floor and a wall? Have I got your attention now? This regimen will require only seven minutes of your time each day.

So what's the catch? It will be seven of the most highly intense minutes of your life. If you are familiar with the age old adage "no pain, no gain" then you will understand that this exercise plan will require you to put in as much as you want to take out of it. It will demand that you sweat and writhe in pain. Then and only then will you see and feel the fruits of your 'hard labour'.

Remember that when you keep these principles in mind, you'll be able to find the sweet spot of a well-structured and balanced workout plan that will fit your own goals and needs:

1. Invest a significant amount of thought into a realistic training frequency – this means that as much as you want to get fit fast, you must leave room for rest. Therefore, three to five workout days will be adequate, depending on how much and how fast you would like to achieve your toned abs.

2. Go into the workout hard. Slot in a ten-second rest between exercises. This rest is extended by alternating the muscles used in each exercise. During each set of exercises, the unexercised muscles have a moment to 'catch their breath', which makes the order of the exercises important.

3. Total time under tension and workout duration - Perform the exercises in rapid succession, allowing 30 seconds for each set.

4. For the programme to work, your discomfort level should be around eight going on a scale of one to ten. (The repetitions in each set will vary, and depend on individual body weight and personal input to achieve intensity. Nonetheless, try to slot in as many as you can within the stipulated 25 seconds with ten seconds of rest in-between)

Wall sits- Place your back against a wall with your feet shoulder width apart and a little ways out from the wall. Keeping your back against the wall, lower your hips until your knees form right angles and hold for 25 seconds.

Jumping jacks/Star jumps - jump to a position with your legs spread wide and the hands clapping overhead and then return to a position with your feet together and the arms at the sides repeat for 25 seconds

Push up/press up - Lie flat on your stomach then with your arms on either side, raise and lower your body anchoring on your feet. Repeat for 25 seconds.

Abdominal crunch/sit up - Lie down on your back and bend your knees with your feet flat on the ground. With your arms behind your head, raise yourself to a sitting position and lower yourself back down again. Repeat for 25 seconds.

Step up onto chair - Find a firm chair and step up onto it and down again. Repeat for 25 seconds.

Squat - With your arms stretched in front of you and your feet slightly apart, lower yourself almost to a sitting position and up again. Repeat for 25 seconds.

High knees running in place - Run in the same spot for 25 seconds but aim for the highest your knees can go.

Photo: www.womenshealthmag.com