Are you sitting there hunched over, in front of your computer, cranking out that last spread sheet or word document, worried that once again you won’t make it to your favorite Boutique strength class, 24HR Fitness or the local country club?

Feeling even worse because you promised not to miss another class? No worries. Listed below are five exercises you can do in your office space that will keep your glutes tight, posture upright, core tucked in, back strong and hamstrings long. Do each exercise for one minute. Or two, if you’re a “beast.” Up to four sets.

3-WAY LUNGE: First, tight glutes. Why? Because that “cast for the butt” otherwise known as chair, will flatten the thing that will make you look younger than just about anything else. Age should not be defined as a chronological or biological thing. But, a “butt thing.” Take years off your life by watching my three-way lunge video that can be done in the office.

TABLETOP: Just about as significant as glutes, but not nearly as eye-catching is your upper body posture. You see as we sit for hours on end and stand for significant amounts of time using our cell phones, we start to mold into this rounded position in the shoulders and upper back. To avoid “upper cross syndrome” do the following exercise known as a tabletop.

STATIC BEAST: And no piece on fitness would ever be relevant without a little core jive. The other half of the A’s as I like to refer to them, the abs, are almost always talked about in conjunction with the as$. Take the following exercise, static beast and study it closely. This exercise will fire up your core and so much more. Quite the full body exercise I must say.

TRAVELING CRABS: The largest muscle in the body, the latissimus dorsi, is a back muscle. And since it is the largest and responsible for movement, we must take it seriously. But since we’re in the office and dumbbells probably aren’t sitting in your file cabinet let’s get on the floor and use our body to become a traveling crab. This is a posterior chain dominant exercise. Which means not only is it great for your back, but every muscle on the back side of your body.

DEADLIFT: The muscles most responsible for assisting the glutes in hip extension are the hamstrings. Located just below the rump shaker, these long muscles are at their best when performing a deadlift. An exercise that can puzzles many, but is easy to perform once you fully understand how to hinge your hips. Look at how to perform a proper deadlift and make them a part of your office workout.

1. Put Yourself First. “You are worthless to your colleagues, friends, and family if you do not value yourself enough to take excellent care of you. Yes, you have to put yourself before your friends, parents, boyfriend, husband and even your children. It won’t make you a bad daughter or wife or mother; it will make you a less resentful, more confident, interesting, beautiful, patient, tolerant, and fun person to be around…. Love yourself enough to do whatever it takes to be the best you you can be.” Ironically enough, this inspiring quote comes from the most hardcore, in your face, tough love book on weight loss ever written. In my opinion anyway. Which goes to show that authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin really do have a heart, and their book Skinny Bitch is not meant to insult you. You will be constantly reminded that a new you is possible if you are willing to be totally honest with yourself. And, Freedman and Barnouin are great at coaching self-accountability. (To purchase your copy of this amazing book, click here.)

2. Goals vs. Outcomes. The best way to stay on track with your weight loss goal is to change your vernacular. Instead of referring to losing 20lb as a “goal” refer to it as an “outcome.” Goals are what you do daily to ensure that you get the outcome (losing 20lb) you desire. Now don’t take an “outcome” like this too lightly. Losing 20lb requires a caloric deficit of 500 calories per day for 20 weeks. And the best way to achieve this is knowing exactly what daily “goals” to start with. I would suggest starting with the following three daily goals: 1) drinking your bodyweight in ounces of water per day, 2) eating protein with every meal and 3) sleeping 7 hours per day. And, of course you should be following a carefully designed strength and conditioning program that is just right for you as well. And, while there are other factors to consider, you don’t want to overload your mind and indirectly stress your body. Keep it simple at first and then add more daily goals after you have mastered these. (For more on goals and outcomes visit www.joearko.com)

3. Journal everything. The best part about journaling is it allows you to see where you are going and when you get off track. As the old adage goes, “what gets measured gets managed.” You can’t track daily goals as discussed in Rule #2: Goals vs. Outcomes if you don’t journal. It is essential part of your success and I personally don’t take on any weight loss clients who are not willing to journal. It’s that important. So important in fact that I give a copy of Gretchen Rubin’s book, Better Than Before, to all new clients. I use it as support for why I am so adamant about this rule. I typically use notebooks, but you can buy an expensive journal if you so choose. There even journals with inspirational quotes on each page. To get your copy of Fitlosophy, my favorite journal for physical fitness tracking, click here.

4. Strength train a minimum of 3 times per week. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, “research on training frequency indicates that the optimum training frequency for improvements in strength is three to five times per week.” And since altering body composition (or the percentage of lean mass versus fat mass) is directly related to strength training, this frequency is used for fat loss as well. In addition to three days of strength training, I also recommend two days per week for high intensity interval training.

5. Buy workout gear. The biggest part of joining any new fraternity is looking the part and speaking it as well. To look the part in the gym, you must invest in the proper clothing. This will help you feel more at ease in the gym and/or with your new trainer. Not to mention, these sweat deflecting, technologically advanced materials will allow you to move better than those old dingy cotton shorts and t shirts you own. And don’t forget the socks either. Any good trainer will probably have you take your shoes off from time-to-time and you don’t want to be caught wearing your religious socks. You know the “holey” ones. Lastly, purchase a flat tennis shoe or sneaker (we all call them something different) from a reputable brand. The shoe that I have been wearing for nearly 10 years now are Nike Free Run Flynit. Below are a picture of the one’s I am currently wearing.