Every Wednesday through the end of August we’ll be rolling out some great kitchen exercises. We’re doing them in our favorite kitchen at Let’s Dish! – a great place to pre-assemble a bunch of meals to pop in the freezer – talk about multitasking! (See photo of Elizabeth Marcotte of Let’s Dish with Jenny.) Of course, you can do any of our Let’s Dish! exercises in your own kitchen. 

Don’t waste time just walking from place to place in your kitchen – lunge-walk instead to tone and strengthen your bottom and thighs.  By the time you’re done preparing a meal, dinner won’t be the only thing on fire!

Start with your feet hip width apart and facing forward.  Step forward and lunge down.  Your back leg should be bent with your back knee pointing straight down but not touching the floor.

Lower yourself as far as you can while still controlling the movement and maintaining the position. Make sure your front knee does not extend out over your front foot. Return to the standing position by pushing down on your front leg to pull yourself up. Switch legs and continue lunge-walking to your destination.

(Click here for Let’s Dish’s special offer for SqueezeItIn.com fans!)

The playground isn’t just for kids. For the rest of the summer we’ll be rolling our new videos that help you SqueezeItIn at the playground. Ready… Set… Play!

Find a step, slide or other stable, slightly raised surface.  Stand with one side facing the step, (standing perpendicular to the step), place one foot up on it while the other foot remains on the ground. Your legs should be hip width apart with both feet facing forward.

Bending at the knees, squat down without letting your knees extend in front of your ankles.  Keep all of your weight in your heels.  Squeeze your bottom as you slowly push back up to the starting position.  Keep your core engaged throughout this exercise. You can extend your arms in front of you for balance.

Continue for a set of 12.  Switch sides and repeat.

Doodle away your derrière and thin your thighs with these multitasking leg lifts.

Start this exercise on bended knees with your hips aligned in front of the coffee table.  Your body should be slightly bent over the table with forearms resting on the table.

Extend one leg straight behind you and lift it up off the floor. Make sure your hips stay still throughout the movement.  Before bringing leg down hold it just above the floor and pulse for a 3-count (think Squeeze-It-In) and then return down to the starting position.

Continue on the same side for a set of 12 and then switch legs.

SqueezeItIn.com fan Kari P. from Sioux City, Iowa suggested this very “squeeze-it-in-able” exercise.  We love it so much we wanted to share it with everyone. All you need is a chair!

Stand with a chair behind you as if you were about to sit down. Your feet should be shoulder width apart with feet turned out in a plie.

Start to sit down, but just before your rear end hits the seat stand back up. As Kari says, you should”feel that burn.”

Continue for 2 sets of 12 and then give your rear end a rest! Make sure to engage your abs throughout this exercise.

Variations: On the last repetition of your set do 12 small pulses up and down.  This exercise can be done anywhere you are about to take a seat, which means every couch, recliner, bench, and chair is an opportunity to SqueezeItIn!

Thanks Kari P.! Now leave us a comment and let us know how you SqueezeItIn.

Who knew coloring with the kids could make your “rear view” look even better?  Color us thrilled!

Color your way to a better bottom!

Start this exercise on bended knees with hips aligned with your coffee table.  Place one hand on the table for balance.  Raise one knee up toward the table, then kick it back behind you.

Get it up there girls!

When kicking leg back keep the movement slow and controlled.  Hold and squeeze your rear end before bringing leg back down.  Keep abs squeezed in throughout this exercise.  Continue on same leg for one set of 12 and then repeat on opposite leg.

This exercise can also be performed from a standing position at a dining room table or countertop.

The kids want to color. You want to exercise. This week we’re posting some “crafty” ways to do both at the same time.

Start this exercise on bended knees. With your hips aligned with the coffee table, place one hand on the table for balance.

Just try to stay in the lines!

Keeping leg bent, raise leg to the side. (see photo).

Raise bent leg as high as you comfortably can without rotating hip forward or back. Hold position for three seconds (think Squeeze-It-In to keep count) then slowly return to starting position.

Variation:  Raise leg slowly for a 3-count (think Squeeze-It-In) and lower for an additional count of 3.

Do 2 sets of 12 on each side.

It has been a very big month for this “little website that could!”

Vicky, Jenny, and Susan at the WP interview

Columnist Vicky, Trainer Jenny, and Photographer Susan (SqueezeItIn.com Co-Founder Brigette is snapping the pix.)

Hot Squats!

We had lots of laughs telling the SqueezeItIn.com story and watching SqueezeItIn.com trainer Jenny help Vicky get her squeeze on!

Cardio has never been so funny!

Look for SqueezeItIn.com in an upcoming edition of The Washington Post health section!  And a big thanks to Vicky and Susan for a fun interview!

Thanks to everyone who has helped to spread the message of these two moms on a mission!  You can help by making SqueezeItIn.com your homepage, “fanning” us on Facebook, and “following” us on Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel as well – you’ll get first dibs on all our new exercise videos!

Waiting for the coffee to brew?  Watching the seconds tick down on the microwave?  Then you have time for this terrific side stretch.  It feels great and melts away tension.

Make the most of every minute in the kitchen!

Stand with legs hip width apart and knees slightly bent.  Grab a dishtowel with both hands pulling at each end so it creates some tension in your arms. (See photo.)  There should be no slack in your dishtowel as you do these exercises.  Focus on keeping abs squeezed in as you bring arms overhead.

Feel the stretch!

Keeping the towel taut and moving from your waist, bend to your right stretching your left side, abs, and ribs. Keep your lower body still as you do these stretches. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds and then come back to starting position with towel raised above your head.  Alternate sides until you have completed 1 set of 12.

Ahhhh! Doesn’t that feel great?

Looks like White House staffers are just like everybody else: they struggle to find time to exercise.  Maybe they need a little SqueezeItIn.com.  According to The Washington Post:

“The grueling schedule has forced most of the presidential aides to abandon physical exercise, and the few who persist — often because of incessant goading from their fitness-fixated commander in chief — have planned their workouts at times that stretch their schedules even further.”

Link to full article:  Frenetic Pace, Packed Agenda Put West Wing Staffers Through Wringer – washingtonpost.com.

Do you think 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue could use a custom SqueezeItIn.com West Wing Workout?

(We do!) We can see it now: Policy Planks.  Economic Crisis Crunches.  SCOTUS Squats. The ”squeezabilities” are endless!

Think it’s a good idea?  Let ‘em know:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Note to Staffers:  The White House is a gym.  Work it out.

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