It's hard prioritising. It's hard making the time to 'fit' everything into a day. We are so many people all in one -- managing a career, being a parent, a spouse, a son/daughter, a housewife... The list is unending.

Time being of the essence, even if you're motivated, when it comes to prioritising things, you'll always have a good excuse to skip a workout. You'll remain perpetually busy working, catching up on your reading, running errands, surfing the net, helping your child with homework, cooking, shopping, meeting up with a friend, or even just sleeping late.

The answer to your list of obstacles is always the same. You have to make the time. Exercise during your lunch hour, while watching television, use the time when your child is at play school, or stop off at class on your way home from work. As the saying goes, where there's a will, there's always a way.

Here are some simple and highly effective exercises you can do even while sitting at your desk in the office.

Quick desk fixes

For the upper body (arms, chest and back)
1- While sitting at your desk, get your palms to meet at chest level. With your elbows bent and close by your side, squeeze your palms together while exhaling, and release this slightly while inhaling.

2- Holding your hand at waist level, pull apart while exhaling, and release this slightly while inhaling.

For legs
1- While sitting at your desk, lift one foot up about 6" off from the floor. In this position, pulse up and down a quarter to half an inch. Breathe normally and don't let the upper body rock while doing this. Keep it steady.

2- In the above position, move the leg 3- 4" from side to side, instead of up and down. This involves the inner and outer thigh muscles.

3- While standing, using your chair for support, rise up onto your toes, and then lower yourself, but keep both heels slightly off the floor. Exhale while lifting up, and inhale while lowering. Here, the calf muscles are being targeted.

For the abs
1- While sitting on the edge of your chair, keep both legs bent and apart from one another. Lean back all the way, just short of touching the chair. Make sure the spine is rounded over and your chin is lowered close to the chest at all times. Remain frozen in this reclined position for a slow count of 10, before sitting upright to relax for a few moments. Make sure you don't hold your breath at any time during this exercise. Breathe normally right through. Leaving the arms extended out by your side and parallel to the floor is the easiest option. As you get stronger and can take on more, bring the fists to your forehead, elbows bent and close together in front of you. To make the exercise even tougher, extend both arms straight up overhead. This works the main abdominal muscle, the rectus abdominus, which is also nicknamed the "six pack", as well trained abs resemble a six pack of beer. Sounds appealing, hmm?

2- To include the below belly abdominal group, get into the previously described position, and then get your right ankle up upon your left knee. Hold this position for a slow count of 10. You can switch legs at a later stage. This targets both the main abdominal muscle (rectus abdominus) and the transverse abdominus which sits in the pelvic cavity.

IMPORTANT: The above abdominal exercises are not appropriate for those with a high BP problem.

Towards a newer you

Begin by doing 8-10 counts of all the above exercises, in sets of 2 or 3 each. As you get stronger and more capable, you can slowly increase the counts or reps, and even the sets at a later stage. It's always important to overload gradually, once the body has adapted and is relatively comfortable with the given activity.

Remember that correct breathing patterns are crucial. Always exhale during the contraction, or the most difficult stage of the exercise, and inhale during the relaxation phase, or the easiest part of the exercise.

Focus on correct technique and form throughout. It doesn't matter how much you can or can't do, but how you do it is vital. Concentrate on each exercise and visualize the body part that you are working. It's often more a mind-thing than a body-thing.

Do this 3- 4 times a week, and you'll see results in about 3 weeks time. You'll realise soon enough that you don't have to spend hours sweating it out in the gym, jogging in the park or participating in fitness classes. You can have it all without even leaving your office, and by spending as little 6-8 minutes each day. It doesn't get better than this.