10 Ways to Spend Smarter

Work Out at the Local Playground

It's another alternative to your gym membership. Pete McCall, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise, in San Diego, recommends these moves.

Platform step-ups: Find a bench or a platform that’s the height of your knee. Step up with your right leg, pulling yourself up with the back of your thigh and buttocks. Balance for two to three seconds, then step down. Step up 10 to 12 times on the right leg, then 10 to 12 on the left. Rest for 30 to 45 seconds before doing a second set. Work up to three sets, for a total of 15 reps on each leg.

Monkey-bar movement: Practice swinging from one bar to the other. (This will prove more chal-lenging than when you weighed, oh, 60 pounds, so build slowly.) Work up to swinging forward over 6 to 10 bars, then backward, without letting your feet touch the ground.

Swing-set crunches: Sit on a swing and pump your legs. As you swing back, contract your abs and pull your knees to your chest. As you swing forward, stretch your legs in front of you. Continue swinging and crunching for 60 to 90 seconds; rest for 30 seconds. Repeat up to three times.