The Two-Step Skincare Routine

It can be depressing to catch a glimpse of yourself at 2 a.m. with tired, sallow skin—but there’s no need to break the bank by stockpiling a battery of skincare lotions and potions, says Miami Beach-based dermatologist Leslie Baumann, MD, who advises using one simple retinoid cream. “It speeds up cell division, which causes dead cells to flake off and the remaining healthy skin cells to become more compact.” The result? A smoother surface that reflects light and gives your skin a natural radiance that’s flattering under the harsh glare in a hospital. Simply apply a pea-size dot of prescription retinoid (or a milder over-the-counter formulation like RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream, $22) each night, then follow up religiously every morning with an SPF-packed moisturizer (try Purpose Dual Treatment Moisture Lotion with SPF 15, $9).

Tip: It’s very important to wear a moisturizer with an SPF if you’re using retinoids as any exposure to the sun (outside on a break, to and from work) can cause sensitivity.

Lighten Up!

The first place long shifts and late nights show up is under your eyes, which is why a good concealer should be at the top of your beauty arsenal. Realize, though, that the trick to getting perfect coverage is restraint! Rather than hiding dark circles and spots and then applying a layer of foundation, Los Angeles-based makeup artist Brett Freedman advises reversing the order. “If you use just a little bit of your foundation on lids, lash line and under your eyes—where most women see redness—you’ll end up using less concealer and dodging an overly made-up look.”

Tip: Instead of thick coverage, which can lend a cakey look that actually accentuates lines and dryness, NYC makeup pro Nick Barose reaches for a liquid, brush-on concealer with light-reflective pigment—he loves Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector ($12) or Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc-Free Mineral Cream Concealer ($7). “The light reflects off the dark circles, so you don’t have to apply a ton,” he explains.

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But do you have to truly get away from it all to have an exquisitely quiet moment? A survey of nurses in various locales suggests not. What is non-negotiable is regularly taking the time to recharge your batteries—whether you do it for five minutes or five days. Everyone needs a breather, but perhaps no one more than a nurse. “Nurses know that too much contact with patients without a period of withdrawal makes for scattered attention, mistakes, anxiety, depression, and loss of interest,” says Steven Hendlin, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in private practice in Newport Beach, CA. and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. “For people like nurses, who are always dealing with other people’s pain and suffering, not having outside stress reducers may lead to depression and early burnout.”

Searching for Serenity

There are no rules about what constitutes the ideal interlude, and it doesn’t even have to be quiet. Maybe you seek solace at a rock concert, or by cheering on your favorite sports team. Yvonne Sannes, a home health nurse in Lancaster, CA rides motorcycles with her husband almost every weekend (the fact that they’re both almost 70 doesn’t stop them). Kim Bahnsen, a Nurse-Family Partnership supervisor in Port Matilda, PA, rides ATVs with her husband and son.

On the other hand, it could be that you use this time simply to take in the beauty of the world—visiting a botanical garden, or even a favorite flower shop on your way home from work; sitting on a cliff watching the fog roll in; or taking a car ride to the nearest river, lake or ocean. Or it may be a time you go inside yourself and block out the rest of the world by daydreaming or reciting affirmations. As long as your escape gives you a chance to remember—and be—exactly who you are, you know you’re doing it right.

Many nurses have more than one way they take refuge from the pressures of the job. Fletcher, for instance, doesn’t get to travel to exotic spots like Everest every day (or every year, for that matter), but she takes a moment for herself daily by switching on classical music after work. “I don’t use the television to escape any more,” says Fletcher. Instead of watching life, she now makes an effort to experience it.

A daily dose of Native American flute helps Paul Phelps wind down. A nurse who works half the year in the ICU at a Greeley, CO hospital, and half the year in Florida (where he cares for his aging parents, too), he also likes to bury himself in a book, taking care to choose one that has nothing to do with nursing. You might call that Phelps’ regular upkeep. In addition, he cultivates his fishing habit as often as he can in nearby creeks and lakes. “I tell my co-workers I only work to fish,” he says. The grandeur of the surrounding mountains, the trickle of cold-water streams, the occasional whir of a fishing reel, and the meditative wait for a catch all add to the serenity of those moments. “After 35 years of working in health care, I have come to understand the necessity of relaxing while away from work,” says Phelps.

To be meaningful, a time-out needn’t be the stuff dreams are made of. On days when you lose a patient or are short-handed at work, something as elementary as sitting down with a proper cup of tea can feel like a little slice of heaven. To Donna R. Pauling, a Nurse-Family Partnership nurse home visitor in Bloomsburg, PA, the perfect time out is making quilts for Quilts for Kids, an organization that distributes them to seriously ill children.

A little pampering can also go a long way. Simply keeping up with a regular pedicure–whether you do your own or go to a salon (definitely spring for the $5 foot massage!)–can lift you into another realm. To Ali Frisius, a pre-op nurse at Post Street Surgery Center in San Francisco, closing her bathroom door and easing into a hot bath with candles flickering nearby and a novel in her hand is pure pleasure. The heat of the water instantly dissipates the nervous energy she’s built up during the day. Other nurses find that just using their 15 minutes in the break room for a calming and repetitive activity like knitting or doing a crossword puzzle can be soothing. So can a brief meditation. “Simply closing your eyes for ten minutes, sitting still, with a straight back and feet on the floor—and doing this away from noise—can help you pull back into the present, slow down, and feel able to return to interacting with patients,” says psychologist Hendlin.

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Eventually I sought out a life coach to help me make sense of my situation. She helped me realize that my position didn’t suit my natural knack for listening to people and solving their problems. I got up the courage to become a life coach myself, helping other nurses in the Denver area de-stress and find balance in their lives, just as someone helped me find mine.

As The Nurse Coach, I give my clients simple assignments geared to help them discover what parts of their lives are out of whack. (You’d be amazed at how many nurses don’t even know they’re on the path to burnout!) We also work on aligning their strengths with their careers and finding ways to take better care of themselves. This rarely means leaving nursing, as it did for me. In fact, I want to keep nurses in nursing (we can’t afford to lose even one of us!).

What needs changing in your life? Take the quiz below to get an idea of where you stand on the overload-o-meter—at work and at home. Then take a look at the six assignments that follow: your call to action. Each is designed to put you on the road to a happier, more fulfilled life.

Take This Stress Test

Rate each of the 12 statements according to the following scale:

1 = never
2 = rarely
3 = sometimes
4 = often
5 = always

_____  I am responsible for so many different tasks at work and at home.

_____  I feel less competent or effective than I used to.

_____  I frequently feel overwhelmed.

_____  I’m achy—head, stomach, muscles.

_____ I have trouble sleeping and feel tired even when I get enough sleep.

_____  I often wish I could play hooky.

_____  I tend to see the glass half empty rather than half full.

_____ I find myself watching the clock throughout my shift.

_____  I get angry and irritated easily.

_____ I stick to myself and avoid conversations with coworkers.

_____  I’m often tempted to calm myself with alcohol, drugs or food.

_____ I rarely take breaks or even vacations.

Total up the numbers.

Your score: _____

WHAT YOUR SCORE MEANS

12–20: You have little job-related stress. This is a good position to be in, although you can make your life even better. Use the assignments to tweak the area of your life that needs improvement.

21–37: You seem to be under a moderate amount of stress and have a fair chance of becoming overwhelmed. You may want to pay particular attention to Assignment #1 to see what part of your life is out of balance. It’s best to catch and address signs of overload early, before the problem gets away from you.

38–47: You experience a high amount of stress and may be close to overload. All the assignments will be useful, especially #2—people on the verge of burnout often sabotage themselves with negative self-talk.

48 and up: You’re stressed to the max! Use the assignments to determine where you need to make changes, but also ask for help. Contact your hospital’s employee assistance program, find a mentor or seek out a life coach or therapist.

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You’re running late for your shift. Should you grab an energy bar on your way out the door or wait until you can eat something less sugary and more healthy?

Go for the bar if that’s your only option. “A little food first thing helps your brain think clearly,” says Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, RD, head of nutrition at the Golden Door Spa in Escondido, Calif. Think about it: Your body’s been fasting while you’ve been sleeping, so it needs to re-fuel (caffeine alone doesn’t count!) before it can get you going. However, a better—and equally quick—choice would be an apple or banana, lowfat yogurt or a handful of nuts and some dried fruit that you munch as you race to work. Research shows that eating in the a.m. not only increases your metabolism, but may minimize the number of calories you take in throughout the day.

You just got off work and you’re completely exhausted. Do you drag yourself to the gym or just take it easy?

It all depends on how tired you are and why, says Michael Bracko, an exercise physiologist and fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. “If you’ve been working long hours and skimping on sleep, listen to your body and rest,” says Bracko, who recommends a power nap. “Nap” is the operative word—be sure to set an alarm so you don’t fall into a deep slumber, which could wreak havoc with your regular sleep schedule.

If you’re more mentally fatigued than physically exhausted, reach for your workout clothes. Exercise can help invigorate your mind as well as your body. But rather than attending the same old fitness class you know by heart, consider interval training, which alternates bursts of intense activity with periods of lighter activity. Studies show interval training helps your body burn fat faster and increases your endurance more than working out at a steady pace, and just 20 to 30 minutes will do the trick. Try alternating jogging for one minute with walking for half a minute. Or briskly walk up and down a hill or a flight of stairs. Choose a workout that works for you—no gym required!

Your skin is dry and blotchy—no doubt due to the relentless heat and/or air conditioning at work. Do you need an exfoliant or an antioxidant?

Both. An exfoliant brings your skin back to life, an antioxidant protects it from the environment. “When your skin cells are spending all their energy defending against dry indoor air, the sun, free radicals, even your own internal stress hormones, they cannot do the good things like make new collagen, retain moisture and repair damaged proteins,” says Dr. Linda K. Franks of Gramercy Park Dermatology in New York City. No wonder hospital skin can look dry, lackluster, and blotchy. Time to repair and regenerate!

Rx #1: Exfoliate. “An exfoliant will help expose a fresher, younger, more hydrated layer of cells,” says Franks. “I like retinol-based lotions and creams in particular, because in addition to exfoliating, they stimulate collagen production, which will increase both support and hydration to the skin.” Her recommendation: RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream ($23).

Rx #2: Counteract the effects of the elements. Try a light serum, such as La Roche-Posay Active C Anti-Wrinkly Dermatological Treatment for Dry Skin ($46 for 1 ounce) under a moisturizer with a broad-spectrum sunscreen, like Olay SPF 30 Complete Defense Daily UV Moisturizer ($12).

A doctor snaps at you in front of a patient. Should you silently seethe or speak up?

Speak up…but not right away, says Mark Goulston, MD, a psychiatrist in Los Angeles and author of Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone. “Give the doctor a look that telegraphs your displeasure, but don’t let it interrupt your work,” he suggests. Later, after you’ve taken care of your patient, pull the doctor aside and ask, “When could I have a few minutes to talk about how we can work together better in the future?” As soon as the time comes, focus on your shared purpose—acting professionally while taking care of people who are sick—rather than your emotional response to what the doctor said. For example, you may wish to tactfully ask, “Is there a different way you could communicate your frustration?”

It may not be easy to say something, but it’s important to stand up for yourself. Keeping quiet all but ensures that your frustrations over the doctor’s rude behavior will percolate, and you might end up taking it out on yourself. “Many of my patients tell me they go off their diets or exercise regimes after they’ve had a bad encounter at work,” says Dr. Goulston. “They say to themselves, ‘Oh, the hell with it, I’m just going to _________.’” (Fill in the blank with some momentarily comforting but ultimately self-sabotaging behavior, such as drinking or eating too much.) Pent-up anger can have serious long-term health consequences, as well as some not-so-nice short-term repercussions if you end up taking it out on those around you—your patients, your colleagues, or your partner or your kids.

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Learn to love off shifts.

“I work three days a week, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and it can be hard,” says Kara Zogby Comp, BSN, RN, a traveling nurse currently on assignment in Panama City, Fla. “But once I got over the fact that I was working nights and weekends, I started to realize the benefits, like I get four days off when most people have only two.” Chicago-based Michele Martello, RN, has worked the night shift for 22 years—and wouldn’t have it any other way. Her favorite part? “I could take my son to school in the morning, sleep while he was there, help him with homework when he came home, then have dinner with him before going off to work.”

Get a good day’s sleep.

“I love sleeping in when everyone else is waking up and rushing off to work,” says Michelle Whitaker, RN, of Cambridge, Mass. To ensure you get the rest you need, make your bedroom a sanctuary. Keep the temperature on the cool side—60 to 65 degrees F, which is ideal for slumber, according to the Better Sleep Council. Dim the lights—completely. Consider a sleep mask, heavy drapes or window covers such as those made by Blackout EZ Window Cover (blackoutez.com). Adopt a pre-bedtime ritual that your body will come to associate with sleep, whether it’s ambient music, chamomile tea, relaxing aromatherapy or a soothing warm bath or shower. Don’t forget to turn off the ringer on the phone, set your cell to vibrate and make sure the answering machine is on low. And see to it that family members (pets, too) have what they need from you so your dreams won’t be interrupted.

Alert thy neighbors.

Let the folks next door, down the hall and upstairs know “your 3 p.m. is my 3 a.m.” Hopefully they’ll be respectful and keep noise to a minimum, and you’ll get the peace and quiet you deserve.

Don’t hit that mattress…yet.

Sometimes you want to be on a “normal” schedule—maybe to take on a volunteer stint that falls in the middle of your sleeping hours, or you just crave a typical dinner-and-a-movie date with your partner. Next time that urge strikes when you’re coming up on a few days off, don’t head for the bed as soon as you get home from work, advises New Jersey–based Kathy Madden, RN, FNP-BC, AOCNP. She worked off shift for 10 years, but says, “I’d flip back to an ‘everyone else’ schedule for my days off.” How did she do it? By staying up till dark—she’d do only light chores or catch up on reading. After a full night’s sleep, she’d be sufficiently rested to live like a “regular person” the next day.

Say goodbye to lines.

Ah, the beauty of the supermarket, post office, health club, bank or mall…at 10 a.m. on a weekday! “It’s really nice not to be forced to shop on the weekends when the crowds are heavy,” says Emily Smith, RN, of Austin, Tex. “I can browse to my heart’s content without being jostled or hurried.” Another perk? If you wash clothes at a laundromat or in your apartment building, you needn’t compete with the rest of the world’s dirties. Use 10 machines at a time to do three weeks’ worth of laundry in a couple of hours if you please.

Revel in your reverse commute.

When driving home from your night shift, it’s okay to smirk a little at the traffic-snarled commuters crawling in the opposite direction. “It takes me half the time it would if I drove to work during ‘regular’ hours,” says Philadelphia night-shifter and self-professed night owl Laura Hannu-Eckrote, RN. Plus, there’s a cash incentive: “Parking is often free at night. I would have to pay to park or to take the train if I worked during the day.”

Enjoy last-minute indulgences.

Reservations at the hottest place in town may be hard to come by on a typical weekend, but when your Friday is Tuesday, you’ll not only find a great table, but you’ll have an eager-to-please, un-frazzled staff at your disposal. The same holds true for other service-oriented businesses. Whereas you’d need to book a Saturday haircut weeks in advance, you’re likely to score midweek appointments at the drop of a hat.

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Nurses like Seth-Deborah Roth are living proof. “I was working in special surgery, lifting drills and heavy equipment while wearing a lead gown, when I felt a sharp twinge,” recalls Roth, who 20 years later still deals with flare-ups in the lumbar region. Lifting patients can be another prime cause for that first spasm. What’s more, Vieira and his colleagues found that pushing, pulling and reaching can also lead to injury, as can standing in an awkward position while assisting a patient, excessive repetition and staying in the same position for a long time.

Back woes aren’t just a pain for you—they also plague everyone in your care. “When your back hurts, you can’t be there for your patients in the way you want to,” says Joyce Murray, who wound up with a herniated disk from years of wear and tear on the respiratory floor. So, yes, back pain often comes with the job, but it doesn’t have to.

Think Before You Lift

It’s no surprise that orthopedic nurses, who frequently transfer patients, and ICU nurses, who constantly turn and boost patients up when they slide toward the foot of the bed, have the greatest incidence of back pain. That’s why it’s crucial to think before you lift so you can accomplish even the most everyday tasks in the safest possible way. If, for instance, a patient has slipped down in bed, rather than struggle to pull him back up, lower the headboard and use a slide sheet to make repositioning easier. Or if turning a patient, reduce damage on your own body by flexing the patient’s knees and hips and using his thigh as a lever. When making a lateral transfer, ensure that both surfaces are even, and use lowering and raising mechanisms if available. Always, always, always remember this: When lifting equipment or anything else that’s heavy, rather than bending at the waist, bend your knees and use your legs to raise it. It’s critical to become familiar with the types of lifting you need to do and how to do them correctly. Soon enough, they will become habit—no thinking required.

Keep in mind you’re a nurse, not a forklift—so get help when faced with a literally heavy task. If a mechanical lift is available, use it. If not, says Vieira, ask the patient to help if she is able by moving her own body on a count of three or, as Murray advises, “Get the team behind you.” This is especially important if the patient is overweight. While it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and just do the work yourself without the proper equipment, that’s just self-sabotage, which will only lead to injury and, in the end, won’t help anybody. If back pain knocks you out, you’ll be little good to anyone.

Lifting isn’t the only cause of back pain. Steer clear of other moves that can get you in trouble, like twisting while assisting patients, moving tools and repositioning furniture. If you find you have to push excessively to get something (or someone) to move, stop and find a way to accomplish your goal with less difficulty, even if that means calling in reinforcement or taking the time to use equipment. Avoid awkward positions, and when you find yourself in one, don’t hold it for more than a second, slowly easing yourself out of it.

There are several other defenses against back pain. One study by Vieira showed an association between back pain and smoking—another reason to quit! It’s also well known that being overweight can contribute to back problems—another reason to combat fat! The best preventive measure of all? Being fit. “When you’re limber and your core muscles are strong, you have more control and that can help you prevent injury,” says Melanie Kinchen, MD, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons who’s in private practice in Whittier, Calif. Among the best forms of exercise for preventing back pain are Pilates, yoga and other stretching and core-strengthening activities. Even a simple routine of pelvic tilts and lifts, hamstring stretches, crunches and the cat-and-camel move, done for just a few minutes two or three times a week, will make a difference.

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Stress is ubiquitous in nursing—let’s face it, it’s part of the job description—so it’s easy to write off as something you just have to live with. “The only prevailing nursing model we have in American hospitals is FRED: frantically running every day,” says Lillee Gelinas, RN, vice president and chief nursing officer at VHA, a national alliance of 1,445 hospitals. “Medical surgical units, labor and delivery units—all units—I see stress going up.”

Yet even if stress—whether from work, family, friends, a shaky economy or some combination of the above—comes with the territory, it’s not something to ignore. “Unattended stress results in ‘stress pile-up,’” says Dr. Michael Groat, a psychologist in the Menninger Clinic’s Professionals in Crisis program in Houston, Texas. Some nurses end up quitting jobs they love; others become so fatigued they make errors; and there are those who resort to substance abuse. Many actually become sick—chronic stress not only can lead to high blood pressure and depression, but also inhibits the body’s ability to fight off bacteria and viruses, making you susceptible to all kinds of illnesses.

“With nursing’s emphasis on taking care of other people, it’s easy to neglect self-care,” says Dr. Groat. Getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and eating right are the basics. Beyond that, there are strategies that can reduce the stress in your life and help you cope better. Here are some solutions for stress relief and healthier living, culled from experts in the field and nurses on the front line.

Take Control

“The primary factor leading to burnout in any profession is a sense of lack of control over one’s working environment,” says Alicia R. Ruelaz, MD, associate director of psychosomatic medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In nursing, that feeling can be unduly stressful. Her recommendation: Know thyself.

Go through a day or two noticing which aspects of your job give you energy and which drain it. Do what you can to seek out the former and avoid the latter. For example, if you enjoy training new nurses, supervising nurses’ aides or keeping supplies stocked, see if your manager will let you incorporate more of those duties into your schedule. Talk to colleagues, too. One of them might enjoy and want to take on—or at least exchange—a task you’d like to give up.

Perspective, Perspective

For Lisa Roundtree, a labor and delivery nurse in Oceanside, Calif., stress comes from being where people arrive healthy and are expected to leave, with their babies, just as fit as when they came in. “When something bad happens, it’s very bad, and that can leave me overwhelmed.”

“Medical training emphasizes divorcing yourself from the emotional side of medicine, yet most nurses go into nursing because they have an incredible amount of compassion,” says Jennifer Edwards, a stress-reduction educator, founder of the New York City-based company Relaxation on the Go, a writer and master teacher focused on sustainable stress reduction, as well as the daughter of two nurses and the ex-wife of another. “If you put up a wall and don’t show up emotionally for your patients, you’re counteracting your natural inclinations.” That can provoke stress. The trick is to find your own emotional balance—not bottling up your emotions, but not letting them overwhelm you, either.

For Roundtree, that means maintaining perspective so there’s no stress pile-up: “Trying to save somebody’s life, yes, that’s stressful. Trying to get two kids into the bath is not the end of the world; it’s just annoying.”

Lighten Up

Nursing at a long-term care facility was one of the most difficult jobs Sandra Seddon, a nurse of 36 years, ever had. “We had no equipment, no positive reinforcement and worked with a lot of people who didn’t want to be nurses. I’d come home crying,” says Seddon, now a hemodialysis nurse in Summit, N.J. Her life raft, then as now: making jokes. You don’t have to be Sarah Silverman or Tina Fey to see the light side of a situation.

“When you can shrug off mistakes and say, ‘Well, that didn’t work,’ then chuckle and move on, it’s going to help,” says Dan Diamond, MD, a family physician in Silverglade, Wash., who is also president of Powerdyme, a company that helps teach medical personnel coping skills. As director of the Medical Triage Unit at the New Orleans Convention Center after Hurricane Katrina, he saw, up close and personal, what it’s like for health care workers to be placed under enormous stress. “Our triage team was serious about what we did,” he says, “but our mascot was a rubber chicken.”

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ICU nurse and triathlete Kiersten Henry sets her own pace. 

Three years ago, Kiersten Henry decided to start practicing what she preached. A cardiac nurse practitioner and member of the cardiac vascular team at Montgomery General Hospital in Olney, Md., Henry regularly coached her patients on how to ease into exercise, starting slowly with something that appealed to them. Having let her own workout routine lapse, Henry resumed running three days a week. Within a month, the former high school athlete had picked up the pace and started to train for a triathlon.  “I’m very goal focused,” explains Henry, 34, who’s now competed in numerous races, including a half ironman. She likens training to nursing in more ways than one. “You come into your shift every day knowing your goals. Training for a competition is very similar.” As with each day on the floor, every workout requires an ability to constantly adjust expectations and goals according to reality, something the nurse–and mom!– learned long ago.  Similarly, she says, “While there are days on duty that don’t go how you want, there are workouts and races like that, too. The best you can do is tough it out and know that the next day will be better.”

Sanity-Saving Strategies:

• Always have a goal in mind.
• Start small.
• Plan ahead by making a schedule.
• When the schedule doesn’t work, figure something else out.
• Get at least 7 hours of sleep.
• Always keep go-to food in the freezer.
• Take a moment to laugh each day with family and friends.
• Find ways to multitask.
• Ask for help.

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So late last spring, three of Maggie’s day nurses (Penina Abramowitz, Liz Berry and Cortney Miller) and two of her night nurses (Mary Kate Denihan and Priscilla Juarez) received the royal treatment at exhale mind body spa in midtown Manhattan (exhale also has 16 other locations across the United States). There were facials, massages, manicures and pedicures to go around, plus a private yoga class to reset buttons that were sorely in need of some rejuvenation.

When all was said and done, though, what really lit up the nurses’ eyes was talking about Maggie and Mary Beth. “She is an unbelievable child,” said Berry. Added Abramowitz, “Mary Beth was the kind of mom who inspired me to work harder, because at every step, she was always positive and made that day the best possible day it could be.”

The spa day was a resounding success as all the nurses left relaxed—and, yes, almost ready to start another shift. Since we know that all nurses deserve huge pats (or massages!) on the back, we documented the details and collected tips from the experts at exhale so you could recharge your own batteries at home.

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You can protect yourself by improving the strength and flexibility of the three main muscle groups that bear the brunt of nursing-related abuse: the core muscles in your back and abdomen; the gluteals and hamstrings on your backside; and your upper back and biceps.

The following eight exercises target these areas. The routine is short and should take you only about 15 minutes. For best results, do it three times a week, working up to every day, and before you know it you’ll be stronger, more stable and more resistant to injury. Remember, fitness is an ongoing process; you’ll get better as you progress.

Keep in mind these key training points:

• “Start low, go slow.” Take your time and use proper form as you do each exercise. Start with the lower number of repetitions indicated and work up to a more challenging set.

• Use “focused activation.” As you go about each exercise, visualize your muscles becoming stronger and more efficient each time you squeeze, then relax.

• Make each repetition better than the last. As soon as you lose form or can’t keep the muscles activated, stop, rest, then move on to the next exercise. Two perfect repetitions are better than 10 lousy ones.

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