Ways to pump yourself up with minimal time required

Short Cuts, the 1993 movie with Jack Lemmon, Tom Waits, Lily Tomlin and Jennifer Jason Leigh about the intersecting lives of 22 Los Angelenos, squeezes in enough plot lines to make your hectic day look like an afternoon snooze at the beach — and we know how busy you are with work, child care and other responsibilities!

That’s why (you say) you have so much trouble fitting regular exercise into your weekly routine. Well, we have a shortcut solution: a super compressed, four-step exercise plan that will help you avoid weight gain, make your brain younger and stronger and perk up your sex life, while also dialing down your blood pressure, lousy LDL cholesterol and blood-sugar levels. So here it is:

Make sure you get in 10,000 steps every day — and keep track of them with a pedometer or a smartphone app. Remember: one minute of aerobic exercise (like swimming) equals 100 steps.

Tone muscles with 30 minutes of resistance exercises a week using stretch bands, hand weights or your own body weight.

Go for 20 jumps a day. You heard us: jumps. You can try jumping in place, jumping up and down off a step platform, jumping from one leg to the other or jumping rope. This exercise builds bone.

Get 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise three times a week. Cardio should be done at 80 per cent or more of your age-adjusted heart rate. You can calculate your AAHR by subtracting your calendar age from 220.