When you need to tone up in a hurry, try the following:

Holding a ten-pound weight, slowly lift, bending arm at elbow.  Slowly lower.  Repeat twenty times.

Holding a ten- or twenty-pound weight behind the head with both hands, slowly lower hands to the middle of the back.  Be sure to hold elbows close to the head.  Repeat twenty times.

For emphasis on the back, lift your arms straight out to the sides and squeeze shoulder blades toward each other.  Count to ten and release.  Do this at least fifteen times.  Holding five- to ten-pound weights will yield optimum results.

To rush blood to specific body areas for a more defined appearance, do the following:

Balancing on your knees on the floor, lift and lower your arms in one controlled movement.  Do three sets of ten each.

Lie down with your legs raised in the air, knees slightly bent.  Tuck your hands behind your head.  Slowly lift your buttocks a few inches off the ground, squeezing them together as you lift.  Hold to a count of twenty.  Lower slowly.  Do this at least twenty-five times.

Hold the back of a chair, legs spread apart, and toes pointed out.  Squat until your thighs are parallel with your feet.  Do this thirty times.

Here's an article regarding osteoporosis and exercise, written by one of over40andlovingit.com's readers, Michelle Aultman:

Give me your five minutes and I will give you a couple of workout ideas to reduce weak bones.

Approximately 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and another 34 million have low bone mass, (osteopenia).

A disease without any symptoms, osteoporosis affects about 20 percent of men and 80 percent of women.

Because bones gradually become weaker, they are more likely to break at a minor fall or, if left untreated, even from something as simple as a sneeze.

The most frequent fracture sites are hip, wrist and spine, although any bone in your body might be affected.

A diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis could be scary, leading some to quit exercise because of fear it'll cause fractures.

The truth is that those with low bone mass should make a point to exercise on a regular basis.

Being active is shown to not merely help prevent osteoporosis, but slow bone loss once it has already begun.

Before beginning a training program, you should check with your doctor for guidelines, as level of bone loss determines exactly what workout is best.

Physicians can assess density of bone and fracture risk by scanning your body by using a special type of X-ray machine.

Along with exercise, treatment may include dietary modifications and/or estrogen replacement therapy.

The more you know about this condition, the more you can do to help prevent its onset.

To make strength and bone mass, both weight-bearing and strength training workouts are ideal.

Weight-bearing work outs are those that require the bones to completely support your weight against gravity.

Examples are walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing or using an elliptical exercise machine.

Non-weight bearing exercises include biking, swimming, water aerobics and rowing.

Weight-bearing activities including walking as little as 3 x weekly can benefit the bones.

Resistance training places mechanical force (stress) on the body, which in turn increases bone density.

Start by lifting light weights, moving in a slow and controlled manner, increasing resistance when you become stronger.

It's always strongly suggested that people with osteoporosis avoid the following kinds of activity:

 * Step aerobics and high-impact activities like running, jumping, tennis.

 * Activities that involve rounding, bending and twisting of the spine.

 * Moving the legs sideways or across the body, especially when performed against resistance.

 * Rowing machines, trampolines.

 * Any movement that involves pulling on the head and neck.

Exercise Tips:

 * Even if you don't have osteoporosis, you must check with your medical provider just before you start a fitness program.

 * Be sure you warm-up prior to starting and cool-down at the end of each exercise session.

 * For the best profit to your bone health, combine several different weight-bearing exercises.

 * When you build strength, increase resistance, or weights, instead of repetitions.

 * Make sure to drink a lot of water whenever exercising.

 * Vary the types of exercise that you do weekly.

 * Combine weight bearing and resistance exercise with aerobic exercises to help you increase your general health.

 * Bring your friend along to help you keep going or in addition to this, bring your family and encourage them to be healthy.

 * Add more work out to your day; take the stairs vs. the elevator, park further way, and walk to your co-worker's office instead of emailing.

Put LIVE into action!

L - Load or weight-bearing exercises make a difference for your bones

I - Intensity builds stronger bones.

V - Vary the types of exercise as well as your routine to keep interested.

E - Enjoy your exercises. Make exercise fun so you will continue into the future!

Certain factors boost the probability of developing osteoporosis.

While a few of these risk factors are controllable, others won't be.

Risk factors that could be controlled are: Sedentary lifestyle, excess intake of protein, sodium, caffeine and/or alcohol, smoking, calcium and Vitamin D deficiencies and taking certain medicines.

Body size (small frame), gender, family history and ethnicity are risk factors that can't be controlled.

Women can lose nearly 20 percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years after menopause, causing them to be more susceptible to osteoporosis.

It is never too early to start thinking about bone mineral density.

About 85-90 percent of adult bone mass is acquired by age 18 in girls and 20 in boys.

Nutrition and Exercise for Healthy Bones when people are young and adolescence.

Much of the reserve of healthy bone is built in youth and before the age of 30.

Women might be more susceptible to an inadequate foundation process at this time than men.

Sufficient calcium intake, a balanced diet with a lot of vegetables and fruits and load-bearing exercise will be the recommendations for solid bone growth when you are young.

Then, with continued exercise into old age - and this goes for men as well -- bone density decline could be kept to a minimum.

Although women are the main focus of data about osteoporosis and low bone density (osteopenia), some men are also seriously afflicted by this condition.

Even if you do each of the right things while maturing and into adulthood, your inherited characteristics - your genes can present you with bones that are susceptible to osteoporosis.  This is even greater reason to maximize your lifestyle to prevent poor bone health.

About the Author - Michelle Aultman writes for www.ellipticalmachines.net, her personal hobby blog focused entirely on guidelines to prevent osteoporosis through fitness at home.

Writer's note: The information provided on this post are designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her doctor.

Michelle Aultman has no professional intent and does not accept direct source of advertising coming from health or pharmaceutical firms, doctors or clinics and websites.

All content provided by her is based on her editorial opinion and it is not driven by an advertising and marketing purpose.

THANKS MICHELLE!