Some adults are lucky enough to continue with a sport or fitness interest well beyond the high school or college years. For all those others who now feel an occasional ache or pain, have a spouse who mentions that dreaded "exercise" word too often or can't find the time to get down to the club, there are things you can do right in your own home, office or even while in the car. There are even exercises you can do while sitting in your living room.

Before beginning any exercise program: 1) Check first with your doctor if you have been inactive. 2) Begin slowly and work up to more strenuous movements. 3) Exercise all parts of your body and not just one muscle group. 4) Make sure to get plenty of fluids. 5) Don't give up. Continuity and consistency provide results.

Let's start at the bottom and work up. Sit in a chair that gives support – not your comfy easy chair that will spin and rock in the middle of your movement. Sit with both feet flat on the floor, back and shoulders straight.

Ankles
Place your right ankle on your left knee (or if that feels uncomfortable, cross your right ankle over the left ankle). Rotate your ankle 10 times in a clockwise direction. Then rotate 10 times in the opposite direction. Finally, flex and point your right foot 10 times. Repeat all three exercises with the left ankle.

Calves
With your feet flat on the floor and slightly apart, raise your right foot until it is in a straight line with your knee and thigh – about a foot above the floor. Lift your heels off the floor and back down 20 times. Rest, then repeat 20 more times. The more you press with your weight, the more resistance and the harder your calf muscles work.

Knees
If you are feeling stiffness in your knee joints, this is a perfect exercise to begin working out the kinks. With your feet flat on the floor and slightly apart, raise your right foot until it is in a straight line with your knee and thigh #&150 about a foot above the floor. Now lower the foot and repeat 20 times with each leg.

Thighs
This is a great exercise to rebuild muscle strength in your thighs. With your feet flat on the floor and about a foot apart, pretend you have a full leg cast preventing you from moving your leg out of this starting position. Now lift from the thigh (knee still flexed – remember it is in an immovable cast), bringing the foot about 6 to 12 inches above the ground. Repeat with each leg 20 times.

Bottom
This exercise may be done in a chair or standing. In fact, you might even do this one while standing in the checkout line at the supermarket or while waiting for the bus. Relax your body. Now tighten just your buttocks. Hold that squeeze for 10 seconds then release. Repeat the squeeze and release 10 times.

Stomach
The same exercise can be done with the stomach. Relax your body, placing your hands on your abdomen to feel the squeeze and release of the muscles. Tighten the stomach muscles and hold for 10 seconds. You should feel the contraction of the muscle as it tightens. Now release and repeat 10 times.

Waist and Back
This exercise works both the waist and the back. Turn to your right, placing your right elbow and forearm along the back of the chair looking over your right shoulder. Feel the stretch, and then turn toward the left side. You will be rotating from side to side, resting and feeling the stretch as the elbow and forearm rest along the back of the chair. Remember as you turn, your feet, knees, thighs and bottom remain forward and do not twist with the upper torso.

Arms
Sitting straight in your chair with your feet planted firmly on the floor, raise your arms up toward the ceiling. Press a little further toward the ceiling with the right arm, and then press a little further with the left. Repeat each press 10 times, then lower arms to the side each stretched toward opposite walls. Reach to the right side then to the left side. Repeat each reach 10 times.

Bring your right arm across your body grabbing your right elbow with your left hand. The left hand will gently pull the right arm toward the body for a great stretch of the arm and shoulder. Now bring the left arm across the body and grasp the left elbow with the right hand, pressing it closer to the body. You have now done three arm stretches.

Shoulders
With the arms relaxed at your side, roll your shoulders in a circle forward and around. Roll forward 10 times then roll them 10 times in a back circling motion. For the final shoulder exercise, raise the right shoulder straight up and down 10 times. Repeat this with the left shoulder.

Posture
Pretend that you have a string moving up your spine through your neck and up through the top of your head. Let that string pull you up into a straight position, growing about 3 inches taller than you have been during your other exercises. Relax, then repeat five times.

Neck
Always be very careful and slow when doing neck exercises. Slowly bring your chin down to your chest. Now nod your head up and down in a "yes" motion. Do this 10 times, then do "no." Turning your head to the right, rotate "no, no" from right to left 10 times.

For the third exercise, lay your right ear as close to your right shoulder as possible. There is no need to lift your right shoulder up to meet your ear – it won't actually lie down on the shoulder. Now lay down on the left side. Repeat this 10 times.

These exercises are easy to do any place, any time with no need for equipment or a gym. When combined with walking, you have exercises for all parts of the body. If you remain consistent with your exercises and walking, you will soon feel more flexible, less achy and more energetic. When you feel comfortable with these, add more repetitions and more variety. You will be surprised at the results.

Want to see more?

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• Off-the-Wall Fitness: Your Home is All the Support You Need
• Walking for Life: A Guide to Getting Started
• Talk about it!