Side lateral

perfect for days when you can’t exercise outdoors,” says Matthews. Smith’s casual, welcoming coaching styleempha sizesproper posture and form. She offers creative exercises that will challenge both the novice and the avid exerciser.

DAILY CARDIO WORKOUT FREE (Apple and Android app, free). Choose from 5-, 8-, and 10-minute high-intensity workouts. No equipment is required and not much space is needed as you’re guided through a series of heartpumping exercises—from squat knee-ups to mountain climbers. “This app is quick and challenging yet achievable,” says White. “I would recommend it for anyone trying to squeeze in a workout.”

STRENGTH TRAINING

ACE HIIT SERIES WITH CHRIS FREYTAG (2 DVDs, $23; or digital download, $20: acefitness.org). Need some motivation? “Chris’s energy is contagious!” says Matthews. (And if that doesn’t do the trick, the 30-day workout calendar will help keep you accountable.) All you need to do each day’s different 30minute workout is a set of 3to 10-pound dumbbells. This is a powerful, comprehensive program that offers maximum benefits, fast.

SWORKIT (Apple and Android app, free). This weight-free workout packs the training power of a weight room full of equipment. Use only your body for allover routines made up of moves such as genie sit, planks, and squats. Can’t let go of your faithful dumbbells? The $3-a-month Sworkit Premium upgrade lets you create custom routines. “And by adding weights, you can get a stronger workout,” says Caplan. ELEMENT: TARGETED TONING YOGA (DVD, $15, collagevideo.com). Instructor Meaghan Kennedy Townsendguides you through extended holds of postures that load muscles far more than a traditional yoga workout. Choose one 20minute session (each targets gluteals, thighs, arms, shoulders, abdominals, or core), or stack workouts together for a total-body challenge.

VARIED WORKOUTS

SPIROFIT (streaming, $20 a month, spirofit.com). Like a pocket gym membership, SpiroFit has a large roster of videos and live classes from top pros in many disciplines, including balance, Tai Chi, indoor cycling, and martial arts. Choose a workout based on fitness category, intensity, experience level, or duration. GROKKER (digital downloads and streaming, $15 a month, grokker.com). Grokker takes a multipronged approach to fitness, with workouts, healthy recipes, cooking videos, reminder settings, and member forums. Disciplines, including meditation and HIIT Club, are varied and range in level from beginner fitness to advanced.

IT WASN’TTHAT LONG AGO THEY WERE COVERED IN DIRT.

home

Ask the Organizer

a clothes call Next to our bed, my husband keepswhat I call his “nest”: a pile of clothes that he may or may notwear again before laundering. How dowe get rid of it for good?

J.M.,VIAFACEBOOK

I call this the “clerty” pile—part clean, part dirty. In my house, we avoid it by using hooks to hold inlimbo stuff. I recommend just one hook for each family member, in an out-of-the-way area, like the back of a closet or bathroom door. Let your husband know this is the spot to hang the pair of jeans or shirt he thinks he might rewear—not a week’s worth of discarded clothing. Anything that doesn’t fit on the hook needs to be put back in a drawer or on a shelf or dropped in the hamper. It’s harder to make those decisions when you’re tired, so I advise my clients, whenever possible, to get ready for bed an hour before they plan to go to sleep. This way, they have the mental and physical energy to make the call and are less apt to succumb to the floor drop.

Illustration by

The Ellaphant in the Room

counter intuitive

I want a bathroom that’s clean and serene, but I have a habit of accumulating beauty products that clutter the surfaces. Any advice?

G.B.,VIAFACEBOOK

Counters become a drop zone when your products don’t have a defined storage space. So I advise clients to compartmentalize their makeup in a vanity or in an expandable cosmetics case in a bathroom cabinet (Soho large train case, $35, bedbathandbeyond. com). If you need some favorites out in the open, group them neatly on a mirrored

ORGANIZING PRO ERIN ROONEY DOLAND, BASED IN THE WASHINGTON,D.C., AREA, CURES YOURCLUTTER TROUBLES.

tray. To keep hair tools off the counter, store them in a wall-mounted caddy (Blow Away vanity organizer, $8, organizeit.com). Last, set limits on duplicates. Relocate extra shampoos and conditioners from the shower ledge to a basket in a nearby closet, and toss or donate any that don’t fit into it.

communication glitch

I have a hard time keeping track of people I’ve called or e-mailed who haven’t responded. I’ll mentally cross them off my list and then forget to follow up. How do I do a better job of staying on top of this?

A.M.,VIAFACEBOOK

Capturing all parts of a task (on paper, in your phone’s Notes app, or wherever you write down to-do’s) is the best way to keep up. Right below a main task—for example, “E-mail landscaper for appointment”—add a corresponding one for the response: “Hear back from landscaper.” You’ll stay aware that it’s pending until you cross it off. Need closure by a certain date? Enter the task on a Google calendar and set a reminder alert for following up. A regular to-do list review can keep things from falling through the cracks. At the same time daily— say, before you leave work or right after dinner cleanup—give yourself 10 minutes to look over the list and mark any actions to take the next day.

GOT A QUESTION? Submit it at realsimple.com/ organizing.