The Reader: Dana Stephenson, who lives on the tiny Alaskan island of Kodiak and works long hours for the Coast Guard, wants a workout that's efficient, effective, and can be done in her living room.

The Expert: Kristin McGee, a certified trainer with the American Council on Exercise

Before: Rising at dawn to exercise is never easy, but for Dana Stephenson, who lives on the tiny Alaskan island of Kodiak and works long hours for the Coast Guard, it bordered on impossible. Beyond 15-degree temperatures and perpetual precipitation, it's dark until 8 or 9 a.m., and in December, sometimes the sun doesn't even come up, explains Stephenson, whose goal is to firm up and "walk my dog without feeling winded."

To help, Kristin McGee, a certified trainer with the American Council on Exercise, designed the toning moves on these pages. "These exercises are simple and don't require equipment," McGee says. "You can also do them anywhere, anytime, making it easy to fit in fitness." To maximize the health benefits, she recommends adding three to five cardiovascular workouts per week. Walk, hike, dance—shovel snow if you live in Alaska. With these moves and a little bit of extra activity, a stronger, firmer body is only a few weeks away.

Game Plan: Perform these moves twice weekly to maintain strength and three times a week for strength gains. Schedule a rest day between each workout to allow muscles to recover. To complete this workout, all you need is a mat or carpet, an ottoman or chair, and a wall.

The Results: By the third set of arm circles, I'm definitely feeling it. This go-anywhere routine provided so much motivation for Dana Stephenson, she now easily rises early to do it, then goes for a walk—no matter how dark it is outside. She's also enjoying its tension-releasing benefits. "I put off starting this program because I had so much going on in my life," she admits. "But almost as soon as I started, my stress level went way down." Stephenson also thought the circuit looked too easy—until she tried it. "I wasn't overly sore after the workout, but I definitely knew my muscles had been worked." She cites the arm lifts as one exercise in particular that was deceptively challenging. Combined with her daily walks, this reader has found a balanced, convenient fitness routine that fits her lifestyle in the Great White North.

Jenna McCarthy is a freelance writer in Santa Barbara, California.