The reader: Cooking Light reader Barb Rothstein, 47, loves going to the gym to cycle, run on the treadmill, and lift weights.

The expert: Georgia-based trainer Leigh Crews, a spokesperson for ACE and the American College of Sports Medicine.

Before: Unfortunately, the Chicago mother of two often can't make it to the gym in the first place. "With two teens, my time isn't always my own," she says. Her 75-year-old house also vies for attention; she's often waiting hours for contractors to arrive. "I would like to be able to work out at home, but distractions make staying focused difficult," she says. "I need a quick workout I can squeeze in between laundry and cooking dinner."

After: Crews designed three 10-minute workouts—one each for upper body, lower body, and abs—that Rothstein can do separately or at once. Research shows that 10-minute bouts of activity spread throughout the day can be just as effective as one continuous 30-minute routine. Either way, by day's end she'll have completed a full-body workout. "These short, high-intensity sessions increase heart rate and burn calories quickly, and the weight training tones and shapes the body," Crews says.

Her Results: "I got a much better workout than I expected," Rothstein says. "You're not taking breaks between moves, so your heart rate increases in a short amount of time." Rothstein appreciated the option of doing the segments separately, whenever she could fit them into her schedule. "I like being able to throw in one of these workouts when I have 10 minutes," she says. They're easy to do between household chores, too. "I'm the ultimate multitasker, so I like the speed of the segments. I can get a complete workout and do my laundry at the same time."

Three Supershort Workouts
Try the workouts yourself.

1. Upper Body

2. Lower Body

3. Abdominals