Archive copy by Jenni Baden Howard

‘This is a city which moves very fast and people get swept along with it, so everything is geared towards that,’ says Lisa Mortman of Manhattan’s Crunch studios, which counts Julia Roberts, Elisabeth Shue and China Chow among its members. ‘Most New Yorkers don’t have three hours to spend in the gym, so we have to recognise that and organise classes to suit the workaholic and those people who basically have a lot of better stuff to do.’

Classes at Crunch have names like “The 30 Minute Solution” and “Workaholic Workout”, which lasts precisely 28 minutes (count them) and includes a two minute warm-up stretch, five minute aerobic stint, 19 minutes of toning and strengthening exercises and a two minute cool-down.

Gym-phobes can successfully adapt the routine at home, reports Mortman, who suggests timing your efforts to coincide with a 20 or 30 minute TV programme which you never miss, ideally three times a week. ‘Working out while you’re watching your favourite sitcom is a great idea,’ she says. ‘The idea is to aim for continuous movement, so while your upper body is resting, your lower body is doing something else. This keeps the heart rate up and burns fat to boot.’

If that sounds too much like hard work, Mortman advises thinking in terms of fitting in regular, shorter bursts of activity during the week. The case for accumulating the benefits of “little and often” is a strong one. According to fitness experts, we should be aiming for 20-40 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, three times a week, which can be snatched in smaller segments and will still be of benefit when they add up.

‘For slackers, the biggest challenge is getting into the habit of being somewhat active, which doesn’t have to mean taking a ton of aerobics classes or running a marathon,’ Mortman explains. ‘Invest in a good pair of trainers and take a walk through the park, to the shops or to dinner.’

Two brisk 15 minute walks in one day will reap almost the same benefits as one 30 minute session. Cycling has the double-whammy advantage of burning calories while toning tubby knees (then again, there’s always Capri pants).

Skipping, or Speedroping as it’s tagged at Crunch, remains one of the cheapest, most effective ways to shape-up. ‘Speedrope classes are increasing in popularity, New Yorkers enjoy it because it’s fast and intense,’ says Mortman. ‘There’s no need to do it for 30 minutes, try 5-10 minutes to start out with. Skip at a rate that’s appropriate to your strength and level of fitness, and always warm-up and cool-down with full body stretches.’ Skipping ropes can be found at most sports shops, at Lillywhites prices start at £2.99 for a basic cotton rope and go up to £9.99 for a leather version with weighted handles.

Slackers should take note that regular heart-pumping cardiovascular activity needs to be supplemented with a few well-targeted muscle-strengthening exercises.

As Morton points out, basic squats and walking lunges are time and energy-efficient as they work the entire lower body at once, while push-ups do the same for the upper half. For the lower leg-conscious, she suggests some simple standing calf raises to stretch out the calves: ‘You can do them anywhere.’

Sit-up contests are for flat-tummied masochists, but a set of straight crunches always pay off (in the unlikely event that you should feel more ambitious, add a few reverse curls).

Mortman says that wonders can be done with wobbly upper arms with standing or seated bicep curls: ‘Remember to keep your elbows at your sides and the palms facing up.’ Adding more resistance in the form of weights will make any exercise more effective, and reap rewards faster:

‘Everyone’s home is a treasure chest of “equipment” and most people don’t even realise it,’ says Mortman, who suggests grabbing a couple of soup cans, or mineral water bottles, and squeezing in a few impromptu bicep curls in the kitchen, while you’re waiting for the pasta to boil. How little can we get away with? For each strengthening exercise, one set of 12-15 repetitions, twice a week, is the bare minimum. Muscles need a day to recover between exertions (so do slackers).

If you need more motivation to get you going, don’t rule out fitness videos. ‘Look for tapes with quick segments which cater for those who have little time or patience for exercise,’ advises Mortman. ‘They’re pretty good at keeping you sweaty and entertained all at the same time.’ Jane Fonda’s Personal Trainer Series (Warner Home Video) comes highly recommended. All three tapes - Total Body Sculpting, Abs, Tums & Thighs and Low Impact Aerobics & Stretch - feature two 20-25 minute workouts each and are suitable for all fitness levels. Anyone interested in Pilates should check out Body Control The Pilates Way (Telstar), which includes a 25 minute daily routine.

‘Everybody gets in shape at their own pace, so why beat yourself up in a fit of pre-beach panic?’ reasons Mortman. ‘Go at a smart pace and make the most of the good weather.’

Even I could cope with that.

• Crunch, New York, tel: 001- 212 6207867.

• Lillywhites, Piccadilly, tel: 0171- 915 4000.