You planned your vacation several months ago, then booked and paid for the nonrefundable tickets and reservations shortly thereafter. Those tasks complete, you then planned a re-commitment to both regular gym attendance and a sensible diet that would ultimately allow you to comfortably fit into your vacation clothes. With such a steady and prolonged period of discipline, you'd even have your body in such good shape that the cute little square cut bathing suit you bought could be worn to the beach and poolside with jealous eyes staring at your abs as well as body parts north and south.

But that was several months ago, before work got insanely busy, the weather became frigidly cold, the new American Idol began, and the Devil himself opened up a Popeye's Fried Chicken only two blocks away. These factors have thus conspired to bring about your body's "winter of discontent," highlighted by a weekly net caloric intake fit for a triathlete. Since your weekly trips to the gym dwindled to once, maybe twice ­ some token cardio, some token lifting, and not so token sauna-ing in the pursuit of various hotties - your excessive calories have led to "Oh my god, my vacation is only a month away and my body is horribly out of shape!"

Now that the softness of your middle has grabbed your attention, a panic has simultaneously settled in your mind as you realize that wearing that cute square cut may instead result in staring eyes of pity. You instantly swear-off entering the neighborhood eatery named after Olive Oil's man and just as instantly swear to the gods above to earn the value of your health club membership. But what to do at the gym with the calendar indicating 30 days or less until you leave for your trip?

Well, go to someone like certified personal trainer Jeff Cullen, of RedLion Training (312.437.5506 | www.redliontraining.com), who offers up these simple tips and words of advice when it comes to quick physique fixes in advance of your vacation.

How To Get An Impressive Upper Body ­ While many spend hours upon hours working on their chest and biceps, in point of fact it's just as important, if not more so, to work your various back muscles and triceps. Lat pull downs are a really good exercise for your upper back plus you'll give some work to the lower back and your biceps in the process. Make sure with lat pull downs that you pull the bar down in front of your face to the top your chest. You should not be pulling the bar behind your head, down the back of your neck. As for the triceps, there are several good exercises including press downs, dumbbell kick-backs and dips. Again, the important thing for a good upper body is to make sure you don't ignore the back and triceps.

How To Make Your Butt Look Good In Jeans and In That Fabulous Square Cut Swimsuit ­ It's all about squats, and when you do this exercise it's best to have your feet flat on the ground for maximum gluteus maximus development. (If you put you heels up on a board, you use less glutes and work the quads - front thigh muscles - more.) Also when doing squats you need to make sure your knees do not extend beyond your toes when you go down during the exercise. Another good exercise for getting a firm round butt is hamstring curls.

How To Get Those Washboard Abs ­ You actually already have those abs, it's just a matter of getting them to show up, and the way that happens is to lose the fat their hiding under. So a combination of cardio exercises and a low fat diet are really the only way to go when it comes to showing off a six-pack. On the diet front, don't feel compelled to get rid of all carbs, just make sure the carbs you do have are good, such as the ones you get with whole grain breads and pasta as well as from fruits and vegetables. Plus, avoid diet sodas. Stick with water; and if you need flavor go with natural fruit juices and green tea (and some honey for sweetness is allowed).