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Showing posts with label legs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legs. Show all posts
Spring and summer time are always stressful times for some women, who feel self-conscious about the appearance of their legs. They may worry about the attractiveness of their legs or even have varicose veins. Some men may worry about their weight or fitness of the legs. Regardless of the reasons, there are proven ways to improve the appearance and health of your legs.
Exercise
It goes without saying that having the best legs of your life starts with exercise. However, you don’t need to run marathons or deadlift heavy weights. Instead, walking every day is an excellent way to improve muscle tone and shape. Isometric exercises, such as squats and lunges, are a great way to get your legs in shape without any equipment. In addition to this, yoga, jump roping, swimming and bike riding are all great ways to improve your legs and overall health at the same time.
Lifestyle Changes
Be sure to hydrate your skin with a daily shower with cream oil body wash. Skin naturally becomes drier as we age, so it’s important to give yourself a good scrub in the shower. Exfoliating will remove dead skin cells and encourage new skin cell growth. Regularly use moisturizing creams or lotions and pay special attention to trouble spots, such as the knees and ankles. Also, be sure to keep yourself hydrated. Keep in mind that crossing your legs will cut off circulation.
Know the Risk Factors
One of the most dreaded leg problems is varicose veins. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), certain factors may increase your risk of developing varicose veins. These include age, pregnancy, obesity and sedentary lifestyles. The AHA recommends certain lifestyle changes to reduce the likelihood of developing varicose veins. For example, you can lose weight, avoid standing for long periods and wear supportive socks or stockings.
Consult a Healthcare Professional
If you have a serious skin or medical condition that affects your legs, talk to your doctor about available treatment options. If you are at high risk for developing varicose veins, consider consulting with a varicose vein specialist at Ivein or an institution near you. There are special treatment options available through innovative healthcare facilities, such as online or in person varicose vein screening.
In conclusion, you can have attractive legs through exercise, lifestyle changes and seeking medical treatment for any current leg problems. Learn more about the risk factors and lifestyle changes from the AHA for varicose veins at Heart.org.
Hugh Jackman is a much celebrated figure in the weight and fitness world. His chest, arms and rock solid core are something to aspire to – and his Wolverine figure makes him look the very picture of wellness and wellbeing. If you want to get leg strength like Jackman, then read on.
Hugh Jackman’s personal trainer, Mike Ryan, said that the actor has had to stick to 6 to 12 rep ranges during the mass building phase. He would do four sets, and the third were usually forced reps where he’d need help to get through the last few. He’d then reduce the weight by around 25 percent in order to go for a final set.
Of course, when doing these types of exercises it is vital that you warm up, so that you avoid any injuries. A good warm up would be doing 20 minutes on an exercise bike, but doing interval training, so that you do 30 seconds at a very fast pace and then 30 seconds in a recovery mode.
To start down the path to those amazing legs, try a back squat. To do this, hold a barbell across your shoulders and place your feet about shoulder-width apart. Squat down until your upper thighs are running parallel to the floor. Then drive up through your heels and stand up.
A weighted lunge also puts a huge pressure on your legs, ripping your muscles and helping to give you Jackman’s killer strength in no time. To do a weighted lunge, hold a dumbbell in each hand and take a big step forward, lunging your weight so that the trailing knee brushes against the ground. Make sure that the front knee doesn’t go over the toe. Return to the start and then do the same thing again with the other leg.
Pilates is one of those exercises which utilises your core muscles in almost every move. If you want a flatter stomach and want to tone up quickly, Pilates is definitely the answer. These great exercises not only tighten your muscles but also build up your strength in your core area, which helps to improve posture and helps you to perform other exercises properly.
The Hundred
Lie flat on your back with your legs squeezed together and your arms by your sides. Lift both of your legs off the mat by a few inches, squeezing your buttocks and scooping your abs. Lift your head and look to your toes, then raise your arms over your thighs and pump your arms up and down. Take a long, steady inhale of breath for five pumps then exhale just as slowly for five pumps. Complete two to five sets and work your way up to 100 pumps – one set is ten pumps.
The Saw
Sit on the mat with your back straight and a long waist – open your arms straight out to your sides at shoulder-height and open your legs wider than your shoulders. Flex your feet from the ankles and anchor your bottom to the mat. As you rotate your trunk to the left and round over your left knee, inhale; press your right hand against the outer edge of your left foot and lift your back arm as high as possible, with your palms down. Exhale as you slide your right hand along your outer foot in three progressive sawing movements, whilst you draw back into your right hip to create a diagonal opposition for your oblique abs. Keep the weight of your lower body even on the mat, regardless of what your upper body is doing. Inhale and return to the starting position – perform three sets.
Double Leg Stretch
Hugging both of your knees to your chest with your head lifted and your elbows wide, inhale with control as you reach your legs forward and arms backwards, drawing your abs in deeply to support the spine. Exhale slowly as you deepen into the hug position, using the pull of your knees into your stomach and chest to expel more and more air from your lungs. Repeat this action six times.
Crisscross
Lie on you back with your hands layered, palm over palm, behind your lifted head, keeping your knees bent tightly into your chest. Inhale slowly and twist your torso to the left until your right elbow connects with your left knee. Straighten your right leg forward and hold it a few inches above the floor, before exhaling with control and twisting to the right, connecting your left elbow with your right knee and extending the left leg. Continue alternating sides, completing six sets of twists.
Corkscrew
Lie flat on your back with long, sturdy arms by your sides. Squeeze your legs together tightly from the backs of the upper inner thighs. Inhale slowly as you lift your legs overhead, rolling back until you’re balanced on the middle of your shoulder blades and the backs of your arms. Point your toes and exhale with control as you roll back down your spine, leaning your body slightly to the right. When the right side of your glutes touches the mat, circle your legs to the left and inhale slowly. As you do this, roll the left side of your body whilst scooping your abs and lifting your bottom – continue reversing the circle direction each time to complete three sets.
In much the same way as you shouldn’t eat the same foods at every meal, no matter how healthy they are, you shouldn’t do the same exercises every time you do a workout. It’s all too easy with a weight and fitness routine to get into a rut, but if you keep going over the same exercises day in day out, you will actually find that they become less beneficial for your wellness and wellbeing as time goes on.
Next time you hit the gym, try to mix it up a bit with some of these great new lunge-based exercises, to increase your chances of building some great, noticeably toned legs.
To try lunge variations, you should – of course – start by making sure you are able to do a basic lunge properly, with good form. To do a basic lunge you should stand with your hands on your hips and your shoulders back. Step forward with one leg and then lower your body until your right knee is bent at 90 degrees, making sure that you shift your weight forwards onto the front leg. Pause and then stand up again, stepping back in to the centre.
Now it’s time to mix it up and start increasing the complexity of your lunges. One way to do this is by grabbing a pair of dumbbells and holding them down by your sides, with the palms of your hands facing each other. Stand up tall and make sure that your feet are about hip width apart. Step forward onto your right leg and lower your body down into a lunge. As you lower in to the lunge, curl your dumbbells up to both shoulders. Then, as you step back into the starting position, uncurl the dumbbells again, back to their starting position. This added bicep curl will help you to tone your arms whilst also increasing the toning of your legs due to the extra weight.
For the next move, hold a dumbbell vertically up to your chest, both hands cupping it. Step backwards with your right leg and lower into what is called a reverse lunge. Pause and then return to the start.
If you’re trying to improve your wellness and wellbeing through weight loss and increased fitness, you’re probably willing to try anything. In that case, have you thought of trying a foam roller? These clever devices have been proved to help speed up your recovery from aching muscles, enabling you to work out more often and with better intensity.
There are various different exercises that you can do using a foam roller, and each one only takes a few minutes.
To do one of the most basic moves, sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, and your hands on the floor behind you. Support your weight on your hands, and ensure that the foam roller is underneath your calves. Slowly roll the foam device along the back of your legs, working up and down from your knees to your ankles.
Next, sit with your right leg on top of the roller. Bend your left leg at the knee and cross your left angle over your right. Place your hands on the floor behind you. Now move so that the roller gently massages you from your knee right up to your bum. When you have done this a few times, switch legs and do exactly the same on the other side.
For a more intensive post-workout roll, lie face down on the floor and put the roller underneath your hips. Put your weight on your right leg and roll the roller up and down from your knee to your hip. Then, switch legs and do the same on the other side.
Finally, sit on the floor next to a wall and put the foam roller behind your lower back. Keeping your abs tight, bend your knees and move the roller up and down your back.
While communication is key to sexual health and wellness, sometimes its nice when you surprise your partner with something he likes – and he didn’t even have to ask for it. According to astrologist Kiki T, author of The Celestial Sexpot’s Handbook, your partner’s star sign may influence the kind of moves he’s into, so why not try out Kiki T’s suggestions for your partner’s sign, and surprise him with the best sex he never knew he wanted!
1. Aries: ‘Aries are known to be into fast, aggressive, and rough sex,’ says Kiki T. ‘Try a challenging rear entry position like “bootyful view.” It allows for deeper penetration, and he’ll be in control. Have him sit up on the bed so his legs are extended horizontally. Turn around and straddle him with your back facing him, then extend your legs back so they are behind him, relaxing your torso onto the bed between his feet.’
2. Taurus: ‘The Taurus man is into sensual, slow sex,’ Kiki T asserts. ‘Try missionary. He’ll be able to control the speed, and show his cariñoso side at the same time.’
3. Gemini: Kiki T comments, ‘We like to call these guys the master of the quickie. Try a position like standing up facing each other while he presses you again a wall.’
4. Cancer: ‘Cancers are indecisive and can have split personalities,’ Kiki T explains. ‘They’re either sensual or rough. Try girl on top so that you can take charge in case he decides to constantly switch it up on you.’
5. Leo: Kiki T notes, ‘Leos are very romantic and will take the extra mile to make things comfy for you. Think nice satin sheets and candles…Try a spooning position. It gives plenty of opportunity for him to get touchy-feely, since he’s el romantico.’
6. Virgo: ‘Virgos like to keep it really clean and they are usually the “givers,”’ Kiki T details. ‘Lie on your back, with your legs in the air forming a V-shape—this will give him the chance show off his, um, talents.’
7. Libra: Kiki T enthuses, ‘Libras are just straight on good at everything. He’s going to shine in any position, so try this advanced one: have him pick you up, wrap your legs around his waist, and trust us, he’ll take it from there.’
8. Scorpio: ‘How Scorpions have sex is pretty much how they communicate best with their lovers (i.e. the guy who solves all your arguments in bed,)’ says Kiki T. ‘Try a face to face position. Start off in doggy style, then rotate on your knees so you are facing each other. Looking into his eye is part of the sexual communication that’s intensely sexy to a Scorpio.’
9. Sagittarius: Kiki T points out, ‘These are the most spontaneous of the bunch. So if you’re into public sex, you’ve met your match. Try a standing up position where he enters you from behind while he holds one of your legs up, slightly bent at the knee. For that extra hot public sex-ish feel, tell him to press you up against the window for the thrill of possibly getting caught.’
10. Capricorn: ‘Capricorns are into S&M,’ Kiki T outlines. ‘Try doggy style, but keep your face down on a pillow. The hottest thing for him is to be 100% in control, and this position allows that. Just beware of possible spanking and dirty talking…in which you should probably lay down the law and what you’re not into before you do the deed.’
11. Aquarius: ‘These are the hombres that are into sex toys and props,’ asserts Kiki T. ‘While you’re on top of him, grab your vibrator and rub it on your clitoris. It gives you extra stimulation and it’s a maximum turn on for him.’
12. Pisces: Kiki T concludes, ‘Pisces are great at reading body language, so sex is almost always amazing since he knows exactly what you want and how you want it. They’re also really into role playing. Ride him reverse cowgirl—and for once, throw in the role playing so this position is finally really true to its name.’
What do you get when you cross the Kama Sutra with the Olympics? The sexual experience of your lifetime! Try these amazing sex positions and boost your wellness and wellbeing.
To have sex like a swimmer, lie flat on your stomach, legs apart, and put your arms up above your head like you are doing a butterfly stroke. Have your partner lie on top of you, entering you from behind. This gives great access to the g-spot and c-spot, and you can alter your legs, bringing your feet closer together for a tighter fit.
For a more gymnastic approach, lie on your back and bend your knees up towards your head. If you’re feeling super flexible, you can straighten your legs and then bring them behind you so that your toes touch down onto the floor, using your hands to support your back. Then your partner kneels and enters you, allowing for very intense and deep penetration. Your partner can hold onto your hips for extra stability.
If wrestling is more your style, lie down on your side and have your partner do the same, facing one another. Scissor your legs through his for some intimate, up-close action. You can then grind against his pelvis, making slow circular motions with your hips until you reach orgasm.
For an equestrian-inspired sex session, try a twist on the missionary position. Put your right leg over your partner’s right shoulder while he is entering you in the traditional way, and put your other leg down on the mattress. Switch legs when you want to change the sensation. The best thing about this position is that your partner’s hands are free to roam all over your body.
Trying all of these positions will make a fun little sex-Olympics in your own bedroom.
If you look at any top female athlete, do you expect to see skinny legs? Of course not. What you’ll find is beautifully defined muscles from hip to toe – and there’s nothing wrong with that! Women tend to see toned, thicker legs as a bad thing – thanks, in part, to phrases such as “thunder thighs” – but why let a silly phrase like that impact your fitness or wellbeing? We should be celebrating our muscles, and sculpting them to compete or workout at a higher athletic level. You may worry that growing your legs can affect your weight wellness, but you don’t need to add on weight or fat. Rather, you need to challenge your muscles and get proper nutrition to have the thighs of glory you deserve.
‘If you want to grow your legs, you need a weight lifting plan,’ says wellness writer Danielle Restuccia. ‘If you are lifting light weights and doing endless repetitions, you will get a lean look but not a toned, muscular one. In fact, by lifting just a few pounds of weights, you will decrease size! This is how you know if you are lifting heavy enough to grow your legs: If you can complete your number of desired repetitions (say 12) easily and could continue with a few more, then you are not lifting heavy enough. You should be able to lift comfortably for the first few reps, and complete the last two reps of your set with difficulty. Your muscle should be fatigued enough to continue further than the 12th repetition.’
If you’re up for the challenge, try the Love Your Legs workout. You need to do two to three sets of 15 to 20 reps of each exercise:
1. Split squat: Restuccia instructs, ‘Place your left foot on a chair positioned behind you, hands on hips. Squat until your right knee reaches 90 degrees. Switch legs. Add dumbbells for more challenge.’
2. Sissy squat: ‘Using a chair for stability, stand with feet hip-width apart and rise onto your toes,’ Restuccia advises. ‘Simultaneously bend your knees and lean your torso back until your knees reach 90 degrees. Maintain a straight line between knees and shoulders.’
3. Pistol squat: Restuccia directs, ‘With feet hip-width apart, lift your right foot a few inches off the ground, toes pointed up. Squat until your left knee reaches 90 degrees, keeping your right heel off the ground.’
4. Goblet squat: ‘Stand with feet farther than shoulder-width apart, turning your toes out,’ Restuccia outlines. ‘With your hands, hold a dumbbell near your chest (like a goblet), keeping elbows out to the sides. Squat until your knees reach 90 degrees. Jump slightly as you rise.’
5. Three-way lunge: Restuccia details, ‘Place feet hip-width apart and hold your hands together in front of your chest. Do three lunges, each with your knee reaching 90 degrees: one toward the front, one toward the side, and one to the back.’
6. Good Morning: ‘Put feet shoulder-width apart and hold the ends of a dumbbell with your hands,’ Restuccia suggests. ‘Place the weight under your chin. Slowly bend forward from the waist to 90 degrees, keeping your legs straight and pressing your butt back backward.’
7. Single-leg dead lift: ‘Stand with feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand,’ says Restuccia. ‘Bend at the hip, extending your right leg behind you and keeping your abs tight. Hinge forward until your body is parallel to the floor, arms hanging down.’
8. Bridges: Restuccia notes, ‘Lie on the floor and place a small towel under your heels. With arms by your sides, lift your hips off the floor, pressing your heels into the ground and forming a straight line from knees to shoulders.’
9. Calf raise three ways: ‘Stand on a box or stair, letting your heels hang back over the edge,’ Restuccia comments, ‘Then turn your toes inward and lift your heels. When you’ve done two to three sets of that, repeat the exercise with toes turned outward and then with them pointed straight.’
One of the most common goals when it comes to weight and fitness is to build a beautifully sculpted set of abdominal muscles. Although we all know that exercise is a great thing for our general health, wellness and wellbeing, we can’t help that vain little bit of us that would just love to be able to show off a fantastic toned stomach.
That doesn’t have to be a dream anymore, as a new workout that takes just 21 minutes promises to beat belly flab and build a super-strong set of abs by combining cardio and Pilates.
The routine combines core exercises and physio and all you need to do it is a comfortable exercise mat and an optional jump rope. Once you’ve done the exercises, you simply keep repeating them on a circuit until you reach the 21 minute mark, and aim to repeat this routine several times a week.
Start by stretching (as always), doing single leg stretches to help warm up and stretch the abdominal muscles and hip flexors. To do these lie face up on the mat with your knees tucked up to your chest and your abdominal muscles engaged. Lift your head up and cross your arms, putting them on the diagonally opposite knee then alternate pulling one knee into the chest and stretching the other one out, for 20 reps in total.
Next you should do a double-leg lower lift for a minute. Lie face up with your hands underneath the bottom of your spine and your abs engaged. Lift your head and your legs. Then lower your legs towards the floor (without putting them down) for three seconds and lift up again ten times.
A saw is another good move to add into your routine. To do this, sit with your legs a bit wider than the mat, raise your arms up to shoulder height and hold them out and keep your back straight and abs engaged. Twist to the right, reaching your arms around but keeping your bum on the floor. Return to the centre and then twist to the left. Do three reps on each side.
They may be called love handles, but nobody really loves them. If you walk into any gym up and down the country, you will find that a bigger priority than general wellness and wellbeing is often to lose those pesky love handles, and this can be achieved through weight loss and fitness, but it is a tricky task.
Love handles is a name used for the deposits of extra fat that sit around either side of your abdomen. They can seem very tricky to get rid of, but there is hope if you follow these exercises. These can be done individually or (for best results) in a circuit, one following the other and then a rest in between circuits.
The first move is a ‘bicycle’ move, and to do this you need to lie on your back with your legs up in the air at a 90-degree angle. Put your hands behind your head, and then reach your right elbow to your left outer thigh (diagonally opposite. Then do the same with the other elbow and outer thigh. Repeat this 20 times. You should feel a strong burning feeling.
Russian twists are also great for love handles. Do this by sitting on the floor and then lowering your upper body so that you are only balancing on your bum. Lift your legs up and then bring your hands to your hips. Do around 15 to 20 reps of this.
Mountain climbers are also really useful for trimming off those love handles. Start in a push up position. Keep your back totally flat and then bring your right knee into your chest. Then do the same with your left knee. Do this for 30 seconds, alternating knees each time.
If you do all of this, and mix in a good bit of cardio, you can wave goodbye to those love handles once and for all.
In case you hadn’t heard, men’s and women’s are different. We’re all pretty aware of these differences, whether its your hormonal wellness, body hair or body parts and, as a result, there is a major difference in how both sexes like to workout. It’s an easy generalisation to make that a man might prefer to lift weights, while a woman would favour a fitness class such as Zumba. However, there are many more, much subtler differences, to how we like to take care of our wellbeing.
Richard Lopez, PhD, a professor in Exercise Sciences at Florida International University, notes, ‘When thinking about gender differences, I consider the role of biology, but I also am thinking about influential factors like culture, significant people in our lives, mass media, and what we consider to be “reliable” sources of information.’ What does this mean? According to Marta Montenegro, the creator of the Montenegro Method DVD workout series with a master’s degree in clinical exercise physiology, ‘We—depending on our gender—tend to do the same things we always do. And that can hurt your training efforts.’ As it turns out, there’s a lot men can learn from the way women work out.
As a man, your testosterone kicks in when you’re having a killer training session in the weight room, making you want to go for heavier weights or more macho lifts. However, this cheating will only undermine your progress. Experienced female lifters, on the other hand, cheat less when working to exhaustion, Lopez points out. Brad Schoenfeld, 2011 NSCA Personal Trainer of the Year and author of The MAX Muscle Plan, agrees, noting, ‘All too often, guys go overly heavy when lifting, frequently at the expense of proper form. Not only is this a poor way to maximize muscle development, it is bound to lead to injury. Focus on maintaining good technique during every set. If you can’t lift a given weight properly, go lighter.’ So what top tips can men glean from the fairer sex?
1. Work Your Legs: ‘When most men think “big and ripped,” they think all about the upper body – pecs, biceps, shoulders,’ says Montenegro. ‘While beach-muscles are great, you can only build them to their full potential if the appropriate hormonal response is taking place. Numerous studies show that to spike the growth hormone and Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), which are critical to build up muscle mass and to shrink body fat, a large muscle mass recruitment must occur. And that means working your legs.’ Schoenfeld adds, ‘By not training your legs, you miss out on the foundation of almost all functional movements for pretty much every activity and sport.’
2. Open Your Mind: Mind-Body classes, such as yoga, aren’t popular with men – but you’re missing out. While they may not help you pile on the muscles, mind-body workouts offer other important health benefits, such as managing low back pain, blood pressure and stress. Montenegro comments, ‘These exercises also incorporate isometric strength—contracting the muscle while holding it–which is good for strengthening specific joint positions that may be helpful to better execute other resistance, power, and sports moves. For example, a warrior pose stimulates the core and hip stability that you need when doing lunges or split jumps.’
3. Join the Club: The IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report on Health Club Activity Usage, Trends & Analysis states that almost two-thirds of group exercise participants are women. However, Tom Seabourne, PhD, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Quick Total Body Workouts, points out, ‘The principle of social facilitation states that men will work harder if someone is watching.’
Your lower half isn’t always the easiest area to love, but FITNESS advisory board member Joe Dowdell, author of Ultimate You: A 4-Phase Total Body Makeover, has created movements that can turn your wobbly bum and thighs into a lower half worth your affection. Not only is getting fit good for your wellbeing, but toning exercises like these are vital to your weight loss wellness. According to Dowell, ‘It’s about the quality and not the quantity of movements,’ so make sure you give each move your best work!
1. Split Squat: This move targets your bum and legs. Kneeling on the ground with a dumbbell in each hand and your palms facing in, bring your left knee up so it’s at a 90-degree angle to the floor. Curl your right toes under and push through your left heel to stand and, with your arms by your sides, lower on a count of three until your right knee is a few inches off ground and both knees are bent 90 degrees. Hold for one count, stand, do eight to 10 reps, switch sides and repeat.
2. Two-Arm Swing: As well as toning your bum and legs, this move tones up your shoulders and abs. Standing with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, hold a single dumbbell with both hands in front of you, palms facing in. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at your hips to bring the dumbbell back between your legs. Immediately return to a standing position, swinging your extended arms up to chest level, and repeat for 12 to 15 reps.
3. Lateral Squat: This is another move that gives your bum and legs a great workout. With your legs wide and holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your hips, shift your weight to your left leg and bend your left knee slowly. On the count of three, you should end up in a squat with your right leg extended out to side and dumbbells lowered towards the ground. Return to the start, do eight to 10 reps, switch sides and repeat.
4. Modified Deadlift: This is a great move for working your back and hamstrings. With a dumbbell in each hand and arms by your sides, stand on your left leg with your knee slightly bent and the toes of your right foot on a step behind you. Bend forwards at your hips on a count of three until your back is nearly parallel to ground. Return to the start, and do 10 to 12 reps on each side.
5. Rollout: This move targets your back, abs and arms. Kneel down and interlace your fingers atop centre of a stability ball. Lean forwards slowly on a count of two to roll your arms over the ball until your body is at a 45-degree diagonal to ground. Make sure you keep your abs tight, arms extended and body in a straight line from shoulders to knees. Roll back to start to complete one rep, and do as many reps as you can.
6. Dumbbell Push-Up: This move works your shoulders, chest, triceps, and abs. In a full push-up position – holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms turned toward each other at a 45-degree angle – bend your elbows to lower your body towards the ground on a count of two. Return to the start position, and do as many reps as you can. If this move is a bit tricky at first, do the same thing with modified push-ups where you start on your knees.
With all those gorgeous dresses you’ll be wearing this holiday season, you’ll need the perfect pins to secure your sense of wellbeing. While this may seem like some sort of wellness pipe-dream, fitness trainer and qualified exercise scientist Damien Kelly asserts that you can get the amazing, defined legs you want with just a little hard work, and his kick-ass lean-limb workout!
1. Step it up: Kelly instructs, ‘Place your right foot on a bench or chair that is approximately knee height. Push down through your right heel and stand up on the bench. Without stopping, continue to move the left leg forward until the knee is at hip height and at a right angle (in a running style). Balance for a moment before slowly lowering your left foot to the ground, touching down lightly with only your toes, and then spring straight back up for your next rep. Focus on maintaining your posture throughout the exercise and fix your gaze on the horizon in front of you. Do all the reps on one leg, then swap over.’ You should aim for 15 to 30 reps per leg. For a variation, try using higher steps, alternating legs and/or holding a weight in one hand.
2. Take the lunge: ‘Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and take a long stride forward, keeping the same width between your feet,’ says Kelly. ‘Raise your back heel off the ground. Keep your torso upright. Drop your back knee directly down to a point just off the ground, keeping the majority of the weight through your front heel. Raise your knee and repeat without stopping at the top of the movement. Keep your gaze forward throughout the exercise. You should feel this exercise in the glute (buttocks) in your front leg and the upper thigh in the back leg.’ You should aim for 10 to 20 reps per leg and, for more of a challenge, try stepping forward, stepping back, walking, jumping or holding weights.
3. Crane and simple: Kelly advises, ‘Stand on your left leg, maintaining good posture. Bend forward at the hips, keeping long through your spine, reach your right hand down and touch your left big toe. Kick your right leg out to the back. Keep your left knee slightly bent and your gaze fixed on a point in front of you. Pause for a second and then slowly rise back to upright. Keeping your right foot off the ground, go straight into your next rep. Do all the reps on the left leg before starting on your right.’ On each leg, you should be aiming for eight to 15 reps. For those of you who want a bit more out of the Crane workout, alternate your legs, hold a weight in your reaching hand, or stand on a step so your hand goes below your foot.
4. Hamstring curls: For this one, you’ll need a Swiss ball, and manage about 10 to 20 reps. Kelly details, ‘Lie on your back, with your heels on a Swiss ball, your legs straight and your arms out to the sides. Lift your pelvis until your body is straight from heels to shoulders. Now slowly roll the ball towards your backside, onto the soles of your feet, and pause. Keep your pelvis high. Slowly return your legs to almost straight and repeat. Start with three sets of eight reps and gradually work up to 15. To increase the intensity, gradually bring your arms closer to your body, and eventually try with your arms across your chest for the ultimate hamstring workout.’ To mix it up, try the arms-by-your-sides, arms-in-the-air and one-legged variations.
When there’s something you don’t like about your body, there’s often a simple – if not easy – way to solve it. Weight wellness not what it should be? Change your exercise and eating habits. Stress making your skin sag? Take care of your wellbeing with better relaxation strategies. However, there’s one nasty little beauty problem that’s an absolute nightmare to get rid of; cellulite. One day you look in the mirror and those tiny bumps and lumps are creeping all over your legs and bum, and nothing you do seems to work. However, there is now a somewhat surprising solution to your cellulite problem; yoga. It may not seem like the obvious choice, but the right routine – and a bit of cardio – can target the areas most prone to dimpling, and free your bum and thighs from cellulite.
1. The standing forward bend: With your feet hip-distance apart, stand and hinge forward at your hips, making sure there’s a slight bend in your knees. As you let your head fall towards the ground, lay your chest on your upper thighs, engage your quadriceps muscles and slowly straighten your legs. Be sure that your knees don’t lock and your hips stay over the centre of your feet. Hold this pose for five to eight slow, deep breaths.
2. The chair pose: Standing with your feet together, big toes touching, and ankles slightly apart, bend your knees and set your hips back as if you’re sitting in a chair. At the same time, lift your chest up to the sky, reach your arms up by your ears and lengthen through the fingertips, keeping your shoulders relaxed and ab muscles held in. You should aim to make a 90-degree angle with your legs in the long run, but just sit back as far as you can until your flexibility improves. You back should be straight and your knees shouldn’t go past your toes. Before you stand up, hold this pose for five to eight breaths. Return to the starting position, and repeat another three times.
3. The eagle pose: Standing up, bend your knees slightly. Cross your right leg over your left leg high at the thigh, and then try to double cross it behind your left calf or ankle. Wrapping your right arm under your left and back over top, press your palms together. Then, sink lower while you squeeze your thighs tight and pull your belly to your spine, bending slightly at the knee and a bit forward at the waist. Hold this for five breaths, reverse your arms and legs, and repeat. If you’re finding the eagle pose too tricky, there are easier versions you can try. If the double leg cross is giving you trouble, just cross your legs once at the thigh and rest your top foot’s toes on the ground for balance. If you find double-crossing your arms too challenging, wrap under only and press the backs of your hands together, until your shoulders loosen up enough to do the full pose.
4. The warrior III pose: Stand with your feet together, point your left toe behind you, and tip your weight forward onto your right leg. Keeping your hands at your sides, continue to lift your left leg and drop your head and torso until you are in a straight horizontal line from head to toe. To ensure that your left thigh, hip, and toes (pointed or flexed) stay facing downward, many posers find it helpful to imagine balancing a tea cup on your lower back. Make sure that your right kneecap is lifted, but not locked, and your balance is centred mid-foot. Hold this pose for give breaths, slowly return to the standing position, then switch legs and repeat.
Losing weight and getting your wellbeing in shape is one of the major New Year’s resolutions people make every year, but why wait until January to get started? After all, are you going to head out to the gym on January 1st with a splitting hangover? Of course not! It’s far better to get a head start on your wellness goals and, thanks to fitness trainer and qualified exercise scientist Damien Kelly, we’ve got an amazing winter workout that will work your core, legs and butt so you’re looking fit and fabulous when the clock strikes 12. Now all you have to worry about is who you’re going to kiss at midnight!
1. Tummy: According to Kelly, the reverse crunch ‘is the best equipment-free abs exercise since the sit-up. Get the technique right and your abs will be lifting and controlling your whole lower body.’ He recommends that you do three sets of as many reps as you can, but how do you do it? Kelly instructs, ‘Lie on your back with your thighs vertical but knees slightly bent. Place your palms on the floor beside you. Squeezing through your abs, raise your tailbone off the ground and move your feet up. Be careful not to use momentum. Lightly touch your butt to the ground with control and repeat.’
As well as the reverse crunch, Swiss ball crossovers provide a three-pronged attack to your troubling tummy area. Kelly explains, ‘You’re sitting up so it targets your six-pack, you’re twisting so it’s targeting your obliques and you’re stabilising while on the ball so your core is working.’ Again, you should do three sets of as many reps as you can on each side. Kelly advises, ‘Position yourself so your lower back is on a Swiss ball and your feet are shoulder-width apart. Curl up, taking your right elbow towards your left knee. You will be twisting and crunching at the same time. Stop just short of upright and slowly lower until your mid-back lightly touches the ball. Do a set on this side and then repeat on the other side.’
2. Legs: With a good technique and pace, doing enough step-ups will give you the ultimate quadriceps burn. ‘Place your right foot on a knee-high bench or chair,’ says Kelly. ‘Push down through your right heel and stand up on the bench. Without stopping, move the left thigh forward until that knee is hip height and at a right angle (in a running style). Balance for a moment, then slowly lower your left foot to the ground, touching lightly with your toes, then push up for your next rep. Focus on maintaining your posture throughout. Keep your gaze fixed on the horizon in front of you and keep your right foot planted the whole time. Do all the reps on one leg, then switch sides.’ Do three sets of as many reps as you can.
3. Butt: Decline lunges don’t only work your bum, they get a great burn in your legs too. To go about decline lunges which, again, you should do for three sets of as many reps possible, Kelly details, ‘With a bench about a metre behind you, stand on your right leg and reach back with your left leg. Place the toes of your left foot on the bench and position your foot so it’s vertical. Jump your right foot forward a bit if you feel cramped. Bend your front knee and lower your back knee directly down towards the ground. Aim to get your front thigh horizontal. Don’t let your front knee pass in front of your toe. Do all reps on one leg, then switch.’
Whilst plenty of people hit the gym in an effort to improve their fitness and their general wellness and wellbeing, many are there for one reason only: toned abs. Having a flat stomach is a major motivator for millions of men and women, and the good news is that achieving the abs of your dreams may be easier than you think.
The Pilates Hundred is a tough 10 day challenge which claims to guarantee you a flat stomach and toned abs at the end of it. It’s not just for seasoned Pilates experts either – it’s for newbies as well as experts. The Hundred exercise is essentially a Pilates warm up and is designed to get your blood moving, but don’t let the idea that this is a warm up fool you into thinking that it will be a few gentle stretches. This both tests and builds your core strength like no crunch ever could and also forces you to coordinate your breathing and move your arms at the same time, providing an amazing workout.
To start the Hundred, lie flat on your back on the mat with your legs squeezed tightly together and your arms long by your sides.
Next, lift both your legs a few inches off the mat and squeeze your buttocks together, scooping your abs. Engage your powerhouse muscles, including your low-back, abdominals and pelvic floors, as well as your glutes. Take care that when you lift your legs off the mat, you can feel it coming from your powerhouse muscles rather than your hips.
Now for the action – raise your arms up and reach them over the top of your thighs, pumping your arms up and down while breathing in and out. Take a long inhaled breath for five pumps and a long exhaled breath for five. Ten pumps is one set – ten sets is 100 pumps. Do this for ten days.
Whilst plenty of people hit the gym in an effort to improve their fitness and their general wellness and wellbeing, many are there for one reason only: toned abs. Having a flat stomach is a major motivator for millions of men and women, and the good news is that achieving the abs of your dreams may be easier than you think.
The Pilates Hundred is a tough 10 day challenge which claims to guarantee you a flat stomach and toned abs at the end of it. It’s not just for seasoned Pilates experts either – it’s for newbies as well as experts. The Hundred exercise is essentially a Pilates warm up and is designed to get your blood moving, but don’t let the idea that this is a warm up fool you into thinking that it will be a few gentle stretches. This both tests and builds your core strength like no crunch ever could and also forces you to coordinate your breathing and move your arms at the same time, providing an amazing workout.
To start the Hundred, lie flat on your back on the mat with your legs squeezed tightly together and your arms long by your sides.
Next, lift both your legs a few inches off the mat and squeeze your buttocks together, scooping your abs. Engage your powerhouse muscles, including your low-back, abdominals and pelvic floors, as well as your glutes. Take care that when you lift your legs off the mat, you can feel it coming from your powerhouse muscles rather than your hips.
Now for the action – raise your arms up and reach them over the top of your thighs, pumping your arms up and down while breathing in and out. Take a long inhaled breath for five pumps and a long exhaled breath for five. Ten pumps is one set – ten sets is 100 pumps. Do this for ten days.
Did you know that there are specific exercises that you can do to help improve your sexual health? Sex is still very much a taboo subject, so it is not frequently discussed, and therefore people are often unaware that there are simple things that they can do to boost their own sexual wellness and wellbeing.
Strength and flexibility are two keys to great sex. Doing a workout that both sculpts and stretches key muscles can be the difference between a great sex session and a mediocre sex session. There are a few key exercises that you can integrate with the rest of your workout to help you improve those ‘sex muscles’ and the good news is that they will also tone you up at the same time.
The frog stretch is the first one to try, and will enable you to wrap your legs around your partner, froggy style! Yoga instructors love this stretch, as it opens up the pelvic floor and inner thighs and gets your limbered up for any sexual position.
You do it by lying face down on the floor, with two rolled up towels underneath your thighs and pelvis to support them, and your arms straight out in front of you. Bend your arms and legs until they become 90 degree angles, and you resemble a frog. Hold this position for around three minutes and then release it.
If it’s leg and lower body power you’re after (for positions such as the straddling position), you need to tone up your quads, hamstrings and gluts. The ‘wall sit’ is ideal for this, as it gives extra power to your legs as you hold a squat position. To do the wall sit you need to but a stability ball up against a wall and lean back on it, so that the ball is in the small of your back, lower back and tailbone. You then put your hands on your knees, put your weight back onto your heels and then squat down, keeping contact between your back and the ball, until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold this for 15 seconds, rest for 30 and then do this five times in total.
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