Great Workouts For Fantastic Legs!

When warm weather time comes the first thing I want to do is put on my shorts and show off my legs. But my legs didn't get to be "show-offable" without some work on my part. Something as short as a 20-minute exercise session can really help firm up and tone your legs before summer is here, no matter what your age!

Exercise the Legs!

Simple squats and lunges are very effective exercises for toning and adding muscle. By adding weights you can make the exercise even more intense for added resistance while you work (e.g., dumbbells, ankle weights, barbell etc...) or you can simply perform the following exercise using your own body weight as the resistance.

The Side-to-Side Squat

Start with the Right Leg:

1) stand tall with both feet parallel and closed in a narrow stance (both feet directly under your pelvis).

2) Holding the Left Foot in place, step the right leg horizontally to the right of your body, bend both knees into a squat and hold for a three second count,

3) Press off the right foot and stand, returning both feet to the starting position,

4) Holding the Right Foot in place, step the LEFT leg horizontally to the left side of your body, bend both knees into the squat, holding for a three-second count; press off the left foot and stand tall. Repeat the sequence ten (10) times for each leg. As you get used to it and are able add another 2 sets of 10.

Be mindful to keep the torso aligned over your pelvis; keep the abdominals pulled in and up; knees tracking over the ankles - not the toes for full squat alignment. You will work your quadriceps, adductors and glutes and build strength in the muscles of your legs. Add extra resistance after you can master this move with ease.

Forward/Backward Lunges

Forward and backward lunges are pretty straight forward and are used to build and shape the quadricep, hamstrings and glutes.

Begin with both feet in a parallel, narrow stance.

Instead of moving the body horizontally, as outlined above, start with the Right Leg and

1) step forward to firmly place the foot forward enough such that your knee aligns directly over the ankle and the quadricep is parallel to the floor - as you bend the knee. As you do so, simply

2) hold the left foot in place, rolling thru to the ball of the foot (the heel will lift from the floor) hold the position for a three-second count,

3) Press off the right foot to return to the standing position. Repeat with the sequence with Left Leg for ten (10) repetitions for each leg FORWARD (as if lunging to 12 O'clock) and BACKWARD (as if lunging to 6 o'clock).

To build muscle, tone and strengthen the inner and outer thighs (adductors and abductors), I encourage the use of four additional clock points; 2 and 5 (for the Right Leg) 7 and 10 (for the Left Leg). In so doing, simply keep the pelvis square and aligned and open the leg to place the foot at the respective clock point.

The whole sequence will take you no more than 7-10 minutes but is very effective!

Tone Legs with Pilates Side Kicks

I use the Pilates Side Kicks to further tone and lengthen the muscle of the sidelines, glutes and encourage use, strength and stability development of the abdominal trunk, particularly the back erectors and obliques.

Beginning with the Right Leg: (Set Up) Lie down on a mat and align your left elbow, shoulder, hips and spine at the back edge of the mat, as if it was a brick wall. Place your left hand under your head to support your head and neck. Lift your abdominals in and up and be mindful to keep your back firmly pressed against the "wall" of your abdominals. Stack your legs and bring the heels to the front edge of the mat, stacking the Right Leg atop the bottom leg.

1) Engage your abdominals and lift the long straight leg to hip level; flex the foot and lengthen the leg bringing top heel over bottom heel, 2) Inhale to lift the leg four (4) inches and then

3) Exhale to slowly lower it to the hip level. Repeat this action ten (10) times. Keep the abdominal wall strongly lifted. Maintain spinal alignment.

Work Hips and Glutes - (Set Up) Rotate the right hip open, knee and toe reach to the ceiling;

1) kick the straight leg forward, while maintaining core and spinal alignment,

2) return the leg to the bottom heel. Work to maintain the hip rotation, keeping the knee and toe reaching to the ceiling and the lift and length of the abdominals for stability. Repeat this sequence for 8-10 repetitions. Flip to the other side of your mat and perform the same work for the other leg. This entire series will take no more than 10 minutes and will greatly tone and lengthen the outer leg, hips and glute.

Finish with stretching exercises of your choice and repeat the work 2-3x a week. You will have hot summer legs in no time!

 

REV UP YOUR METABOLISM FOR MAXIMUM FAT LOSS!

There are a lot of people who would give anything to increase their metabolism. Having a high level of metabolism enables one to burn fat and lose weight fast with the least amount of exertion. Metabolism is the rate by which the body produces and consumes energy and calories to support life.

There are several factors that affect the metabolism of a person, such as the amount of muscle tissue, the frequency of the meals one consumes, genetics, the digestive system, stress levels, personal diet, and activity levels. Metabolism slows down due to the following: loss of muscle because of not enough physical activity, the tendency of the body to cannibalize its own tissue because there is not enough food energy to sustain it, and the decrease of physical activity that comes naturally with old age.

Here are several ways to fire up YOUR metabolism:

1. Build up on lean, mean body mass. It is only natural that metabolism decreases along with age, but it is possible to counter the effects. The amount of muscle a person has is a very strong determinant in the ability to burn calories and shed fat. So it goes without saying that exercise is essential. Build strength and resistance by working out at least twice a week, preferably with weights. Do easy exercises in between workouts. Simple tasks such as walking the dog and using the stairs in place of the elevator can already take off calories. The key is to match the amount of eating to the amount of activity one has. Here are some guidelines in getting the right exercise:

For strength training

-Increase the amount of repetitions of a particular exercise.
-Add the level of resistance
-Utilize advance exercise techniques if possible

For cardiovascular training

-Insert intervals between exercises
-Perform cross-training and combine the exercises
-Add up on resistance and speed

2. Eat breakfast. A lot of people are ignoring the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Surprisingly, the ones who eat breakfast are thinner than the ones who do not. Metabolism can slow down considerably if breakfast is taken during mid-morning or if one waits until the afternoon to eat.

3. Avoid sugar. Sugar enables the body to store fat. It is recommended that a person consumes food that helps sustain an even level of blood-sugar. Additionally, progressive exercise 2-3 times a week should be in order to stabilize blood sugar.

4. Eat spicy foods. Hot cuisine with peppers can increase metabolism.

5. Sleep more. According to research, it is riskier for people who do not get enough sleep to gain weight. Also, muscles are regenerated during the last couple of hours of slumber.

6. Increase water intake. Water flushes out toxins that are produced whenever the body burns fat. Majority of bodily functions involves water, and lack of water causes the body system's operations to decrease its speed, and produces unneeded stress as a result.

7. Detoxify the digestive system. A clean and healthy digestive system not only helps the body to run more efficiently, it also gives you energy and helps you to crave healthier foods. This makes a cleansing program, such as Isagenix 9-Day Cleansing and Fat Burning System, a great way to jump-start a weight loss regimen.

8. Eat smaller meals. It is advisable to consume 4 to 6 small meals that are timed 2 to 3 hours apart.

9. Never skip meals. People tend to skip meals in order to lose weight, which is a big mistake since it slows down metabolism.

10. Plan meals in detail. Always prepare the right amount of food to be consumed at the designated intervals. Do not commit the mistake of eating meals in sporadic patterns.

11. Ditch the stress! Stress, be it physical or emotional, triggers the release of a steroid called cortisol, which decreases metabolism. Also, people tend to eat excessively when stressed.

12. Guzzle up on green tea. It can be used as a substitute for coffee. Tea has the ability to stimulate metabolism, and unlike coffee, it has no undesirable side effects when too much is consumed.

13. Include more energy foods in the diet, such as fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains.

Achieving the desired body weight is never impossible if one has the determination and patience needed to stabilize the metabolism level, which plays an important role in weight loss. A person needs to realize that eating right and working out is not just a passing fancy, but a way of life. Fighting cravings is hard for most of us. A great help in the quest to eat healthier --and fight those unhealthy cravings-- is a body cleansing program. We recommend Healthy Clean, $19.99 for 90 Caps.