Three easy bum toning exercises
These exercises take up five minutes of your day. Five minutes. Yeah, I said five. No, I definitely said five. FIVE.
Get down on it: Plonk your bum on the floor. (This has already started well.) Sitting with your legs outstretched in front of you and your back straight, roll from one buttock to the other, using your arms to balance yourself. Repeat 30 times. Or, for a bit of variation - because rolling around on your arse cheeks can get dull, believe it or not - round your back and put your feet together, and roll from one buttock to the other. Use your knees to restrict your movement. Repeat 25 times.
Against a table or wall: Standing up straight, stretch one leg out to one side keeping your hips straight. Lower yourself until your foot almost touches the floor and repeat 20 times on each side. It's painful but so worth it. Or, for a little twist, keep your leg at a 90° angle with your toes pointed and make tiny circular movements ten times on each side. Easy!... sort of....
Jump in the pool: Get into a sitting position in the pool with a band or board under each arm and legs (which are bent, by the way), and open your knees by pushing outwards, then bring them together in front of you. Repeat 30 times. If you feel like you're ready for the pro moves, however, try doing the same exercise but with your legs straight out in front of you. Oof.
Getting your daily dose
Whilst we don't use our bum muscles that much - the bum-toning office chair is still a far-away dream yet to be invented - there are ways we can use them more without it feeling like we're working up too much of a sweat.
Walk: Get walking, people. And if you're already walking, walk more. Try and elongate your strides as you go, feeling the stretch in your glutes. If you find your friends can't keep up with you, then find some friends with longer legs. It's the only solution.
Take the stairs: Stairs are the bain of everyones life, but there's nothing better than hopping up a few flights to tone your bum! Go up two by two, one slow and one fast, pushing off your legs well.
Clench your buttocks: When you're cooking, on the bus, queuing at the post office, in the shower and as often as possible, holding yourself upright, breathing deeply and holding the position.
Good sports activities for your bum
It can't be all stair-strolling and cheek-clenching your way to a great arse, I'm afraid. Some proper exercise must be done too. But here's some great exercises to get your bum toned quickly.
Drop it like a squat: It seems obvious, but incorporating squats into your workout routine will really, really help to tone your bum. The same can be said for lunges. Once you're used to doing bodyweight squats (this is where you're using your body weight only, obvs), you can start adding a barbell or dumbbells by widening your stance into what gym aficionados call a sumo squat.
Running: Not only does it burn fat: running is also great for toning the buttocks. There's no point in going too fast: you're better off having a longer run (at least 30-45 minutes), regularly. Better have a really long playlist at the ready.
Aquaerobics: Great for toning, building muscle mass and eliminating toxins. And, because you're already in the water, no one will see you sweating your arse off.
Swimming: All swimming strokes give the glutes a good work-out and builds muscle mass. Swimming with flippers is even better, if you can get your hands on a pair.
Hill walking: Walking up hills sounds kinda dull, but going up and down various inclines constantly works your buttocks in different ways and areas, so it's worth it.
Dancing: Any type of dancing is excellent for those bum muscles, which is a great excuse to go out on a Saturday night and drop it like it's hot.
Outdoor, winter and extreme sports: Skiing, boarding, windsurfing, roller blading and skating all involve lots of pushing movements which need extension of the leg - perfect for toning those buttocks of yours.
Aerobics and elliptic training: Just like climbing stairs, but set to music with an instructor (which is far less boring and way more sassy!). Cross trainers and step machines do the same job.
Have you had squat success? Let us know! @sofeminineUK
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