Exercise
Oblique V-Up
Lie on your side with your body in a straight line. Fold your arms across your chest. Keeping your legs together, lift them off the floor as you raise your top elbow toward your hip. The range of motion is short, but you should feel an intense contraction in your obliques.
10 repetitions each side [ Beginner ]
Saxon Side Bend
Hold a pair of lightweight dumbbells over your head, in line with your shoulders, with your elbows slightly bent. Keep your back straight, and slowly bend directly to your left side as far as possible without twisting your upper body. Pause, return to an upright position, then bend to your right side as far as possible.
6–10 repetitions on each side [ Beginner to intermediate ]
Speed Rotation
Stand while holding a dumbbell with both hands in front of your midsection. Twist 90 degrees to the right, then 180 degrees to your left. Keep your abs tight and move fast. Bring to center. Alternate the side you start with.
10 repetitions each side [ Intermediate ]
Styrofoam tubes are usually 36 inches in diameter and can be either 4 or 6 feet in length. There are many benefits of using a cylindrical tube for exercise. First, it provides a dense surface that can roll and provide support and massage to large areas of the body at one time. Second, it creates an unstable surface that challenges the subconscious mind to engage the postural muscles throughout the body and increase body awareness.
Self-Massage
According to the Physical Therapy website, the most common use of tubes is for self-massage. To massage your back, place the tube on the floor and sit on the tube. Slowly lie back, allowing the tube to roll under your body. With your hands behind your head and your feet flat on the floor, roll back and forth over the tube from your lower back to your upper back.
To massage your hips and legs, follow a similar routine. Place the area that you want to massage on the tube and roll back and forth over that area.
Two tubes can be used together to distribute your body weight more evenly if the pressure is too great with only one tube.
Stretching and Balance
Many rehabilitation exercises focus on improving flexibility and balance, which will also increase stability in joints. When your muscles are tight, they cannot move through a full range of motion, making it harder to perform regular daily activities, such as reaching a tall shelf, opening doors and looking over your shoulder. Massage can help to loosen up the muscles, but stretching will help them regain their range of motion.
A helpful stretch is to lie on the tube lengthwise on your back. Keeping your feet flat on the floor, you can slowly lower your arms to your sides and allow your chest and abdominal area to open up. This stretch is beneficial for reversing the movements that we do everyday, which are often with our arms in front of us.
Your core muscles (deep abdominal and back muscles) are used to keep you balanced. When you stand on an unstable surface, these core muscles are activated to make micro-adjustments to keep you from falling down. Tubes can be used to stand on and walk on to quicken your reaction time and strengthen the core muscles. This will improve your overall balance, which can be an issue as we age, and help tone the midsection of the body.
Slim and tone your lower body and wear your skinny jeans with confidence!
It’s the region most of us love to hate—our hips, thighs, and backsides. For a lower body you’ll love, you need to do two things: burn fat, and lift and firm your tush. This routine does both. Do these seven moves one after another with no rest in between. Then repeat the circuit so you perform it a total of two times. Do this workout four to six times a week.
SQUAT, LUNGE, CURL
Stand with your arms at your sides and squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground (a). Push back up to the starting position. Then take a giant step forward with your left foot and lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the ground (b). Push up onto your left leg and immediately curl your right heel toward your glutes (c). Return to start. That’s one rep. Repeat, stepping forward with your right foot. Continue alternating the sequence for 20 reps.
Tip: For a challenge, add dumbbells
Ball Dumbbell Press
Lie on your back, shoulder blades on top of the exercise ball, back extended, knees flexed at 90 degree angles and hold dumbbells on each side of your chest.
Push the dumbbells straight up and slowly lower them down after a short pause.
Breathe out while pushing and breathe in while returning to starting position.
Stability ball V-pass
Lie faceup on the floor, holding a stability ball overhead with both hands, your legs together and extended straight on the floor (a). In one motion, brace your core and lift your arms and legs off the ground, placing the ball between your feet (b). Squeeze the ball with your legs and lower your arms and legs back to the floor (c). Repeat, passing the ball back to your hands. That’s one rep. Do eight to 10.
