Butts….Buns….Fannies….call ‘em whatever you want. Our backsides are more exposed now that summer is here.
Shorts and swimsuits hide very little. Those long winter and Covid-isolated days of consuming cookies, brownies, chips, or other comfort treats are now in full view of everyone at the pool, lake, or beach. For this reason, I am going to dedicate three articles with suggested exercises to help tone those “now-exposed” body parts. Know that specific exercises will not necessarily reduce the fat you have accumulated on a specific area. There is no such thing as “spot-reducing.” Only by reining in the calories and creating a calorie deficit day in and day out will the fat disappear. Vigorous aerobic exercise burns calories and can reduce overallbody fat. Our genetics determines where the fat comes off. However, exercises targeting a specific muscle group will tone those muscles and create a tighter look. Combining the right nutrition with the right exercises will yield results. For this reason, summer is a great time to enjoy the refreshing Body Wise Elance shake for a nutritious and low-calorie meal.
Exercising for great glutes can include both aerobic and strength work:
1. Walking – walk very briskly so that you can push your glutes to the max. Add some hills or stairs.
2. Jogging – like walking, hit the hills or try some interval sprints. Locate an open stadium to run or walk stairs.
3. Biking or Spinning – increase the resistance so that you have to pump hard, or even stand to pump.
4. Squats – stand with your feet shoulder width apart and lower into a squat as if you were going to sit into a chair. Keep the torso upright. Return to a standing position. Holding some weights increases the work.
5. Hip extensions – stand facing a wall, placing hands on the wall, and with a straight back push one leg out behind you as high as it can go (while keeping the leg straight). Hold for a few seconds. You can also do this down on the floor on all fours, and simply extending one leg back and up. Adding an ankle weight increases the work. Work each leg.
Doing these exercises daily will help tone your glutes. Remember that the basic shape of our rear ends is dictated by our genetics. However, with some work, you can get a tighter look whether your butt is wide, flat, high, or low.
Photo credit: enews newsletter from Body Wise, June 2021
