nzgirl Quickies: Top 5 exercises to tone love handles!
Your guy may love your love handles, but that doesn’t mean you do! Here are our top five quick workouts to tone your waist and hips.
1: The Foot Switch Taken from jazz dance and pilates this exercise works the entire tummy area as well as your love handles! Lie with your back on the floor and lift your straight legs in the air. While pointing the toes, turn feet out and put the right foot in front of the left, then take the left foot and put it just below the right, repeat while slowing bringing legs down and alternating feet. You should get about 12 foot changes in before reaching the ground. Do four reps.
2: Crossover Twist Stand with legs shoulder width apart. Stretch arms out in front and bend from the elbow so hands face the sky. Lift the left knee as high as you can while twisting to the left. Touch the right elbow to the knee. Repeat on right and keep alternating for 20 reps. You can also do this while sitting and holding the leg instead of touching it with the elbow. Or do it as a sit-up for extra tummy muscle strength. Bring the knee towards the opposite elbow while hands are behind the head and twist the body towards the knee.
3: Belly Dance Take a class or simply watch some belly dance vids on YouTube and copy! The dance form involves the shaking, swinging and circular motion of the hips. Try some shimmying to upbeat music for a fun exercise to get that heart rate up. The Talla Dancers YouTube channel has lots of instructional vids for the dance form.
4: Flamingo Stand on the left leg and lift the right leg out to the side bending the knee but tucking the foot in. Once balanced, lean over to the right with arms however you like to balance. Then slowly circle down and round to the left into a flat back towards the ground. Repeat on left for 15 reps.
5: Three o’clock Stretch
This got its title because the legs are in the position of three o’clock and nine o’clock, if they were clock hands. Basically sit on the floor with your legs out in front. Bring the right leg to the side at a right angle or as far as you can. Reach arms to the sky, pulling up the back and gaining tall posture then lean forward over the left leg to your toes. Stay down for ten seconds and then swing round to the right leg while still down. Repeat with right leg in front in nine o’clock position. Repeat 12 times.
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