Fitness is often clubbed into the category of ‘chores.’ If the same holds true for you, you are possibly using the wrong ways to stay fit. Fitness should be a hobby, not a chore. Getting those enviable curves is no new desire for womankind. While it is no cakewalk to get that coveted toned look, it is not impossible to accomplish the task if you do some preparation on your part. Keep yourself physically and mentally alert, and stick to an exercise plan. Weak upper body strength along with the gender independent phenomenon of weak or no scapular stabilization is a concern most people grapple with. Women tend to be conscious of their thighs and hips, so in the exercises listed below, we have targeted these muscles through different movement patterns. Staying true to styles which challenge and build immense core strength, these increasingly popular ways to stay fit come from a repertoire of enjoyable workouts such as kettle bell, Pilates, barefoot techniques and body weight training. We have also kept in mind the need for smart cardio options instead of endless walks or mindless toiling on cardio machines, so that there’s no dip in that ‘fun’ curve of working out.
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Get in better shape with:
1. Skipping
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After about five to ten minutes of dynamic stretching and joint mobilisation, we go for skipping, navel gently tucked in. Land softly. Remember to not bend too much at the knees to jump. The knees remain soft throughout so that the jump comes from the hips. Breathe normally. Glutes and abs engaged.
Duration: Two minutes
2. Med ball roll out in plank
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Start with feet on the medicine ball, palms directly underneath the shoulders and lower back in its natural curve. Glutes and abs engaged. Inhale, stay. Exhale, initiate from the abs and pike your hips up to the sky as you bring the ball in without bending the knees. Shoulders should stay away from your ears throughout. Inhale, come back to start plank position. Exhale, and repeat the hip hinge. The workout emphasizes scapular stabilization while working the arms and shoulders. Hip hinging against gravity works the abdominals and controlling your way back down into the plank fires the glutes and the hamstrings. Hello, flat tummy!
Duration: One minute
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3. Kettle bell swings
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Immediately follow up with another hip hinging, where this time the emphasis of movement is still on the hips but the load is held in the palms. If done with a heavy weight, it can improve explosive power and strength, and if done with moderate or lighter weight for longer, it can build endurance or work as a cardio exercise. Still better than the treadmill, this one provides more comprehensive results. Start with one arm distance from kettle bell; hold both handles in your finger digits, not the palms. Sit back with a flat back and then in motion, lift the kettle bell and first swing it back. Now, use your hips to swing it back and forth as you exhale at both extremes of the movement-both front and back. Keep the arms totally relaxed (imagine you want to keep the elbows very close to the hips throughout) as you do the swings. You should feel it in the glutes, thighs and indirectly shoulders and upper back, which are working to keep you upright. Not too much in your arms or lower back. Keeps glutes engaged when you push only the hips forward and not the upper body back. They may look the same, but they are not. Avoid getting pulled down in a hunch by the weight, that’s why the abs and upper back work isometrically to maintain the spine position. Exhale forcibly at both extremes, inhalation will follow automatically.
Duration: One minute
4. Hundred, a classic Pilates exercise
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Lie down with lower back flat on the mat. First, legs come to diagonal from the knees bent position and then head and shoulders come off the mat; shoulder blades must be off the mat, and hands should be next to the hips, parallel to the floor. Now, inhale for three counts and exhale for seven counts as you flutter your arms only from the shoulders (not the wrist or elbows) till you finish 10 such sets. Lower your legs only as far as you can maintain your lower back on the mat. Bend your knees to make it easier; keep abs tucked in at all times. Focus on flexing from the chest to lift shoulder blades off the mat. Gaze at the knees. If you feel pressure or strain in the neck, chances are you are not lifting the chest enough or gaze is incorrect.
Duration: There is no duration since one is doing 10 sets of 10 breaths.
5. Single leg dead lift
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This is one of my favorite exercises because it challenges your balance, and works the entire body; your upper body must stabilize to keep the shoulders and hips square while the lower body works dynamically. Stand with the kettle bell in right hand with right knee flexed or bent in front of the hip, balancing on the left foot. Stay ground through the left foot tripod throughout the entire exercise; zip up your abs to initiate the foot-to-core engagement. This will activate the deep stabilization mechanism, certain fascia. Inhale, as you take the right foot back and head parallel to the floor while still keeping shoulders and hips square. Exhale, come back to the start position without losing balance. Repeat on other side. You can bring the body at a 45 degree diagonal at first instead of parallel till you improve your balance.
Duration: One minute for each leg
Why are these workouts beneficial?
All these exercise help build solid functional strength and endurance and body awareness since they improve balance, tone and target women’s areas of “concern” while still blasting belly fat. Upper body exercises are chosen in such a way to sculpt and define the arms rather than building bulky shoulders. Skipping also works the arms and the cardiovascular component while still staying machine-free. With a strong core resulting out of correct execution of these exercises, women can say goodbye to lower back aches and also improve tolerance against menstrual cramps. These can be done any and everywhere in case they need to keep a close watch on children in the next room.
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Who all can do it?
Women of all ages below 40 can do these, unless they have been working out regularly since at least one-year minimum. Those with lower back issues should not do kettle bell swings or kettle bell deadlifts. I would recommend they should first strengthen through simpler and more basic exercises and then move up to the more advanced exercises.
Precautions
Make sure you are maintaining the alignment of your body as mentioned in the methodology of all the five exercises. Get moving and make working out fun for you.
We couldn’t be happier about these FUN ways to stay fit and we can guarantee once you try them, you won’t be any less iffy either!
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