Running, swimming and cycling all have amazing cardio benefits. Running improves the flow of oxygen in the body as well as blood circulation. This is extremely beneficial for the overall physical endurance and memory. Cycling, on the other hand, protects the heart from heart diseases. Swimming helps the body uses the oxygen in a more effective way.

Running helps you lose weight more quickly but it also increases the density of the bones and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. In addition, running exercises the legs, and particularly the calves and the hamstrings.

Swimming is the exercise that affects the whole body. It strengthens the legs, back, shoulders and all muscles.

Cycling can keep your body very well-shaped and can increase the overall tonus and energy levels. Regular cycling makes your thighs, quads and calf muscles stronger, firmer and very well toned.

First of all, exercises help you control your weight. Balanced weight is of great importance for good health. Regular exercises help you lose weight or prevent weight gain. Physical activities burn calories, so the more active you are, the more calories you will burn. If you can’t do traditional workouts in the gym, you should be more active in your daily life. Thus, you can walk to work or take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Also, exercises combat health diseases. If you want to prevent high blood pressure or you are afraid of heart disease then you should exercise regularly. Physical activity boosts the levels of “good” cholesterol. This allows blood to flow freely and lowers the risk of heart problems. Exercises also prevents other health issues, including stoke, type 2 diabetes, depression, metabolic syndrome, some types of cancer, arthritis, etc.

Exercises are a perfect way to improve your mood because physical activities stimulate the production and release of chemicals that make you feel happier. Thus, if you have a stressful day, you better visit the gym or have a 3-minute walk. Regular exercises also boost the self-esteem and confidence because they improve your appearance.

In addition, exercises boost the levels of energy. Physical activities make your muscles stronger and help you improve your endurance. While you are exercising, your tissues receive more oxygen and nutrients, so your cardiovascular systems works better. And if your lungs and heart work better, you have more energy.

It is not necessary to go to the gym in order to exercise and maintain your health. You can be physically active at home or even in your office. It is recommended to have brisk walks every day, to go swimming, to take the stairs. Jogging, aerobics and yoga are also beneficial.

And we give it to you our top five tips for staying fit when you’re super-busy:

Up your intensity
If you pick up the pace, you can literally cut your workout time in half. The American College of Sports Medicine /ACSM/, which are the experts to turn to for this sort of thing, said that is enough to spare time of a workout just 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week is just as good as 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week.

Do just one set
Other tips from ACSM is to get similar benefits from doing a single set of each strength move as you would from doing multiple sets. So why do more? (I never do.)

Multitask
Who is tell that you must do strenght moves and exercises? Instead of that you mayyou’re your little time on exercises which have two or more at one time. Do bicep curls with lunges, shoulder presses with step-ups, rows with squats. Just be sure to watch your form!

Add weight
Cut your time even further by doing fewer reps with heavier weights than you normally use. (Just make sure they’re not so heavy that you can’t maintain proper form.)

Go for an evening walk
The evening walk in this beautiful time is so pleasured. Well, sometimes may be little coldy and freezy, but isn’t it another charmy on that? Going outside for a short walk around the neighborhood after dinner. Not only will you burn some calories, but you’ll also be reminded of how peaceful this time of year can be. Now that’s a gift worth cherishing.

Don’t dress for Siberia

Wearing layers is important, but don’t overdo it. Dress as though it’s 20 degrees warmer than the actual temp. “You want to feel a little chilly when you start,” Cane says. “Once you get going, your body temp will rise, and you’ll feel warmer.”

Think nylon, not cotton

Start with a base layer top made of a sweat-wicking fabric like Dri-FIT. (Steer clear of cotton, which traps moisture and draws heat away from your body.) Running tights will usually keep your legs warm, but if it drops below 20 degrees, switch to a fleece-lined pair.

Add a windproof yet breathable zippered jacket (think nylon). If it’s supercold (below freezing for most, though it depends on your cold tolerance and pace), add a Dri-FIT middle layer. Don’t forget a moisture-wicking hat and pair of gloves. And to make sure you’re seen in winter, wear reflective clothes.

Prep before you step

Cold muscles are less flexible, so to prime them, start with a brisk walk or light jog. “This warms your core, increases blood-flow to your muscles, and lubricates your joints,” which will help you move more efficiently and burn more calories, Cane notes. To lessen your risk of pesky pulls and strains, save stretching for post-run, when your muscles are looser. But step inside first—cold air mixed with sweat can give you major chills.

Eat at this magic hour

“You must eat a snack that contains protein between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Go for a protein bar, a piece of low-fat cheese, or some almonds with an organic apple.

No matter what, do not miss that snack. It’s important because it boosts metabolism and balances blood sugar. The lower you keep your blood sugar, the lower you keep your insulin, and insulin makes you store fat around your middle. Eating every three to four hours will keep your blood sugar even, but many people tend to go five or six hours between lunch and dinner without eating.”

Have a ball

“My No. 1 tip: Do the ball exchange three times a week. Lay flat on your back with your arms above your head and legs straight out. Start with a stability ball above your head in your hands. Bring the ball up above your chest as you bring your legs up to meet the ball and place it between your ankles. Bring the ball back down to the floor with your legs and straighten your arms back out over your head.

Beef up on this belly-zapping hormone

“Eat as close to zero grams of sugar as possible. This will keep insulin levels low and also keep levels of glucagon high. Glucagon, a hormone, is the best friend you could ever have in the struggle for a flat belly! Picture Ms. Pac-Man traveling around your waistline, gobbling up fat to be used as energy. That is glucagon.

The closer to zero grams of sugar you consume, the lower your insulin and the higher your glucagon…it’s as simple as that.”
Repeat the ball exchange 10 to 12 times, remembering to keep your lower back pressed into the floor as you do this move.”

Chew on this

“Chewing is the No. 1 tip I give to prevent bloating. Chew food until it is like applesauce in your mouth. Digestion begins in the mouth, and without proper chewing, food is not well-digested. Better-digested food means less gas and bloating.”

Put crunches last on your flat-belly list (for real!)

“I recommend the DCBA approach: Diet first, Cardio second, Building muscle third, and Abs exercises last. Follow it and you can safely lose one to two pounds a week. Spend 60 minutes a day preparing healthier meals. Spend 20 minutes a day three to five times weekly doing cardio. Spend 15 minutes a day three times a week strength training. Finally, spend 5 minutes a day three times a week doing abs exercises.”

Shake on the sea salt

“The culprit making your tummy bloat? It could be the salt in your diet. Use natural sea salt or kosher salt, which is lower in sodium teaspoon for teaspoon than traditional table salts. And stay away from soy sauce: Even low-sodium soy sauce is still high in sodium and will cause practically instant bloating.

Instead, flavor your food with a little fresh tomato salsa or a hint of cayenne pepper, which has an added benefit of boosting metabolism.”

Punch it out and lose 2 inches fast

“Add boxing to your cardio routine. When you throw punches with weights or at a fast pace, you’re working your core in a way that helps to flatten your midsection. You must engage your core to throw punches, and twisting your torso works all the ab muscles.

Boxing also gives you a cardio workout that burns extra calories. Add 16 minutes of boxing three times a week to your regular cardio routine (30 minutes at high intensity four to five times a week), and you can lose up to 2 inches from your waist in four weeks. Simply throw punches while holding 1- or 2-pound weights for 8 minutes, alternating arms, then repeat without weights at a faster pace for 8 more minutes.”

To find out, we turned to the hottest trainers around and asked them to reveal the best workout gizmo for each goal—flat belly, toned thighs, etc.—plus the ultimate move to whip that area into amazing shape.

Workout like a pro

Read on for the ultimate picks and moves from Ramona Braganza, a Los Angeles–based celeb trainer whose clients include Jessica Alba and Halle Berry; Amy Dixon, a Santa Monica, California–based trainer, exercise physiologist, and fitness DVD star; and Health‘s own Kristin McGee, a New York City–based trainer and yoga and Pilates instructor with nine exercise DVDs to her credit.

To use this guide, pick the move designed for the area you want to target. Or put all the moves together and do two sets of each move (with no rest in between) for a 20-minute body-beautifying workout. Either way, do the moves four times a week, and you’ll start looking sleeker in just three weeks. Now that’s time well-spent.

The best tool for fab abs: Stability ball

Fab-ab move: Plank Tuck with a Twist

Here’s why: “This exercise works your core like no other,” McGee says. “You have to engage your entire transverse abdominals—the innermost layer of muscle that acts like a girdle—just to maintain your balance on the ball.” Pulling the ball in toward your chest pinpoints your hard-to-reach lower-ab muscles, and the twisting movement engages both your obliques (side-ab muscles) and rectus abdominus (the major ab muscle responsible for the hallowed six-pack). “By balancing on a large, unstable surface, you can’t cheat,” McGee explains. “It forces you to engage all of your ab muscles, front to back and side to side.”

The best tool for a beautiful butt: Plyo box

Beautiful-butt move: Box Jump

Here’s why: “A plyo box is a tremendous tool for training the glutes fast,” Dixon says. “You not only build great muscle but also get an added cardio benefit that helps trim inches.” It’s versatile, too—boxes come in a variety of heights and materials, including some with “give” that are easier on your joints. Why the Box Jump? “It’s a basic move in that it’s simply a squat jump up onto the box and a squat jump down—but there’s no quicker way to get results,” Dixon explains.

How-to: Box Jump

Stand facing a 12- to 18-inch plyo box with your feet hip-width apart. Push your butt back and squat down until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor (A), then push strongly into your feet to jump up onto the box, using your arms for momentum. Land gently in squat position (B), allowing the toes of each foot to hit before your heels (your feet should land at the same time). Push off with your heels and jump back down, landing softly, toes first, in squat position. Repeat for 30–60 seconds (depending on your strength)

No gym or plyo box? Do the move using a sturdy step or low bench. Or, skip the equipment and simply jump forward and backward instead of up and down.

source:    http://www.health.com/health/gallery/thumbnails/0,,20432219,00.html

Planning

Half-marathon finishers totaled 1 million in 2009, says Ryan Lamppa of Running USA, an organization devoted to the running industry. Marathon finishers totaled 467,000.

What’s the appeal? “People are not as intimidated as before,” Lamppa says. That’s partly due, he suspects, to easy access to training programs, online and in niche publications that target runners.

The bragging rights are also motivating. “If you walk into your office on Monday and say ‘I did a 5k this weekend,’ most people would grab a doughnut and leave,” Lamppa says. “But if you mention you did a half-marathon or marathon, more people would stick around and ask questions.” The longer-distance runs, he says, have developed a hip, fun reputation.

If you’ve caught half marathon or marathon fever, knowing the secrets of training — beyond how many miles to do a week, what speed work is, and what to eat — can help you run your first race.

First, clear the idea with your doctor at a physical exam. And get advice about nutrition — plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and enough water.

Next, consider these tips from experts who tell WebMD what they wish they’d known when they were novices and what they’ve learned along the way.

Spread the Word

As a novice, your first inclination may be to tell no one you’ve decided to run a half-marathon or a marathon. That way, if your motivation flails, you can back out gracefully, right?

Wrong approach, says Joe Donovan, a Milwaukee runner who wrote the Essential Guide to Training for Your First Marathon. He suggests telling everyone who will listen, just as soon as you’ve made the big decision. Why?

“Only when you tell other people is it real,” he says. “Certainly, some people will think you are nuts.”

Some did, he recalls, when Donovan announced his decision to run his first marathon while he was a graduate student, working for a U.S. senator. “At first there was disbelief,” he says of the people he told. Next? “There there was this kind of ‘Wow, this is amazing.’”

It became a topic of conversation — and support — among his fiancé, now his wife, and coworkers, which kept him on the straight and narrow training track.

Know Your Goal

It’s not as simple as saying your goal is to finish 13.1 miles, or 26.2, says Cathy Fieseler, MD, a member of the board of directors of the American Medical Athletic Association and a veteran marathoner and ultra-distance runner.

Ask yourself: why are you running the race, she says. “Do you have a time goal?” “Are you trying to qualify for [the Boston marathon]?” “Are you doing it in memory of someone?” “Because you are turning 40?”

Figuring that out, she says, will guide your training plan. Someone running in memory, for instance, may not care about their finishing time, but someone who wants to break four hours — a very respectable marathon finish time — definitely does care.

Have a Plan

If you’re easily running three or four miles at a shot now, plan to train for about three months before a half marathon and about five months before a full marathon, says Todd Galati, an American Council on Exercise spokesman.

You need a nuts-and-bolts training plan. You can get that online, from a running coach if you happen to be in a running club, or from running publications.

For instance, if you’re training for your first half marathon, popular coach Hal Higdon says runners should be able to run three miles, three to four times a week, before starting his beginners’ program.

During his 12-week training, Higdon lengthens the medium and the long runs.

By week 7, the runs are 3 miles, 4.5, and 7. At week 10, runners put in 3 miles, 5, and 9.

By week 11, the long run is 10 miles. Two days of rest are advised before the race.

Once you’ve got a plan, tailor it to your life, and forget some of the myths. “I don’t think you need to run every single day,” Fieseler says. “Figure out what works for your life.”

One way to quash the not-enough-time excuse is to double up training and other necessities, Fieseler says. “I know people who run to the post office,” she says.

Julie Lang of Long Branch, N.J., did her first half marathon in May 2009 and her first full marathon a year later. She has three young children and teaches kindergarten, so spare time is scarce. “I go [running] at 5:30 in the morning,” she says. Consistency is key, she says. “You wake up tired; you do it anyway.”

Many training programs suggest several long runs at the end, sometimes stopping a bit short of the actual race distance. But you may want to do the full race distance as your last training run, Fieseler says. “If you are a newbie, I think something very important is getting in enough distance [in training] that you are not going to be intimidated by what’s left.”

Don’t Overdo It

Don’t add miles too quickly, Galati says. The established rule is no more than a 10% increase in miles per week.

Speed work– workouts designed to make you faster — can improve your times. For instance, run faster than usual for an interval of time, then drop back to your slower pace, and repeat. But don’t try to increase mileage, do speed work, and tackle hills all at once, he says.

Speed work can make you faster, of course, says Fieseler, ”but it also ups the risk of injury,” especially as you age. Be aware of the tradeoff, she says.

Accept the Bad Days and Injuries

No one sticks to the training plan perfectly, Galati points out. “There’s stress at work, sick kids.”

“Accept bad runs during training,” he says. “As the average to good runs become more frequent, the bad runs become easier to tolerate.”

Injuries can happen, too. Megan Alexander of San Diego got a foot injury halfway through training for her first marathon. ”Start early, so if you need to take a few weeks off, you can,” she says.

Monitor and Motivate Yourself

Enthusiasm is good, but there’s a downside: overtraining.

“Check your resting heart rate every morning,” Galati says. “If you see a big jump, you probably are overtraining.” If it’s normally 60, for instance, and goes up to 61 or 62, no big deal, he says. But if it goes from 60 to 72, back off and recover, he says.

What about days when you’d rather do anything but run? Watch a YouTube video of a running event, Donovan says. “See the joy in the finishers’ faces.” He finds it contagious.

Mimic Race Day While Training

Find out in advance about the race — whether the course is hilly or not and what sports drink they will serve along the route, Donovan says. During training, “replicate the race experience,” he says.

Never wear new shoes or even new socks or shorts. Wear something you know is comfortable — because you’ve trained in it.

Start and Finish Positively

Positive thinking, from the start, is crucial, says Fieseler. Tune out any negative talk you’re likely to hear on the course–and you may hear grumbling, moaning, maybe even swearing.

Replace the overheard negativity — and any of your own negative thoughts — with positive visualization. Suppose you know, from scoping out the course, that mile 5 begins to get hilly. Visualize yourself from the start building energy and not struggling at all once the hill arrives.

Think positive thoughts, Fieseler says, such as “I’m defeating this hill; it isn’t defeating me.”

source:  http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/marathon-training-tips-for-beginners

But toned arms give you much more than visual satisfaction.

“These are the muscles you use on a daily basis for the activities of daily living,

Richard Cotton, spokesman for the American Council on Exercise, agrees. “It is the arms that help you lift the groceries out of the trunk, pick up a chair, and rake the leaves,” says Cotton. Those, he says, are the more important reasons for including arm exercises in a fitness program.

It’s Not All About Looking Good

“We’re really stuck on wanting to look good and that’s alright, but it’s really one goal of the program and only one of the benefits,” he says. “Exercise is a body tune-up, and if we’re keeping our body exercised, we’re keeping it tuned just like a car.”

When working the arms, be sure to balance the body, Cotton says.

“We tend to make the mistake of exercising only our show muscles,” he says. “And that’s actually an imbalanced program. We pay too much attention to the muscles in front of our body and not enough attention to the back of the body.”

On the most basic level, this doesn’t build the whole muscle.

“The reality is,” says Weil, “if you want big arms, you’ve got to work both sides of the arms. When someone flexes their biceps, it’s the whole arm that’s working. The triceps are a part of that.”

Taken to the extreme, imbalances can lead to physical injuries, he says. If you consistently work the front of the thighs (quadriceps) but never the back (hamstrings), for example, the hamstrings will weaken, tighten, and cause you to pull or strain a muscle. Over time, it may lead to back pain from the tight hamstrings pulling you out of alignment.

Staying Motivated

But sticking with any new exercise program is the real challenge. Cotton contends that becoming a conscious exerciser will keep you motivated longer than the functional strength and physical appearance aspirations.

“I believe that in order for someone to become highly motivated to exercise, the motivation must come from a level that is much deeper than the desire for thinner thighs, ripped abs, stress management, or even disease prevention. The motivation must come from the depths, from a place that takes us closer to knowing who we really are and why we are here.”

He recommends staying present in the moment when you are lifting a free weight or running on the treadmill. Instead of watching the news, reading a magazine, or chatting with people around you while you workout, he says, connect to your body. Be in touch with your breathing. Be aware of how your body feels.

The following program consists of two exercises each for the biceps and the triceps. This allows you to work different areas of each of these muscle groups.

Pick a weight that allows you to complete between 8 and 12 repetitions. Perform two to three sets of each exercise before moving on to the next exercise. Give the muscles time to recover between workouts — at least 48 hours.

BICEPS

Standing Biceps Curl with Dumbbells

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, or sit in upright position.

1. Grasp dumbbells with an underhand grip (palms facing forward), arms hanging down at your sides.
2. Flex at the elbows and curl dumbbells up to approximately shoulder level. Keep elbows close to sides throughout movement — don’t allow them to move forward. This exercise may be done one arm at a time.
3. Return to starting position.

Hammer Curls with Dumbbells

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, or sit in upright position.
2. Grasp dumbbells with palms facing each other, arms hanging down at your sides.
3. Flex at the elbows and curl dumbbells up to approximately shoulder level. Keep elbows close to sides throughout movement — don’t allow them to move forward. This exercise may be done one arm at a time.
4. Return to starting position.

Note: Remember to keep back and head straight in a neutral position throughout movement. Shoulders should be stabilized by squeezing shoulder blades together slightly — only the elbow joint should move.

TRICEPS

Lying Triceps Extension with Dumbbells

1. Sit in upright position on a flat bench. Rest dumbbells on corresponding thighs.
2. Lie on back and bring the dumbbells to your chest. Press up so they are directly over shoulders with palms facing in.
3. Lower dumbbells toward forehead by bending elbows to 90°. Elbows should remain pointing forward. Arms shouldn’t move from the shoulder to the elbow.
4. Return to start position.

Triceps Kickback with Dumbbells

1. Place right knee and left hand on flat bench. Keep back flat.
2. Grasp dumbbell. Raise right arm up so that upper arm is parallel to floor with lower arm hanging straight down toward floor — palm facing in.
3. Keep upper arm parallel to floor and raise dumbbell straight back until arm is almost straight. Don’t lock out elbow.
4. Lower dumbbell slowly back to starting position, keeping your upper arm parallel to the floor. All the movement should be in your elbow, not your shoulder.
5. After performing all the repetitions with the right arm, reverse position and perform move with left arm.

Note: For both exercises, remember to keep back and head straight in a neutral position — hyperextension may cause injury. Keep shoulder stabilized throughout movement.

source:  http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/tightening-and-toning-arms

If you feel your “rear view” needs a makeover, the right fitness routine can provide a natural lift. Can you achieve the “perfect” Brazilian beach butt seen on TV? That depends partly on your body type and genetics, but most everyone can shape up to look better in jeans. Ready to take a crack at it? The following pictures show you the moves.

Behind It All: The Gluteal Muscles

The shape of the buttocks is defined by muscles known as the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus (hidden under other muscles), as well as the overlying fat. Walking, running, and climbing all work the glutes. Strength training that targets these muscles can help develop a tighter, more rounded look. Adding a few butt-busting moves to your routine may be enough to see a difference.

Squat and Tone

The squat tops every list of butt-busting exercises. It directly engages the glutes, and you can build bigger musculature by adding weights. The key is to maintain proper alignment.

Form: Keep feet parallel, shoulder-width apart. Slowly lower hips as if sitting in an invisible chair; then return to standing. Make sure your knees do not push out in front of your toes. Keep your torso tight and back straight.

ariation: Ball Squat

If you’re just starting out, a stability ball can help with balance while you master the form. For each exercise on our list, aim for three sets of 15 repetitions. That’s a good start for beginners, says master trainer Dori Ricci, NASM, CPT. Try to do each exercise three times a week.

Form: Keep the ball between your low back and a wall. Slowly perform the classic squat. Walk your feet out in front so the knees stay behind your toes.

Forward Lunge

This butt builder also tones the thighs and calves, and it’s a pretty good calorie burner, too.

Form: Feet parallel, hip-distance apart, take one giant step forward. Lower your body slowly, bending both knees, and return to standing. Repeat on the other side. Bend your knees no farther than 90 degrees, front knee stacked directly over your front ankle. Do not rest your back knee on the ground.

Variation: Backward Lunge

When you step backward into a lunge, it works the glutes a little more intensely and adds variety to your workout. Lunges also help promote hip flexibility and proper alignment, which can suffer when people spend long hours sitting at a desk.

Form: Use the same posture as in a forward lunge, but step backward to position the lower leg. Remember not to let the front knee push out in front of your toes.

Variation: Side Lunge

The side lunge directly targets the muscle on the outside of the hips, the glutes, and tones the inner thighs, too.

Form: From a wide stance, bend one knee. Keep the shinbone under that knee vertical to the floor. If the knee falls inside the foot, use a shorter stance. Lean forward slightly, but keep your shoulders behind your knees to avoid injury. Choose a hand position that helps with balance.

On the Ball: Leg Lift

Leg lifts done while balancing on an exercise ball will strengthen your shoulders and abs, in addition to your glutes. As you get more fit, try lifting both legs simultaneously for a more challenging, butt-sculpting move.

Form: Keep your abs tight and back flat. Squeeze the gluteal muscles tight as you lift one leg. Just a few inches is fine, especially for beginners. Be careful not to engage the muscles of the low back.

On the Ball: Hip Lift

This small movement isolates and works the gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in the body. Be careful not to use the back muscles; the glutes should do the work.

Form: Bend the knees 90 degrees, feet together. Squeeze the glutes and slowly move the thighs up off the ball. A small, controlled, 2-inch movement is the goal.

Floor Work: Bridge

This classic is a surprisingly good workout for the glutes, as well as the hamstrings and hips.

Form: Begin on your back with your knees bent, feet hip-width apart. Slowly peel your spine off the floor from the tailbone, one vertebra at a time, tightening the glutes and hamstrings. Pause when you create a diagonal line from shoulders to knees. Lower slowly, one vertebra at a time.

Floor Work: Side Leg Raises

This move targets the two smaller muscle groups in the buttocks, the gluteus medius and minimus. Raising the leg just a few inches will work these muscles.

Form: Lift the top leg while lying on your side. Keep the hips stacked and the torso still; both knees facing forward. For a variation that works slightly different muscles, you can turn the top leg out from the hip.

Floor Work: Dirty Dog

This butt-building move gained fame in the exercise videos of the 1970s as the “fire hydrant.” It targets two of the muscles groups in the buttocks.

Form: Keep your knees hip-width apart and your hands directly under your shoulders, elbows straight. Gently stiffen the abs and keep your back in a neutral position with no sagging or arching. Slowly draw one knee up. Rotate the hip to bring the leg toward the torso, then away.

Floor Work: Running Plank

In addition to challenging the gluteal muscles, running plank works the shoulders, hips, and core muscles. Do it quickly to burn calories while building muscle.

Form: Engage the abdominal muscles to protect the lower back. Spread your fingers wide to protect the wrists.

Walk the Hills

Walking is a natural, anywhere, no-fuss butt workout. Tackle the hills for maximum gluteal impact — and to burn a few more calories when you’re trying to lose excess body fat. On a treadmill, use a 5% to 7% incline to increase the workout.

Tone Your Tush With Cardio

In the gym, stair steppers, arc trainers, and elliptical machines are good choices to challenge the glutes while giving your heart and lungs a healthy workout. Inline skating and cycling are other heart-pumping options that tone the tush.

Slim Your Assets

Targeted exercises alone are not likely to produce a smaller behind, just a firmer one. For a more dramatic change: watch your diet, burn more calories, and lose weight. That strategy can reduce the fat pad lying over the gluteal muscles, resulting in a tush that’s trimmer and tighter.

Can You Shift Your Shape?

There’s much talk in beauty magazines about a rounded, “Brazilian-style” butt. Targeted exercises can move a flat behind a little closer to this beauty ideal. But a workout will most likely enhance the shape you have: heart-shaped, pear, bubble, or another. For a dramatic reshaping, after a huge weight loss, for instance, cosmetic surgeons offer implants, lifts, and reshaping.

source:  http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/slideshow-build-a-better-butt

Q: I was very fit before I had my daughter. I did yoga at least three times a week and cardio at least twice a week. Now my daughter is a year old, and I can’t even find the time to put on my workout clothes. I keep meaning to get back into yoga, but work, baby, and husband seem to always come first. I have a stressful job in the finance industry, so working out is important to my peace of mind as well as my physical health.

A: WebMD consulted top fitness trainer Michele Thorington. Her advice for Bartalos? Don’t quit before you start. Women often put themselves at the bottom of the list, especially first-time moms. But you want to be fit, and you want your old workout routine and old body back yesterday.

In other words, even if you can carve out only five minutes during the day, set aside those five minutes and do something active. But don’t just wait for five minutes to show up — schedule it into your day like you do everything else. Five minutes is five minutes, and it all counts. Sometimes it can turn into 10, and then maybe into 15 if the baby goes down for a nap at the right time. The key is knowing you don’t have to do it all right away.

Postpartum Fitness — in Baby Steps

Start with one thing at a time, and your exercise routine will get back to where it was before. You have to be a little selfish. Commit to yourself, just a small amount of time at first, and see what happens. So, what should you do with those five minutes?

Strike a pose. Get a Mommy & Me-type yoga video (designed for babies who are not yet crawling) and hit the mat together. If you can, find a moms and kids yoga class nearby, and make that part of your special time together.

Bust a move. Turn on your favorite music and dance around the house. No holds barred — do the crazy moves you’d never try in front of friends. Just keep your heart rate up.

Take a walk. If it’s too cold, take the baby to the mall. Even if you’re not walking as fast as you would by yourself, you’re instilling a model of fitness for your child at a young age.

Go for the goal. Even a year after having a baby, your body composition is still changing, so wanting to look just like you did pre-pregnancy may not be realistic right away. Instead, set achievable goals: finish a short race, master a new yoga pose, or whittle an inch off your waist. Plan on a reward when you reach your milestone — treat yourself to a stylish new pair of pants or a grown-up night out. Then set a new goal.

Trade off. Get your hubby to watch the baby while you work out. Then do the same for him.

source:  http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/new-mom-heres-how-to-work-out-again