Some days, it seems as if every fitness magazine promises in its cover story, to reveal "the secrets" to a "prettier derriere," as one publication delicately phrased it. I inevitably succumb to temptation, grabbing the magazine and flipping to the feature. And each time, the same advice is offered: squats and lunges.
Reality check: Squats and lunges DO help to reduce your rearand tighten and tone your lower body. But doing the same exercises over and over become boring. In addition, it's important to vary your fitness routine.
Want flatter abs? Leaner legs? A better butt? Let eDiets help you shape up and slim down with one of more than 20 personalized diet plans! Click here to get started today with a free diet profile!
Well, I've got my own secrets to improving your bottom line, and there are NO squats and lunges involved. My discovery: the right love-to-dance moves can also carve inches from your caboose!
My favorite boogie-for-your-butt exercises:
Square Dancing workshops or classes: "That's so corny!" you wince. Try it before you skip it. Square dancing burns almost 300 calories per hour, and time goes by amazingly fast when you're promenading and do-si-doing. No partner needed in most workshops or classes (check first). It's a great way to meet people, and you'll find yourself laughing as you sweat through some of the surprisingly fast-paced moves. Love it? Then you can join a club or group and even acquire your very own down-home square dance outfit (complete with wide skirt held out by layers of petticoats). And all that whirling and twirling definitely tones those glute muscles!
Jazzercise classes: I first tried Jazzercise in the 1990s. My manager at my new job was a fanatic about her three-times-a-week classes, and she insisted that I go with her. "You'll just love it," she promised.
I did love my job -- and the paycheck. So I went. Although "love" was not the right verb, I did become addicted to the lively music, encouraging instructor and whoops of the other women (plus lone male). This form of dance is one where your results depend on what you put into it. If you exert yourself and really jazz it up, you can burn as many as 400 calories per hour. Not so shabby. Part of the fun: Your group's members can range from late teens to early 90s!
RSS/XML
