As women, we’re all equipped with body fat that insulates us from
root to tip. This is totally normal—healthy women typically have at
least 10% more
body fat than men do—but the trouble comes when we accumulate just a little bit
too much around the middle of our abdomens. The colloquial term for this phenomenon: love handles.
While small love handles aren’t anything to worry about, if there’s
too much of a good thing, the results can be quite unpleasant: the
dreaded muffin top starts to make an appearance. And nobody wants that.
Read on for five ways to work on lessening your love handles that
don’t totally suck. They neither require long visits to the gym nor that
you starve yourself; instead, they’re relatively painless exercises
that won’t eat up (pun fully intended) too much of your time or your
general joy in living. Will they make you sweat? Sure, but nothing worth
doing is easy.
1. Side Plank With Hip Dips
Starting from an upper-pushup plank position, bring your right hand
directly under your nose. Bring your feet together behind you, then roll
to the outside edge of your right foot and stack your left foot on top
of it. Lift your hand off the ground, so all your weight is balanced on
your right hand and edge of your right foot. Pull your belly in toward
your spine, then dip both your hips down until they almost touch the
ground. Lift them back up toward the ceiling. Repeat this movement 10
times on each side, and do three sets. This is a fantastic exercise for
your oblique muscles, those abdominal muscles that live on the sides of
your core.
2. Boat Pose With Twists
This one’s a move derived from traditional Pilates: sit on the floor and
lift your legs and feet away from the ground. Bend your knees at 90
degree-angles and lean your torso back about 45 degrees. Bring your arms
our long in front of you and press your palms together like a prayer.
(Your body should look like the letter “V,” but with bent knees.) Sit up
tall on an inhale, then as you exhale, twist your arms over to the
right until they touch the floor beside you. Inhale back to center, then
exhale to twist the other way. Repeat 25 times.
3. Plank With Knee Twists
Start in an upper-pushup plank position with your hands directly under
your shoulders, then come down to your forearms. Lift up your right
foot, extending your leg out straight behind you. Take a deep breath in,
then on the exhale bend your leg and bring your right knee to your left
elbow. Extend the leg back and place it down, then switch sides. Repeat
10 times on each side.
4. Leg Circles
Lie down on your back with your arms down by your hips, palm down. Pull
your lower abdominal muscles in toward your spine, then lift your legs
up toward the ceiling so your body forms an “L” shape. Pull your legs
down toward the ground over to right, but before they touch the floor,
bring them center so they’re hovering above the floor. Then pull them
over to the left, and back up to center toward the ceiling; your legs
should be making a big circle. Do it 10 times toward the right, then 10
times on the left.
5. Good Posture
Believe it or not, sitting up straight while you’re at your desk, having
lunch, or just walking around can significantly impact your love
handles. When you’re at your computer, for example, sit up tall and
gently pull your stomach muscles in toward your spinal column. This
slight, ongoing activation of your core muscles will help tone them
while also burning more calories a day. It’s a subtle change that can
make a big difference.
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