Exercise Programs

I have recently put on a little weight after having lost a great deal due to illness. I have always been underweight for my age/height and have recently noticed cellulite and a bit of drooping around my thighs and butt for the first time. I don't feel that I need to lose weight, as I am finally in a healthy range, but I would like to tone my thighs and butt with an exercise program. What is the best way to do this without losing much of the weight that I have desperately worked to put on?

It's great you have realised that results are not all about weight loss! When it comes to exercise, factors such as improved muscle tone, feeling and looking good and improved health and fitness are as important as weight loss — but all too often these are overlooked in favour of what the scales say.

To focus an exercise program on the lower body, butt and thighs, you need to combine exercises which isolate this area and combine it with lots of cardio activity to burn calories and improve your overall fitness level and speed up your metabolism.

My three favourite exercises for the bottom and thighs are:

Split squat — stand with feet hip-width apart, long split stance, then descend until the leading thigh is parallel to the floor, ascend back to the start and change legs.
Try two to three sets of 10 lunges on each leg.
Lunge walking — stand with feet hip-width apart and take a large step forward, descend until leading thigh is parallel to the ground, push off the trailing leg and step forward onto the leading leg to the new start position. Maintain upright posture throughout.
Try two to three sets of 20 walking lunges.
Stair runs — choose a set of stairs with a minimum of 40 steps. Jog or walk to the top and repeat this three to eight times depending on your fitness level. Alternate between single and double stairs on different sets.

Don't forget to include your favourite outdoor activities such as cycling, swimming, jogging, fast walking, etc, and maintain a healthy low-fat diet with lots of fresh food.

Dean Piazza
Your Online Personal Trainer

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