Top 10 anywhere leg exercises

At home or Anywhere Leg exercises

1. Calf raise and bounce

Stand up straight, holding on to a door handle or chair. Pull yourself up on to your tiptoes then lower yourself all the way down until you’re sitting on your heels. Then, when you have reached the ground, bounce on your heels four times. Slowly pull back up to a standing position. Repeat four times. Concentrate on using your legs to do the pushing: don’t be tempted to let the door handle take the strain.

2. Single leg raises

Still holding on to the handle, take the leg furthest from the handle and lift it out to the side, pausing in three places on the way up, about 15 cm (6 inches) apart each time, and then again on the way down. As you lift your leg, remember that the third stage is supposed to be the hardest. Swap sides. Repeat each side four times. Keep an eye on your posture throughout: don’t lean forward as you lift your leg and put it back down.

Outdoors

3. High skips

This is another good exercise to do when you’re out performing your walking exercises. Try skipping for a while instead of walking – it will increase your heart rate and will also give your legs a more strenuous workout. The higher you bring your knees, the more work they will be doing. Even though you will be raising your legs quite high, try to keep the skips fairly close together so that you can fit in the maximum number.

4. Bunny hops

You will need about 20-30 m (65-100 feet) of unobstructed grass in order to do this properly. Start on all fours, then jump your feet in so that they’re next to your hands, then spring your hands forward another length, bring your feet up to join them and so on. Aim to do around twenty bunny hops. This exercise will also give your arms a bit of a workout, but it shouldn’t be attempted if you have weak wrists: if in doubt, jump on the spot or skip instead.

In the gym

5. Leg curl

This exercise works the hamstrings (the muscles situated at the backs of the thighs). Your legs should be fully extended, ankles on top of a cushioned pad and your back at right angles to your legs. Slowly bend your legs so that you’re in a normal sitting position, pause, then return your legs to their outstretched staring position. Remember to exhale as you lift the weights and inhale as you lower them. The whole exercise should take around four to six seconds.

6. Leg extension

This works the quadriceps (at the fronts of the thighs). With your ankles secured behind the cushioned pad and toes pointing straight ahead, slowly extend your legs until they are stretching straight out in front of you, hold and then lower them back down. To get maximum benefit, go slowly and exhale as you’re lifting your legs up. Do as many reps as you can manage. After two or three sessions, see whether you can slightly increase the ‘hold’ when your legs are stretched out.

At work – under the desk

7. Leg lifts

Extend one leg so that it is parallel with the other knee. Flex the raised foot, then bounce the raised leg up and down. The smaller the movement, the more effective it will be. Aim for about twenty small bounces, then slowly squeeze the leg back to its original position and swap legs. To target the inner and outer thigh muscles, repeat the exercise but move your leg out to the side and back instead of up and down. For the inner thigh muscles specifically, turn your foot out to the side when you flex it; your ankle should be pointing towards the ceiling.

8. Lower leg stretches

Lift up your leg so that again it stretches straight out in front of you. Imagine you are pulling your foot back in towards your body, so that your heel is the most protruding part and your toes are almost pointing backwards towards your body. This should enable you to feel a strong stretch in your calf; make sure that this is a comfortable stretch for you. Now, keeping that stretch, point your toes forward and count to ten.
Repeat twice on each leg.

Stretches – anywhere

9. Yoga downward facing dog
Position yourself on all fours, your palms flat to the floor, slightly further apart than your shoulders, fingers spread wide. Your feet are on tiptoes. Your spine is arched and your head hangs towards the floor. Feel your spine lengthen and stretch out because of the weight of your head. Now, slowly lower your heels to the floor and feel the stretch all the way down your leg. Taking each foot in turn, lift the heels off the floor and then as it hits the ground again, lift the other foot off simultaneously. Stay like this, or with the heels flat to the floor, for a minute or so, or as long as is comfortable.

10. Yoga dancer’s pose

Standing straight, focus on a spot on the wall to help you balance. Lift your right arm, fingers pointing forward, until it is just above shoulder height, and lift your left leg out behind you, as far up as you can, until you can balance easily. It takes practice – focusing on a fixed spot certainly helps.

For a great leg workout, you need to warm up with some light cardio first. Walk, Run, or ride a bike for about 10 minutes to get the blood pumping and to loosen up. Stretch your legs out and get ready for the hard work to come.

Weight Loss Tips - Be Dedicated To Reaching Your Goals

Weight Loss Tips - Be Dedicated To Reaching Your Goals


Before you start your weight loss plan, you must be sure that you are dedicated to reaching the goals of your weight loss plan. You must be dedicated to making the gradual changes needed in your eating habits and your exercise routine. Be sure to put down in writing exactly what your goals are and that you are dedicating yourself to achieving them. Writing down your goals will give you an extra sense of obligation and also serve as a constant reminder as to what you are expecting to achieve. You can even create a contract with yourself promising that you will stick to your goals. Be sure to sign and date it!

Weight Loss Tips - Assess Overall Health Condition Before Starting

Weight Loss Tips - Assess Overall Health Condition Before Starting

Always be sure to take your age and overall health condition into account prior to beginning a nutrition, exercise and/or weight loss program. As we grow older, our bodies require different things depending upon our overall health and condition. Understanding what your body needs is crucial in creating and maintaining an effective weight loss plan. It is highly recommended to consult with your physician prior to beginning any weight loss plan. Also, by doing so, your physician can be one more person who can hold you accountable and encourage you to stick to your weight loss plan and overall routine.

Weight Loss Tips - Cook Healthy Meals At Your Home

Weight Loss Tips - Cook Healthy Meals At your Home

Cook meals at home as much as possible. Meals cooked in restaurants often contain hidden calories and bad fats as well as portion sizes that are too large. When you cook at home, you are in control of your meals contain and how big the portions are. This is extremely important since the name of the game in an effective weight loss plan is how many calories you consume and what types of calories they are. However, if you are going to eat out, be sure to ask your server to be sure to put all dressings on the side and to leave off any butter or other high calorie toppings.

3 Best Abs Exercises For Building That 6 Pack

3 Best Abs Exercises For Building That 6 Pack

In recent years there has been a revolution in the emphasis we place on our bodies. With all the diet pills, powders and potions on the market, it’s no wonder we are heavier as a nation than we have ever been in history. One of the things that we all seem to desire is a perfectly flat and well toned abdominal area. In this article we will briefly look at creating that perfect six-pack and the three best abs exercises.

There are primarily two reasons why we want to look good. Firstly we want to look good because it makes us feel good. When you feel good about your body it gives you an inner sense of pride and esteem for your ‘self’. Secondly, we want to look good to others because this makes us more attractive to them. In our culture there seems to be an emphasis on looking good and it is one of those things we value. A great body is something that is both valued and admired and looking good obviously makes you feel more ‘worthy’ and admired.

Well toned abdominal muscles (abs) or a six-pack, as it is commonly referred to, is in many ways a symbol of health and fitness. Mainly because it is probably the most problematic area of anyone’s body. We therefore value it highly and someone with six-pack abs must be incredibly committed, healthy, fit and strong – or at least that is the ‘hidden’ reasoning behind it and that is why you subconsciously want great abs. So, how do you get those great abs? Here are the three best abs exercises:

Best Abs Exercise #1 - Sit-Ups
This is the one that everybody seems to know about but the majority of people do wrong. Remember that the smallest adjustments can make all the difference and we want our workouts to be as effective as possible to get the most out of every minute we exercise. Here’s how to do proper sit ups:

Lie flat on the floor with your legs stretched out and your arms beside you. Lift your knees up by bringing your feet closer towards your body – about the distance from your heels to your carve muscle. Cross your hands over your chest and lift your body all the way up so that even your lower back lifts off the floor. Stay there for about 3 seconds and then gently lower yourself. Repeat about 20 of these in 3 to 4 sets, but don’t strain yourself – especially if you haven’t done it for a while. As you build your ab muscles you can start making it more challenging by sitting on an inclined bench or by holding a weight over your chest.

Best Abs Exercise #2 - Crunches
Once again, lying flat on your back, pull your legs towards your body slightly. With your arms crossed over your chest tighten your abs by ‘pulling’ your abdomen towards your spine as you inhale. Now lift your shoulders off the floor and don’t lift your body all the way up – you just need to lift your shoulders to tighten your abs. As you lift your shoulders you want to exhale. Stay there for about 3 seconds and gently lower your shoulders. In the lowered position you should relax your abs. Now repeat.

The key here is to focus only on your abdominal area as you do this. Flexing your abs and proper breathing is essential – remember that your breathing originates in your abdomen with your diaphragm. Repeat 10 to 20 times and do 3 to 4 sets of these.

Best Abs Exercise #3 - Leg Lifts
Your abs are a very important muscle group as it is a ‘pivot point’ in your body. With leg lifts we use this deliberately to tone our abs. Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and your arms beside you. Place your hands flat on the floor beside you and in this position, with your legs straight, lift your legs up as far as you can. Preferably your legs should be up in a 90 degree angle with the floor, but this might be difficult for some at first. Then, slowly lower your legs, but do not let your feet touch the ground. Repeat 10 to 20 times and do 3 to 4 sets of these.

These three exercises are by no means the only way to get great abs. In my opinion they are the best abs exercises, but you still have to combine them with proper cardiovascular exercise like running, swimming or cycling as it will help you loose weight while also targeting the abdominal muscles. And last, but not least, you have to control your diet. Fatty foods tend to ‘gather’ around the abdominal area which might make your workouts worthless.

Amazing Abs Exercises

Amazing Abs Exercises

Mix up your core routine with the moves that will get you a six-pack

Abdominal exercises themselves will not burn fat, but you want to strengthen your abs so they're there to show off when the fat does vanish. Build a strong core and your abdominals will pop out of your midsection the way Tara Reid pops out of a dress.

These abdominal exercises can serve as the ultimate abdominal reference manual, and we've also included new exercises. The best part about these exercises is that you can treat them like a good wardrobe—mix and match them, change them from workout to workout, try ones you've never tried before, and construct your own circuit from any of the exercises. All you have to do is follow these guidelines:

Work out your abs 2 or 3 days a week

Abs develop when they're at rest, not when you're working them. So working them every day doesn't give them a chance to grow and get strong. You will develop abs by working them two or three times a week. I'd recommend adding the ab circuit to the beginning of your strength-training workout. Saving them until the end of the workout means there's more possibility that you'll skimp and take shortcuts.

Pick different exercises every workout

There are hundreds of ways to work your abs, but you need to pick only five exercises each workout. The key is variety: Changing your routine doesn't allow your abs to get comfortable, so they'll continue to grow after each workout.

Do a circuit

In the first week of workouts, do just one set of each of your five exercises. (A set is 10 to 15 repetitions, depending on the exercise.) In the second and third weeks, do two sets if you'd like, but perform them in circuits—that is, do all of the exercises once before repeating any of them. After that, you can increase to three circuits.

Go slow

Each rep of an ab exercise should last slightly longer than Richard Hatch's fame—4 to 6 seconds. Any faster, and you run the risk of letting momentum do the work. The slower you go, the higher the intensity. The higher the intensity, the stronger the stomach.

Pick any five exercises from the following sections. Perform in a circuit with no more than 30 seconds of rest (1 minute in some cases)—one exercise followed by the next. Rest. After Week 1, repeat the circuit. Some exercises use such equipment as medicine balls, dumbbells, or cable machines—and with some of the more advanced moves, you'll need a partner. If you're just starting out, pick beginner exercises. As you progress (using a smaller number of repetitions or eliminating equipment) to get the feel of more advance moves.


Steam Engine

Stand with your hands behind your head. Touch your left elbow to your right knee by bending and raising the knee while crunching your left armpit toward your right hip. Return to the starting position and repeat to the opposite side, crunching your right armpit toward your left hip.

16-20 repetitions (Beginner)

Toe Tap

Lie on your back and place your hands behind your ears. Lift your legs until your knees are above your hips and your lower legs are parallel to the floor. Press your lower back against the floor and crunch forward until your shoulders are off the floor. With your toes pointed down, lower your right foot as far as you can without lifting your back off the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat with your left leg.

10 repetitions (Beginner to intermediate)

Seated Twist

Sit on the floor, your back straight but leaning slightly toward the floor, as if in the "up" position of a situp. Your knees should be bent 90 degrees, your feet about 15 inches apart and resting on the floor. (Your feet can either stay flat or you can raise your toes so that just your heels are touching the floor.) Hold a medicine ball close to your chest, rotate your torso to the left, and place the ball on the floor behind you. Rotate around to the right, pick up the ball, rotate left, and place it behind you.

16-20 repetitions (Intermediate)