The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day! (20 page)

• You can do a toe raise on pretty much any step or curb. Stand on a step with your feet slightly apart and drop your heels down below it.

B

• Then push straight up onto your tiptoes. Squeeze your calves at the top of the exercise to get the most benefit.

• Slowly lower your heels and repeat.

REPS:
Do 10 to 15.

TIP:
Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides to make it harder, but not more than 10 pounds total — calf muscles can tear easily.

WATCH LESS, WEIGH LESS

Shed pounds with the press of a button—the one marked OFF on your TV’s remote control. In a study, people who scaled back their daily viewing time by half (to 2½ hours, on average) burned 120 calories more per day by being more active than those who continued to watch their usual amount, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine. The average American clocks 5 hours of TV a day; halving that could help you lose 12 pounds or more in a year.

Single-Leg Squat

A

• Stand with your left foot on a step, with your right leg hanging behind you.

B

• Bend your left knee until your thigh is close to parallel to the ground, extending your arms for balance and pushing your hips and right leg back.

REPS:
Do 12 to 15, then repeat the exercise with your right foot on the step.

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65

Percentage of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgeries that result from a sports-related injury.

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Plié Heel Lift

A

• Stand with your heels touching, toes turned out and hands on your hips.

• With straight legs, lift both heels up off the floor.

B

• Keeping your heels lifted, plié by bending both knees slightly.

• Next, drop your heels down to the floor and roll them back up, still in the plié.

• Continue lowering and lifting your heels until you you can’t do any more.

REPS:
Do as many as you can with good form.

Lunging Stepup

A

• Grab a pair of 5- to 10-pound dumbbells and stand 2 to 3 feet from an exercise bench.

• Place your left foot on the bench.

B

• Drive your left heel down and pull your right leg up.

• Allow only the toes of your right foot to touch the bench.

• Lower your right leg first and then your left.

• Repeat, lunging up with your right leg. That’s 1 rep.

REPS:
Do 10 to 12.

THINNER INNER THIGHS WORKOUT

The thighs are a common trouble spot for women. Like your booty, if they’re bigger than you’d like, it might be a matter of buckling down and swearing off second helpings. Chances are, however, they’re also in need of some toning, especially in the hard-to-hit inner thigh area, which tends to go a little soft from disuse. The following routine includes single-leg as well as isolation exercises.

START HERE:

Do these moves one after another with no rest in between. Then repeat the circuit for a total of two times.

Lateral Reverse Lunge-Reach Combo

A

• Grab a pair of 10- to 15-pound dumbbells and stand with your feet together and your arms at your sides.

• Keeping your right leg straight and your toes facing forward, lunge to the left and lower your hips until your left thigh is parallel to the floor.

• Bend at the hips and lower the dumbbells so they’re on either side of your left calf.

B

• Return to center.

• Next, perform a reverse lunge, stepping back with your left leg.

• Bend at the hips and lower the dumbbells so they’re on either side of your right calf. Return to start.

REPS:
Do 12 to 15 and then repeat, lunging with your right leg.

Offset Squat

A

• Grab a 5- to 8-pound dumbbell in your right hand, hold it at your right side, and lift your right foot so you’re balancing on your left.

• Raise your right arm straight out in front of you until it’s at shoulder level.

B

• Squat down, bringing your left thigh as close to parallel to the floor as you can. (This is tough!)

• Pause for a second and then push back up to the starting position.

REPS:
Do 12, then work the other leg and arm.

Quadruped Hip Extension

A

• Get on all fours.

B

• Lift one leg behind you, keeping the knee bent at a 90-degree angle, until your sole faces the ceiling. Lower and repeat.

REPS:
Do 12 to 15, then switch legs.

SAVE YOUR KNEES

Active women are more than eight times more likely than active men to tear the anterior cruciate ligament—or ACL—in the knee. But you can protect yourself: Exercises that test your balance, like the offset squat shown on this page, are the most effective way to help prevent ACL injuries. Add single-leg balance exercises to your routine to strengthen the muscles that support your knee joint. Try this: Stand on your left foot with your right knee slightly bent and your right foot a few inches off the floor. Keeping your back straight, bend from your hips and touch your left foot with your right hand. Your right leg should go back behind you as you bend forward. Stand up straight and repeat for 10 to 15 reps, then do the exercise while balancing on your right foot.

Unilateral Lunge with Knee Balance

A

• Grab a pair of 12- to 15-pound dumbbells and stand with your back to a 12-inch-high step 2 to 3 feet away.

• Place your left toes on the bench and sink into a lunge.

B