Rear View

We all know that there’s no such thing as spot reducing, but there are exercises when done in conjunction with a healthy diet and aerobic activity that will help you look trim and toned from the front and back. The buttocks muscles help give your bottom its curvature and strength. However in some older people and those who lead a predominantly sedentary lifestyle, those muscles tend to be used less, which often leads to an accumulation of fat and/or a saggy bottom. Women especially have a tendency to store excess fat in their buttocks as well as in their hips and thighs. Aerobic exercise such as cycling, walking uphill, swimming and in-line skating, strengthens the gluteal muscles as well as burns fat. Your aerobic activity together with moves that target the gluteus maximus (the largest muscle in the buttocks) and the smaller gluteus medius will help lift and sculpt the entire area.
Apart from looking firmer, toned and strong buttock muscles improve posture, help protect the back from injury when you lift heavy objects and boost exercise and sports performance. Hamstring curls (standing/lying), lunges, rear and side leg lifts, and good old squats are the best exercises for shaping that troublesome area. Let’s talk about the correct way to squat. Assume the squat position-standing with feet slightly wider than shoulder distance, heels down, knees bent, and torso straight. Squeeze the gluteal muscles as you bend the knees 90 degrees, be sure to keep your abs in to maintain stability and balance, and keep the weight on the rear two-thirds of the foot not on the ball of it. Stay in the contraction, as you return to the standing position. Do three sets of 8. If you’re new to squats, try them using a chair as a prop. Stand in front of the chair, back of the legs just touching the chair and lower your body till you almost touch the seat, and then return to a standing position, employing the same technique for contracting the muscles.
Keep in mind that you should allow 48 hours between sessions to give the muscles a chance to rest, and always stretch afterwards. When you’re lifting, curling, and squatting, and you feel like you couldn't do another one if your life depended on it, think about your rear view. Even if the view from behind is pretty good you want to keep it that way. Stick with the program and you will see the results you want. That’s the bottom line. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one.

Article Source: http://www.bizpong.com

Sandra L. Garth was born and raised in Saginaw, MI. In 2005, she was a participant in CNN’s New You Revolution with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and successfully completed a lifestyle makeover that resulted in a fifty-five pound weight loss. At the onset of the program Sandra was limited in mobility due to several forms of arthritis. After losing weight and becoming physically active again she no longer requires prescription medication. Her story appears on the University of Michigan‘s MFIT weight management website. She holds a degree in Liberal Arts from Delta College. In 1996 Mrs. Garth obtained certification to teach group exercise and began a career as a fitness instructor. That same year, she became a member of the Lifelong Wellness Division at Delta College as adjunct faculty. In 1998 she was a recipient of the Lynn Heatley Award for Distinguished Service. Sandra currently resides in Bridgeport, MI with her husband Frank of twenty-nine years and their rottweiler Zeke.

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