If you do these simple exercises and eat properly, the fat around your hips will melt off at a surprisingly fast rate.
For most women, they are often the “last thing to go” when trying to lose weight. But when you do the proper exercises and add certain foods to your diet, you won’t have to wait as long as you think to see results.
1. The Dead Bug
Lay on your mat on your back with your knees raised above your body with your knees bent and parallel to the floor, while your arms are extended straight above you. Activate your core muscles while you then straight out your right foot and simultaneously lower your left straight arm towards the ground, staying parallel. Repeat by alternating sides. You’ll know you’re doing it right by feeling the burn in your abdominals after just a few reps!
2. Double Criss-Cross
On your back again, bend your knees into your chest with your hands behind your head, or resting your fingers on your temples to avoid straining your neck. Bend your left knee into your chest as your right leg extends forward, nearly parallel to the floor as your right shoulder turns into your knee, crunching your shoulder and knee closer together. Alternate feet and arms per rep.
3. Pretzel Knee Crunch
Sit on your mat with your right leg bent in front of your body, with your right knee in front of your right hip and your right foot in front of your left hip, similar to sitting “criss-cross apple sauce”, and have your left leg in the same position behind you at about a 90-degree angle. Keep a flat back while hinging forward from the hips and touch your palms in front of your chest to balance. Lift your left leg off the floor by a few inches, trying to bring your left leg towards your right, trying to tap your left thigh to your left elbow. Repeat on other leg.
4. Elbow Plank Hip Rainbow
Assemble yourself into a forearm plank position, squeezing your abs tight and lifting your hips slightly above your shoulders. Rotate your right hip towards the floor, turning your feet onto their sides. Lift your hips lifting back to starting position. If you want to go for an extra balance challenge, lift your arm opposite to the one you are planking with into the air, and if you are feeling even braver, lift up that top foot and hold in the air.
5. The Swimmer
Lay on your belly with your arms and legs extended above you and behind you. Inhale to grow your spine and lift your chest, arms and thighs off of the floor, pushing energy through your heels and finger tips, hovering above the mat. Look towards the ground to keep your neck from straining. Rest down towards the mat, and repeat this action for desired repetition count.
6. V-Ups
They’re exactly what they sound like. Lay flat on the ground and extend your arms and legs straight. In a single motion, as you exhale lift your shoulders and legs off of the ground and bring your finger tips and toes to meet, or try if you are not as flexible just yet. Do not curl your spine, but keep your body in a V-shape. Lower yourself back down, and repeat as many as desired.
7. Fire Hydrants
You might feel like a dog lifting up its leg to take a wiz – hence the name, fire hydrants. Get in table top position (on your hands and knees) with a neutral spine. Lift your right leg directly towards the ceiling as it maintains its natural bend from being in table top. Repeat that motion and lower down slowly to create a burning sensation in the side of your rear. Toning up your gluts will wipe away that muffin top before you know it.
8. Tabletop Side Kicks
Stay put in table top, and this will be an easy transition. Instead of lifting your leg upwards, you cross it behind your leg still in table top form, almost tucking your knee under your planted leg’s knee, tapping your toe on the ground. Then, with your core engaged, slowly kick out this leg parallel towards the floor and to the side.
9. Knee Russian Twists
Find anything heavy in your vicinity and use it as a weight to hold in between your hands. While on your knees, tighten your core area while you lean backwards, maintaining a flight back holding your weight above your chest in between your hands. Take the weight over to your left side, twisting your midsection, crunching deep into your core muscles to scare that muffin top away. Twist over to the opposite side. Repeat until you can’t do anymore.
10. Plank Jacks
Find a surface that is a little bit above the ground, above half a foot or so. Place your feet on this surface and assemble into a plank position with your forearms on the ground. Tighten your stomach muscles and jump your feet off the elevated surface and onto the floor, legs wide. It looks similar to the motions of a jumping jack, except your arms stay in a forearm plank position. Jump your feet back onto your elevated surface, and repeat like jumping jacks. Try to hold the rest of your body still while your feet and legs are working to burn the fat from your muffin tops.
