Woman – September 2005
Shape up at home!
Follow this 15-minute beginners' programme devised specially for Woman readers by personal trainer Laura Williams and you'll improve fitness without leaving your house…
Rules: Do the programme 3-4 times a week.
To really accelerate results, add in a further 20 minutes of aerobic exercise (eg, brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or skipping) three times a week.
1. 10 box press-ups: from an all-fours position, slowly bend your elbows and lower your upper body to the floor. Then straighten your arms and push yourself back up. When you're doing each press-up, take care not to arch your back as you lower to the floor.
Benefits: fantastic for batwing arms and firming a sagging chest.
2. 10 shuttle runs: run the length of a through room or your garden 10 times, as fast as you can (room and garden sizes vary, so aim for a 90-second burst at maximum intensity).
Benefits: overall toner.
3. Step-ups: do 2 minutes each with the left leg and right leg leading, as fast as you can, using your bottom stair as the step.
Benefits: great for backsides and backs of the thighs.
4. Squats: stand with your feet hip-width apart and bend your knees as you lower yourself to the floor. Try and get your thighs parallel to the floor, but take care to ensure that your knees don't come forward over your toes. To make it harder, try holding a Tesco Healthy Living Toning Ball (£3.47) - a bit more user-friendly than traditional hand weights.
Benefits: tones bums and thighs.
5. Modified cat arch: kneel on hands and knees with your back flat and take a deep breath in. As you breathe out, arch your back as high as you can and pull your tummy right in so it's working against gravity. Keep breathing deeply and hold the position for 15 seconds. Relax and repeat another 3-4 times.
Benefits: tones the stubborn lower abdominal area.
Or try... Lorraine Kelly's Walk Off The Pounds DVD (£14.24, Firefly) combines walking workouts with Pilates posture tips and is perfect if you have an aversion to aerobics.
To book a session or to find out how Laura can help you get into shape, email her at laura@laurawilliamsonline.co.uk
Or call her on 07712 001525.