Toning up simplified!(HEALTH +)

If getting into shape features on your list of resolutions in this new decade, you've made the right choice. But remember, it's not just about losing excess weight, toning up is equally important for that perfect body. In the bid to 'drop the kilos', however, many people end up neglecting some of the key body parts like the legs, arms and back. Here are some easy tips to help get these into the desired shape.


For the legs:
What's a perfect figure without a pair of well-toned legs to flaunt? And though getting them is indeed quite a task, the praise you receive is well worth the efforts. Squats, lunges and jumps are some of the best exercise options for toning up the legs. There are countless varieties of squats, done with or without weights, that you can implement.


Lunges, though a tad more difficult as they involve stability and concentration, are an excellent way to tone the glutes, hamstrings, and quadricep muscles. Jumping off the ground with both feet and landing on a surface that is a few inches or feet off the ground is a great way to stimulate more muscle fibres in the glutes and quadriceps.

For the arms:
To give your arms the best workout, a combination of both bicep and tricep exercises is the best option. Use a variety of upper arm exercises in different combinations to develop your upper arms. Using free weights, arm exercising machines, and different upper arm exercises with body weight will also go a long way in ensuring a good workout for your arms.
You can also perform almost any exercise for your upper arm muscles in a seated, standing, incline bench or lying down position.


For the shoulders:
Apart from giving your upper body an eye-catching shape, strong shoulders also lowers one's risk of injury. One of the best ways to tone up this body part is by doing exercises like side raises, push-ups, especially those done in a vertical position against a wall and using free weights. For increased effectiveness, do the exercises in a slow and steady pace.

For the back:
One can't emphasise enough, the importance of having a strong and healthy back. From a fashion point too, a toned back is indeed a much appreciated feature especially for all you ladies who love your backless dresses, low cut cholis and the likes. For the back, indulge in exercises like rows - dumbbell rows, one-armed rows, seated rows, barbell rows, etc. Pullovers and the reverse fly are a good option to workout the lats, triceps and the chest. And don't forget the lower back. For this part, perform support extension exercises including extensions on the ball and the reverse hyper- extension on the ball.


For the stomach:
It's probably one of the most problematic areas on a person's body and anyone serious about getting their body in perfect shape is obsessed with flattening it. What? The stomach, of course. Apart from the various forms of sit ups, abdominal crunches and the likes, deep breathing combined with abdominal contractions is a very effective way to firm, tone and tighten the abdominal area.