Swimsuit season is around the corner, a time where us Phoenicians practically live in our swimsuits. There’s no reason to be anything other than totally confident in your swimsuit this season. With just a few quick exercises every day, your body will become more toned and swimsuit-ready in no time!
Featured below are five simple exercises you can do daily to prepare your body for swimsuit season.
1. Squats, squats and more squats!
Squats are a girl’s best friend. From basic squats, to jumping squats, to holding squats, there are an infinite amount of opportunities throughout the day to drop into a squat. Squats can be the perfect exercise to tone your butt.
Valley Girl Suggestion: Next time you’re brushing your teeth or reading a book, try popping a squat on a wall! In doing this, you’re not taking any more time out of your day to exercise. Instead, you’re just working in your exercise routine into your typical daily habits!
2. Lunges of all sorts
Lunges are also a beneficial exercise. With lunges, it’s possible to tone not only your butt, but also your legs!
Valley Girl Suggestion: Rather than sticking with ordinary lunges, try lunging while holding weights. This will also help exercise your arms, while making your squat that much more challenging and beneficial.
3. Ab exercises
Bye bye, muffin top! Ab workouts are the perfect workouts to do while at home. Next time you’re watching your favorite television show, try multitasking by working out your abs simultaneously. Ab exercises can be as simple as a sit up or as challenging as planks.
Valley Girl Suggestion: Our favorite ab exercise is the rowing man (image above). To do the rowing man, sit with your body in a V-like shape with your legs bent in the air and your back off the ground. Then, take a medicine ball and move it in the air across your stomach from one side to the other. This exercise works out both your abs and your obliques.
4. Outdoor Running
With so many running trails in the Valley, there’s hardly any excuse for avoiding some easy outdoor cardio! Running outdoors can be better than running on a treadmill for one big reason: it’s not boring! With your favorite running songs playing from your iPod accompanied by the beautiful Arizona sunsets and sunrises to set the scenery, your long runs will seem much shorter than a run would seem inside.
Valley Girl Suggestion: Try a fartlek. The name might be strange, but it is an excellent exercise to improve endurance! In a fartlek running workout, the runner will sprint for a few minutes (usually 2-3), jog for a few minutes in-between sprints (usually 5-7 minutes). This is typically done during your longest run of the week.
For the perfect formula for a manageable fartlek, read Active’s fartlek exercises.
5. Stretching
Whether though a yoga class, or a quick pre-workout or post-workout stretch, stretching is extremely useful to relax both your muscles and your mind.
Valley Girl Suggestion: Set time aside to stretch after every workout. Even if you’re running short on time, a good stretch will benefit you in the long run. Extending your muscles will keep them loose and prevent injury.
