Strength Moves
Strengthen your arms. Sit on your knees, keeping your back straight. Hold a 5 pound weight in each hand. Touch your elbows to your waist. Lift the weights by bending your elbows up, until the weights touch your shoulders. Slowly lower them. Going slow helps to build muscle faster. Do 3 sets of 20.
Strengthen your legs. Stand up with your feet more than shoulder width apart, so they are wide, but you still feel comfortable. You won't need your weights for this exercise (unless you really want to challenge yourself). Tighten your abs (stomach muscles), and jump. Land with your knees bent, feet together. To avoid hurting knees, try to land softly on your toes like a cat. Repeat with 3 sets of 15.
Tighten your chest. Put your arms out in front of you, and your legs behind you, like an upside down V. Tuck your head and keep your legs very straight. Bend your elbows like you're in a push-up, and duck your head forward so your toes are holding everything about an inch off the floor (very, very hard to explain). Do 15 total, or 3 sets of 5.
Strengthen your back. Lie on your stomach. Have your arms be straight out in front of you, as your legs are straight behind you. Lift your arms and legs off of the floor. Hold for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, increasing as you get better. Squeeze your butt muscles for a body blast! Do a total of 3 times.
Define and strengthen hips and waist. Lie on your back. Raise your legs so your thighs are going straight up, knees are bent, and calves are pointing away from you. Put your hands by your head, elbows pointing out. Touch your knees to your elbows. This also helps your abs. It's like doing crunches. NEVER put your hands behind your head as this will strain your neck and could lead to back problems. Do 3 sets of 15.
Firm your glutes. Glutes are the muscles in your butt. Lie on your back with your feet pressed on the floor. (your legs will look like an upside down V). Put your arms straight down, parallel to your body. Raise your hips, squeezing glutes. Lace fingers together under hips. Hold 2 minutes.
Tighten your calves. This is one of the easiest and best leg exercises. Stand with your legs slightly apart, but not too far out. Slowly rise on your toes and then come back down again. Do 3 sets of 20.
Harder Moves, Working More
Do up-downs. This move works your legs, shoulders, butt, and abs. Hold your arms out straight in front of you. Jog in place, doing high knees (you touch knees to hands) for 10 seconds. Drop in a 'frog crouch' position. Put legs behind you so you're in a push-up position. Jump straight up, into starting position. Do this 15 times at least. It should be one motion.
Perform leg raises. This one's a big abdominal workout! It stretches or hamstrings, too. Lie on your back with hands under butt, elbows bent. Raise your legs up straight above you, like an 'L'. Push feet towards ceiling, raising hips and butt off the floor (use your abs). Lower to start position. Do 15 reps.
Do frog sit-ups. Work your abs more for a strong, flat tummy! Get in a sit-up position, but with the bottoms of your feet pushed together, and your knees pointed out. Put your hands behind your head, and do a crunch. Do 15.
Don't forget cardio. Go outside. Go running/jogging. Take more walks. Ride your bike around.
Good Luck!
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