Everyone wants to have a small waist and toned midsection but as we age, this becomes more and more difficult to achieve. One reason behind this is because of the hormonal changes that happen to our body that causes fatty deposits to lodge themselves in our belly. However, just because you are aging year by year, it doesn’t mean that you should be resigned to the fact that you cannot do anything about your midsection because you can still manage to lose fat in this area using the following exercises.
Reaching row. Hold a dumbbell in each hand then go into a split stance with your right foot positioned forward. Lower yourself into a lunge by hinging at the hips at a 45 degree angle while keeping your back straight. Reach your dumbbells towards your feet with palms facing toward the thighs. Bend your left elbow behind your body to pull weight in front of your shoulder. As the left arm reaches toward the floor, bend your right elbow to raise the weight toward your shoulder. This completes one rep. Do 12 reps on this side before switching foot.
Toe dip. Raise your legs as you lie on the floor. Your thighs should remain straight while your calves are parallel to the floor. Place your hands at your sides with palms pressing down on the floor. Engage your abdominal muscles as you press your lower back to the floor. On inhale, lower your left leg for a count of two, just moving at the hips with your toes dipping toward the floor but not actually touching the floor. As you exhale, bring your leg back up to the count of 2. Do the same steps with your right leg. Keep alternating your legs until you complete 12 reps.
Balancing triceps extension. Hold dumbbells in both hands and shift your weight to your right leg with your right knee bent slightly. Your left leg should be extended low behind your hip. Bring the dumbbells behind your head with your elbows close to your head. You can use only one dumbbell if you’re having a hard time with two weights. Engage your core muscles as you draw your left knee towards your hip as you extend your arms toward the ceiling. Go back to your first position without lowering your left foot unless you need to balance yourself. Do 12 reps before switching to the other leg.
Criss cross. Go to the same position as Toe dip with your hands behind your head and elbows to your sides. Curl upwards to raise your head, neck, and shoulder from the ground. While inhaling, bring your right knee and your left shoulder together by twisting your torso with your left leg extended towards the ceiling. On exhale, rotate towards the left to bring your left knee towards your right shoulder with your right leg extended to complete one rep. You need to do 6 reps while alternating sides.
Source: livestrong.com
