Natural Health October 2017

FITNESS & Weight Loss
try these moves created by Melissa
Miller, the owner of M2 Personal
Training, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Do
the series two times through, three times
a week.
Move 1: Warm-Up: Ab Prep
Lie on your back with your knees bent,
feet flat on the floor. Inhale and tuck your
chin to your chest. Exhale and slowly curl
just your head, neck, and shoulders off
the floor as you lift your arms and reach
toward your feet. Pause and breathe
in. Slowly return to the starting position,
breathing out as you go. Repeat
eight times.
Move 2: Roll Up
(A) Lying on your back, stretch your
arms and extend your legs so you form
a straight line. Inhale, bring your arms
overhead, and begin to curl your upper
body off the floor. (B) Exhale when
halfway up and continue rolling forward
to reach your toes. Inhale and reverse
the move, exhaling halfway down, to
return to start. Repeat 10 times.
Move 3: Leg Drop
(A) Raise both legs toward the ceiling.
Breathe in and tighten your abs. (B)
Exhale and slowly lower your legs until
they’re about four inches above the
floor (or as low as you can go without
lifting the small of your back). Pause and
breathe in. Breathe out as you raise your
legs to the starting position. Repeat
10 times.
Move 4: Scissors
Raise both legs toward the ceiling.
Keeping them straight, lower your left
leg until it’s about six inches off the floor.
Lift your head and shoulders off the floor
and grasp the back of your right leg,
gently pulling it toward you. Switch
legs and repeat on other side. Quickly
complete 10 reps (no pausing!).
Move 5: Hip Lift
Raise both legs toward the ceiling and
extend your arms on the floor at your
sides, palms down. Inhale and tighten
your core muscles. Curl your hips toward
your ribs as you exhale, lifting your
hips off the floor and reaching your
feet straight up. Breathe in as you slowly
lower. Repeat 10 times.
Move 6: Torso Twist
(A) Sit cross-legged and stretch your arms
out in front of you, with your fingertips
touching. Breathe in. (B) With your hips
square and abs tight, breathe out as you
slowly rotate your upper body about 45
degrees to the right. Return to the center
and repeat on your left side. Complete
10 reps
Stronger Triceps in 15
Minutes
The Routine
To tone up the undersides of your arms
(good-bye, wiggle), use this routine
created by Alden Mills, a former Navy
SEAL and a personal trainer in Mill
Valley, California. Each move sculpts
your triceps and the surrounding
muscles. Aim for 12 to 15 repetitions of
each exercise and three sets.
Move 1: Standing Wall Push-Up
Standing at arm’s length from a wall,
extend your arms so your hands are
flat on the wall at shoulder height, with
your thumbs touching each other. Inhale
and, in one movement, press your body
toward the wall as if doing a push-up.
Exhale and push back to the original
position, keeping your elbows close to
your sides throughout.
Move 2: Triceps Dip
Sit on the edge of a chair or a bench
with your knees bent and your hands on
the bench, positioned wider than your
hips. Lift your rear up and shift it toward
your feet. Bend your arms to lower your
body slowly, then lift back up, keeping
your elbows as narrow as possible. For
more of a challenge, straighten your legs
out in front of you.
Move 3: Biceps Curl With Triceps
Squeeze
Hold a light weight (about five pounds)
in each hand, with palms up and arms
at your sides, then slowly raise the
weights to your shoulders for a biceps
curl. When your hands are at your
shoulders, contract your triceps, then
rotate your wrists, so your palms face
out, away from you, and slowly press
the weights down. Once your arms
are straight, slightly lift them up, behind
and away from you, and squeeze your
triceps again to finish the move.
Natural Health * October 2017 VOL 84
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