Summer time is right around the corner, and…. (Of course) you already know there isn’t any need to shop for shorts or cute skirts, because once again you’re going to be wearing pants and Capri’s all season long. Or maybe you’re that woman who lets it all hang out, either way there is help ladies!! For starters let’s be realistic, cellulite or thunder thighs (which ever you prefer) is a hard thing to get rid of, and walking a mile around the track just isn’t going to cut it.

First let’s start with a balanced diet and a good walking regimen (maybe 2 miles, 2 to 3 times per week). Then you should try an incorporate some toning exercises, a simple weighted resistance band should do the trick.

1 For a quick and easy exercise for home try this:

2 Standing with feet staggered

3 Put the left foot in front of the right

4 Place band under left foot and grip handles, place arms in front of thighs, with palms forward

5 Bend your knees and sink down into a lounge as you curl the handles to your shoulders

6 Return to start—you should do at least 8 to 12 reps, switch sides then repeat.

Quadriceps Stretch: The quadriceps is the muscle in the front of the thigh, important for lifting your knees and increasing your speed. It is the “quads” that often go at the end of marathons, causing runners to come shuffling across the finish line because they have a hard time lifting their feet off the ground. To do this exercise while standing, simply grab hold of a stationary object for balance with one hand and use the opposite hand to grasp the leg around the ankle, lifting it toward your buttocks. Pitchford points out several form faults: “You want to keep your back straight and not allow the knee to drift forward ahead of the stance leg. A lot of runners slouch forward, which effectively negates the stretch’s effectiveness.”

An even more effective way to do this exercise, however, is lying on a bench, using a towel wrapped around the ankle to pull your foot toward your buttocks. You should position yourself on the edge of the bench with the foot of your dangling leg forward, knee bent, leg relaxed. As with the other stretching exercises, hold each stretch for 10 seconds and repeat as many as 10 times for each leg.

The following stretches can keep your neck muscles flexible and strong. A regular neck exercise program can help relieve stiffness and muscle tension.

Tilt From Front to Back

* Tilt your head slowly back, far enough so you can look up.
* Hold posture for a moment.
* Return slowly to front position.
* Do 5-10 repetitions of this exercise 3 times a day.

Tilt From Side To Side

* Keep your head straight as you slowly tilt it over to the side.
* Don\’t go so far that you touch your ear with your shoulder.
* Hold posture for a moment.
* Return your head to center position.
* Move your head to your opposite shoulder.
* Do 5-10 repetitions of this exercise three times a day.

Rotate Head From Side To Side

* Slowly turn your head as far as you can.
* Hold posture for a moment.
* Return your head to the center.
* Move your head in the opposite direction.
* Do 5-10 repetitions of this exercise 3 times a day.

Side Resistance

* Hold one hand against the side of your head.
* Use your hand to resist the movement as you try to touch your shoulder with your ear.
* Hold this posture for a count of 5.
* Relax and repeat on opposite side.
* Do 5-10 reps of this exercise 3 times a day.

If you are looking to tone up and strengthen the muscles in your calf and your lower leg, then calf raises are the best leg exercise you can do. The calf muscle is important for supporting your leg during other exercises like walking and running. It can be easily pulled too, so it needs to be strong.

Adding the calf raise to your routine should be easy. When you are ready to start, you will want to grab a chair, so you can balance yourself during the calf raises. Also, you need to be able to move your leg smooth. Too erratic and you are going to make yourself uncomfortable and the exercise ineffective. It’s not bad to do this exercise slowly, especially if you are unsure of your balance and your leg strength. Keep your own pace and do as many as you can. Here’s how to do it:

* Position yourself behind the chair with both hands on the chairback. This will keep you balanced.

* Keep those legs straight.

* Lift yourself onto your toes, while keeping your heels off the floor. Make sure you’re comfortable.

* Hold that position for a few seconds.

* Lower your heels to the floor. This should put you back in your starting position.

* To make the most of this exercise, repeat it 5-10 times. As you get comfortable, increase the number.

If you are on the computer a lot, you may end up having some trouble focusing your eyes. If you want to take care of this problem, you are going to need to do some exercises to strengthen your eyesight. Here are some ways to do that.

* First, go outside, where you can look in the distance for about a mile. You don’t need to make it out clearly, just enough to work on your focusing muscles. You want to look at items of different distances.

* Look at something close to you, about three feet will do. Try to focus on it as clearly as you can.

* Then look at something about 30 feet away and try to focus on that as clearly and detailed as you can.

* Now look about a block away. How clearly can you focus on that.

* Finally, look at something as far away on the horizon as you can. Can you make that clear and detailed by really focusing? Good.

Now return to the closest point again.

What you want to do is go through these four steps several times a day. This will keep your focusing muscles strong, no matter what else you look at throughout the day.

Barbell exercises are ideal for putting on size. However, range of motion is limited, so to compensate, use different bench angles (incline and decline) and grip widths to work the entire chest region.

1. FLAT-BENCH BARBELL PRESS (entire chest, anterior deltoid, triceps) Lie on a flat bench with your feet on the ground. Position yourself so the bar is directly above your eyes. Grasp the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width and extend your arms upward. Lower the bar slowly until your upper arms are roughly parallel with the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat.

2. DECLINE BARBELL PRESS (lower chest, anterior deltoid, triceps) Lie on a decline bench set at a 30- to 45-degree angle. Grasp the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width and extend your arms toward the ceiling. Lower the bar slowly to a point right below your nipples until your upper arms are roughly parallel with the floor. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

Now to the butt. The rear. Gluteus maximus. Anyway you say it; this is a VERY important group of the largest muscles in your body! These muscles make your legs move, and allow you to bend over and pick up things without falling on your face! Throw in the fact that GRAVITY is constantly pulling these muscles down to the floor, we HAVE to do buttock exercises. Here\’s the good news: They don\’t have to be hard. Here are two of the easiest butt exercises we know.

The No. #1 exercise for the butt is the squat. It is so simple to do, as follows, anyone at any age or condition can do it:
Stand in your kitchen. Hands on the counter for balance. Squat down slowly. Go up slowly. Do 10 times, do every day. This combines stretching with muscle tightening. Doing it with a weight of any kind where you squat down is rapidly going into Negative resistance.

Exercise No. #2: Standing at the same kitchen counter top. Put one foot back a bit, keeping the foot firmly on the floor. Press forward, FEEL the back of your calves and thighs tighten up. Do the other leg. Do each leg two times. Do each day. Loosens up the tight muscles that run from the butt down to the back of the ankle.

There is a right and a wrong way to do breathing exercises before starting the rest of your exercise program. Let\’s talk briefly about when and how to do them.

Breathing exercises are helpful if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Breathing exercises also can reduce symptoms caused by anxiety and stress. Anxiety and stress increase the heart and breathing rates, and increase the body\’s demand for oxygen. Learning to control your breathing rate is a big benefit. Breathing exercises can improve your performance during physical activity, as well. You may be asked to do breathing exercises before and after abdominal, heart, or lung surgery. The exercises help prevent pneumonia when you are not able to get up and move around easily.

So how should you do your breathing exercises?

A nurse or therapist can teach you the right way to do the breathing exercises. You will learn to focus on a particular area and not use your neck or shoulder muscles. You can exercise at home. Learning in front of a mirror is useful. You should try to do each exercise recommended by your health care provider 10 times a session, 3 or 4 times a day.

People who are serious about their workout regimen place development of the abdomen at the top of their priorities–nothing like working on that coveted “six pack,” right? One of the best exercises for the rectus abdominus is called the Bike Crunch. This is not just our opinion, but has been found to be one of the top abdominal routines by researchers. Here\’s how the Bike Crunch works: Place a mat or something soft on the floor, then lie down flat on it, with the lower back against the ground. Your hands should be beside your head. Now bring the knees up to a 45 degree angle and slowly go through a motion as if pedaling a bike. Be sure to breathe evenly throughout the exercise. Do this for several minutes until you feel a good tension in the abdomen and legs. This exercise several advantages. This is a good choice to begin your abdomen workout, as it not only works this area, but gets the heart beating and oxygen flowing as well. Chief among them is its “portability.” That is, there is no equipment involved, and so, you can do it at any time, almost anywhere you happen to be–even at the office!