I have had a series of stretching and strengthening exercises I’ve done since I was in High School.  During times of my life I’ve been either disciplined or lazy about doing them.  If I stop, for however long, I always start again.

I’ve also been a walker for many years.  You can do it anywhere, anytime, no matter where you are.  In a foreign country?  No problem.  On a business trip?  Yup – you can do that.  And all it takes is a decent pair of tennis shoes. 

Over the years I have tried to vary and change and morph how I exercise, incorporating new moves or new challenges into whatever routine I had, just to keep it interesting.  There are two exercises I have found to be the most effective for me in terms of raising the heart rate, helping me feel great, and taking inches off. 

These 2 exercises work for me.  They may not work for you, and of course if you have any health issues or problems you’ll want to check with your doctor.  These exercises take no equipment (though you could use some if you want to) and can be done almost anywhere.

The first is simple:  sit straight (in a chair, on a bench, on a rock – wherever) with your thighs horizontal to the ground and put your feet together.  Now hold your knees together.  Can you hold them together for a minute?  Good!  Now try pressing them together for a minute.  Can’t do a minute?  No problem.  Hold them as long as you can – 10, 15, 20, 30 seconds.  Now slowly relax.  Wait at least that long (10, 15, 20, 30 seconds) and do it again.  Do at least two repetitions.  You can do this at the dinner table, on a bus, on a train, at work, even watching TV (if you have the right seat).  Do this consistently, adding seconds and pressure, and the inches will melt off your thighs and you’ll gain muscle.  You can also get “thigh master” type of devices to help you do this, but honestly all you need to do is keep your feet and knees together, increasing the pressure and number of seconds as you are able to.

The second is also simple.  Jump in place.  Yup – that’s what I said.  Feet slightly apart.  Make sure you won’t hit anything.  Now jump up and down – getting your feet off the ground with each jump.  You don’t have to jump high or hard or fast – just jump so your feet are off the ground.  Do this for as many seconds as you can.  When you have reached your limit stop and slowly walk around to keep your muscles loose.  Makes you breathe hard, doesn’t it??  It is a great workout.  Do this consistently and add seconds as you feel you can handle them.  Now – I’m a big girl.  I have to hold onto my body when I jump, otherwise I hurt myself. So that is a caveat with that one.  And because of that I do this exercise in private.  You can also do this exercise with a jump rope.

When I do these two exercises they not only make me feel GREAT, but they help my balance and poise, and within a month I have lost inches from my waist and thighs.  I hope it works as well with you!