Mini Makeover for Your Butt and Gut!

Photo: cmaccubbin, Flickr

I have a pretty perky butt. No joke. I'm over 40, had a child a few years ago, yet my lower half is firm and cellulite-free. Freaky good genetics? Possibly, but I've been an exercise physiologist and fitness editor for 15-plus years, and I attribute my sculpted derriere to the fact that I've just written my 34th 'Get a Better Butt' story. Quite a career feat, sure, but for each new story, I interview industry experts, experiment with the most effective moves and glean insider's tips from top trainers, sports doctors and even super-fit celebs.

More good news: I've just written my 29th 'Get Flatter Abs' feature, and I've been teaching group fitness classes for more than a decade, so I typically have 75 human guinea pigs in my classes to try out my top moves and strategies! And while my six-pack is not as flat as it was five years ago, I have learned that diet and consistent training play crucial roles in managing your middle. Below, I offer my all-time best tried-and-true tips, tricks and exercises for transforming your butt and gut in six weeks or less--once and for all!

The Slower, the Better
When you do repetitions of any exercise, you naturally but unintentionally speed up in order to use momentum to make the move easier. Instead of doing an exercise like a plie or squat for, say, two counts up and two counts down, I pretend I'm doing it underwater and slowly come up using four counts and lower down for six or even eight counts. It hurts more (and works better) if you perform any move twice as slowly as you think you can.

Sneak in a Few Minutes
Make the most of those mini-breaks that accumulate throughout your day. I keep a set of ankle weights in my desk and strap them on without hesitation to do standing leg lifts during conference calls. I sit at my desk doing leg presses (leg extensions) while I interview fitness experts. Waiting in line at the bank or the movies becomes an opportunity to do half-squats and calf raises. While walking my dog at night, I do lunges and plies while he sniffs every tree in the neighborhood. Take advantage when no one's looking!

Feel It, Don't Count It
One of my all-time favorite fitness experts, Michelle Scharff-Olson, professor of exercise science at Auburn University, Montgomery, says doing a wide variety of exercises (five to six moves per ab or butt workout) is far more important than aiming for a set number of repetitions, such as 200 or 300. "Perform 15 to 20 perfect and controlled repetitions of each exercise, and then move onto the next one," she urges. Variety also means changing the routine every couple weeks, so you don't repeat the exact same moves each session.

These aren't your only options -- there are many other fabulous ways to de-flab your abs and get a shapelier butt.