Long Bones

This one comes from the lovely fit Nelly Plum

Congratulations on your decision to lose weight and begin a more healthy lifestyle!

I would like to share a simple exercise that can be done at the gym or at home, even while you are watching tv. It requires no equipment, although it can be done with a stability ball. It is called a Bridge, or a Glute Bridge, and works both your abdominal muscles and your gluteal muscles, helping to build a strong core.

Lie on your back on an exercise mat or the floor in a bent-knee position with your feet flat on the floor. Place your feet hip-width apart with your toes facing away from you. Gently contract your abdominal muscles to flatten your low back into the floor. Imagine you are pulling your belly-button into the floor. Try to maintain this gentle muscle contraction throughout the exercise.

Gently exhale while holding your abdominal contraction and press your hips upward off the floor by contracting your glutes (butt muscles). At the same time press your heels into the floor for more stability. Keep your spine straight, not curved. Maintaining your abdominal contraction helps avoid excessive arching in your low back.

Inhale and slowly lower yourself back towards your starting position. Repeat 10 times, rest for 60 seconds, then repeat sequence. See if you can do three sets.

Try it with a stability ball. You may put the ball against a wall for more stability while you are learning this exercise. Instead of putting your feet flat on the floor, lie on your back with the backs of your calves on top of the ball, then proceed as above, pushing your hips up off the floor.