The Only Move You Need to Whittle Your Waist

Dana Meltzer Zepeda,SELF magazine

Trendy peplum dresses and tops may not be the corsets of yore, but they definitely accentuate your waistline and hips. Throw the spotlight on your trim middle with a move that targets your whole core. (It works for skinny jeans, too!)

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All you really need is one great lower body toner to trim your tummy, says Klara Bella, a yoga and Pilates instructor at Zooga Yoga in Culver City, California. Incorporate this multi-tasking move into your regular routine 3 to 4 times a week to "work your deep core muscles and engage the oblique muscles, which will help slim down your waist."

Sideline Leg Lift

Lay down on the left side of your body, staying in a long line from the crown of the head to the toes. Stretch your bottom arm out and lay your head down. Bending the top elbow, place your top arm's palm on the mat in front of you.

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Keeping your big toe joints touching, flex your feet at the ankles. Lengthen through the inseam of the legs as you send the sit bones toward the heels to create space in your lower back. Draw your lower abdomen in toward the spine to stabilize it and stack the hips. Slide your shoulderblades down your back away from your ears as you draw the ribs in. Inhale, lifting the top leg a couple of inches away from the mat.

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Keep lengthening through your heels. Exhale, hugging the belly button to the spine and pull the ribs in towards each other as if you were wearing a corset. Lift your bottom leg to meet the top one.

Pause with no inhale. Firing from the belly, exhale even more. Lift both legs higher simultaneously and pause with no inhale again. Exhale even more, lowering both legs down and resisting the descent. Inhale. Do 8 to 10 reps then repeat on the other side.


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