January is coming to an end soon and one of our New Year’s resolutions is to be fit. Staying fit requires patience more than passion because the results do not show immediately. And as the warm season approaches, all we wanted to do is to show off our well-toned legs in a pair of shorts. So, how do we get the well-toned legs? The experts dished out their secrets and tips for leg-toning and it can be done easily at home and even in the office. Without further ado, here are the 5 quick and easy leg toning exercises!
1. Squats
Stand with your legs slightly wider than your shoulder width and place your arms on the front. Bend your knees and lower down your body without leaning forward. Make sure the knees don’t go past your toes. Hold the position for five seconds and then straighten your legs again. Repeat the movement and do it 10-20 times per day.
2. Hip Flexion
Sit upright in your chair and rest your arms on the arm rest. Bend your left knee slightly more than 90 degrees and slowly lift your leg up with the knees driven towards your chest. Hold the position for three to five seconds. Lower your body back to the original position. Repeat the movement for 20 times per day.
3. Front Lunges
Stand with your feet within the shoulder width apart and put your hands on your waist. Gaze fixed on a spot and take a giant step forward with your right leg and lower down your body. Make sure your left knee is just a few inches off the floor. Push your body back up to your standing position and repeat the movement using your left leg. Repeat the exercise until you start to feel the tiredness.
4. Calf-Raise
This movement is fairly easy to do but you must make sure that all movements are slow and controlled. To get this started, raise yourself on your toes (less than 45-degree angle) and hold it for one or two seconds. Slowly lower yourself down to the standing position. Feel free to hold onto a wall for balance. For a better result, hold a dumbbell is each hand with palms facing in.
5. Ballet Plies
One of the reason the ballerinas had lean and toned legs is because of this exercise they had to perform in every ballet practice. First, hold onto the back of a chair or a bar with one arm and stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Make sure your back are straight and your toes are pointed out as you lower your body down into a squat. Hold the position for three seconds and rise back up. Repeat the move 10-15 times per day.
6. Walking
That’s right. Apparently walking can also gives you a pair of lean and toned legs. There are many opportunities for us to walk and it can help you save money at the same time. Walk 30 minutes every day and you can do it separately too.
Source: Fitday