photo credit: sirmightymac

Every woman wants to look great in a mini skirt. Most of the time we get a little pang of jealousy when we see another girl walking past in one that we wish we could fit in to. But those toned and tight legs and butt are achievable. In this post I am going to give you a few cardio, diet and exercise tips to make it happen.

How to look great in a mini skirt

Looking great in a mini skirt does not just happen over night. It takes weeks and months of hard work and discipline. The reason most women don’t achieve this is because they give up too early. If you can work hard for about two months you will start to see dramatic results.

We need a three pronged approach to get that great body:

• the right cardio;
• the perfect diet; and
• the best resistance exercises

I have divided this post up into those three sections so you can digest the information easily. Remember, it takes hard work and mental discipline. It is not a quick fix. There is no such thing.

The right cardio for toned legs and a round butt

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So what sort of cardio should we be doing if we want to look good in a mini skirt? The answer is simple: high intensity. High intensity cardio will get you results faster.

Why high intensity?
If you have been reading Free Women’s Fitness for a while now you will know that high intensity cardio burns more calories than low pace running and walking because it continues to burn calories after the session is finished. Your heart rate gets boosted so high you speed up your metabolism for a long time.

What exercises are good?
We want to target the butt, hamstrings, thighs and calf muscles especially and as such we should be doing exercises like sprinting, hill runs, kickboxing and other forms of exercise that target the lower body.

How often?
You should be doing cardio at least four times a week for at least two months. After that you can scale back or move into something less stressful on the body. However, hitting your body with a good dose of high intensity work will do you wonders.

The right diet for that mini skirt goal

photo credit: quinn.anya

The next (and most important) element is the diet. If your diet is lacking in any way you simply will not lose the weight or tone the legs. Why? It is simple: it takes an hour to burn 200 calories on the treadmill but it takes 30 seconds to eat that many calories. So, if your diet is out your exercise will be fighting an uphill battle.

What to eat?
The most important thing you need to know is that an all natural diet is the best. You should try to avoid any food or drink that is man-made or processed. This means avoiding bread, refined sugars, pasta, etc. You want to stick to foods that are natural, organic and good for you. Here are some foods for weight loss.

How often?
As you all know, timing is almost as important as the stuff you eat. If you eat three big meals a day your body is going to get weighed down and your metabolism will slow. However, if you eat a small meal every three hours your digestion will be cranking and helping you to burn energy. Did you know that the very act of digesting food burns calories? Why not keep it digesting small amounts instead of letting it all get converted into fat.

The best exercises for that mini skirt figure

photo credit: Jessa9

There are actually a few things that women seem to ignore when training for that mini skirt figure. One of those things is that heavy weights are actually good for you. They won’t make you bulky but they will burn calories and help you to tone those muscles.

Types of resistance exercises
The best types of exercises you can do if you want to tone your legs and butt are ones that involve many muscles at once. These are called compound exercises and include the jumping squat, the squat, lunges, hill sprints, etc.

How to do them?
All exercises should be done slowly and with perfect technique. Why? Because this way you rely on your muscles to do the work and not your momentum. Momentum is easy. Pushing is hard work. This burns calories. Make sure you learn how to do the exercises really well before you hit the heavy stuff. Injuries last a long time.

How often?
For the first two months you should hit the gym (or living room!) every day that you aren’t doing cardio. This is a perfect routine as it should give you enough recovery time whilst still doing the amount of work that you need to do.

Bonus tip: Work the shoulders
Did you know that the perfect hour glass figure is actually an illusion created by the shape of your upper body as compared to your lower body? If you build up your shoulders more it will make your waist appear thinner and as such your mini skirt much sexier. If you want to look amazing in that short skirt you should work your shoulders with military presses, push ups and so on.

Conclusion

In just two short months you will feel more comfortable in that mini skirt. All you have to do is the right cardio, resistance exercises and food. Please don’t give up before the results start to happen. Push through the mental pain barrier and achieve the body you have always wanted.

photo credit: Aym Neutron

I recently heard a fitness expert on the television (I can’t remember who) talking about how you can lose weight, tone up and get fit in two minutes. I was, needless to say, extremely skeptical. But I kept listening and as they went on they began to make more sense. In this post I am going to show you why I think a two minute workout is what a lot of women need.

How does the two minute workout work?

Okay so it isn’t actually just two minutes of working out. It is several sessions of two minutes spread out over the course of the day. And I have to admit, I really love this idea. All you have to do is set aside two minutes for working out, four or five times a day, and you have a really potent workout.

Why is the two minute workout a good idea?

So now you are probably wondering why I like the idea of doing a two minute workout several times per day. Well here are a few reasons:

• It is convenient
  I cannot remember the last time I said to myself, “I have a spare hour to hit the gym”. I am so busy. However, I can find two minutes here and there because it really is not a lot of time. I could do it while I wait for the kettle to boil or before a shower at night. Its easy.
• It elevates your heart rate many times during the day
  The idea with this workout is that it gets your heart rate up at several points in the day. As we know, short bursts of high intensity exercise are much more effective for burning fat than the traditional hour of walking or jogging. This idea gets you doing several sessions of high intensity exercise throughout the day. The result? You burn a lot of calories and keep your heart rate up even when you are sitting still.
• It is diverse
  All we are doing is two minutes of intense exercise. This means you can be creative. You might want to sprint around the block as fast as you can. You might want to do sets of squats and push ups. You might want to go for a run up the office stairs. It doesn’t matter. As long as you are working hard for that two minutes you are going to lose weight.

Tips for this workout

One important tip that you should attempt to remember is the fact that you will burn more calories if you work your larger muscle groups, or multiple muscle groups at once. Try to pick exercises that hit several different areas at once as opposed to just doing ab crunches or bicep curls. Squats, pushups, sprinting, skipping, etc. are the perfect choices.

Conclusion

I am not saying that this strategy is a perfect replacement for a good session of exercise. But, if you aer finding that more and more of your days go by without doing any exercise then you might want to try this method. It could really help to kick start your new looking body.

photo credit: adifansnet

The squat is the queen of all exercises. It will help you tone your legs and butt and it will help you lose weight extremely fast. Every single woman should be doing squats on a very regular basis. In this post I am going to talk a little bit about squatting and show you how to get the most out of it.

Why are squats so good?

The main reason squats are so good is because they target a large number of muscles all at one time. This is called a compound exercise and it is very effective at burning fat and toning muscles. When you do a squat you will be working your:

• glutes (butt)
• hamstrings
• thighs
• calf muscles
• abs
• back

Imagine all the calories that get burned doing this kind of exercise as opposed to an exercise that only works one or two muscles at a time. It is for this reason that all women should be doing squats on a regular basis.

How to tone your butt and legs with the squat

The squat is fantastic because there are so many variations of it that you can do. And when you change your exercise style you shock your muscles and prevent them from reaching a plateau. This is a very good thing. Here are a few ways you can use the squat to lose weight and tone your legs and butt.

1. Slow them down
Super slow squats are extremely hard to do. When you slow an exercise down you force your muscles to do all the work as you take gravity out of the equation. When you do exercises super fast you rely too much on the momentum. Slowing down is a great way to up the intensity.

The best way to do this is to take a weight and place it on your shoulders or hold it in your hands. Slowly squat down to a count of five and then slowly rise up to a count of three. Make sure you feel all the muscles working and really focus on tensing them. This will bring you excellent results.

2. Use jumping squats
It seems as though I write about jumping squats every five minutes on this blog. But there is a reason for that – they work. I love them. Jumping squats are one of the best exercises you can do if you want to change the shape of your body.

Basically, start with your left foot flat on the ground and your right knee touching the ground next to it. Then use your left leg to spring into the air as high as you can. Mid air, swap your legs so that you land in the opposite position and then repeat without taking a break.

Check out this post on jumping squats for more details and benefits. I really encourage everyone to try them out as regularly as you can.

3. Add weight
If you were to lift a pencil up and down 100 times do you think it would do anything? Nope. But what if you lifted a 5kg dumbbell 20 times. Would that do something? Of course. If you want to make progress with your figure you need to add weight.

The best way to add weight to squats is by using a squat rack and adding a barbell to your shoulders. I see women at the gym doing this all the time – the real dedicated ones have amazing legs. Each week you should try to add a few pounds so that your legs and butt do not get used to the work. Try to keep them progressing as often as possible.

When doing weighted squats your technique is vital. If you do not squat properly you can hurt your back, legs or hips. The knees are particularly vulnerable. I suggest you read as much as possible about the squat before trying it. Never go below parallel and always get a personal trainer to watch you do it at least once.

Conclusion

Squats really are the best thing you can do if you want to change the way your legs and butt look. Start out slowly with a few sets and reps and gradually increase to higher levels by adding more weight and intensity. I guarantee you will see results faster than you expect.

photo credit: g_kat26

What you drink during the day can have almost as much an effect on your weight as what you eat. If you drink two or three cans of Coke a day you are going to gain weight. Its simple. So what should you be drinking when trying to lose weight? Here are a few ideas.

1. Green Tea
Green tea is, without a doubt, the best thing a woman can drink when trying to lose weight. It should be a part of everyone’s daily intake and it should be drunk many times per day. As you will see in the post linked to above, green tea can reduce your chances of getting cancer and it can actually help you to burn calories. What a wonderful drink.

2. Water
You knew this was going to be in here! Boring old water. Well, the truth is, we need to learn to love it. Water is the basis of all life on Earth and we need it to stay hydrated, healthy and awake. It is a good idea to drink a tall glass of water every time you have a meal. This will help you flush out a lot of toxins and help keep your appetite suppressed.

3. Milk
Milk is not often thought of as a good drink for weight loss. But, in reality, milk is a very valuable drink for all women. Not only does it contain a lot of calcium, it has a lot of protein which can help you lose weight by adding more lean muscle mass. A glass of milk with breakfast is a great idea for long term health and weight loss.

4. Soda water
A simple carbonated water can be a very nice treat when you are trying to lose weight. Especially in the hotter months, there is nothing better than a glass of chilled soda water with some lemon and lime juice added in. It keeps your hydrated and it is tasty without the sugar. A great weight loss drink

Conclusion

Do not ignore what you drink if you are trying to watch your weight. It can make or break your fat loss progress. If you make your main drink water, green tea or soda water you will be fine. It is time, however, to give up the Cokes and other sugar based drinks.