Build a better body with pilates - Health Fitness
Author: Essence

Want ataut butt, flat stomach and bearing as regal as Nefertiti's? Practicing Pilates, a series of controlled exercise movements, can develop muscle tone and improve posture. Brooke Siler, founder of the re:AB Studios in New York, recommends doing these five exercises for at least ten minutes every day, building up to 30-minute sessions three or four times a week

SINGLE-LEG STRETCH

Lie on your back with knees pulled into your chest. Lift your head to your chest and extend your right leg to a 45-degree angle off the floor. Place your right hand on the left knee and left hand on the ankle. Press your knee upward into your hand to keep belly scooped and upper body static. If you have back problems, raise the extended leg higher. If you feel neck strain, lower your head. Switch legs, bringing right knee to chest and extending left leg. Repeat for five to eight sets, switching legs evenly and rhythmically.

THE HUNDRED

Lie on your back with knees drawn in to your chest, arms at your sides. Tighten abdominals and, drawing your chin toward your chest, lift your head, shoulders and arms slightly off the mat. Straighten both legs toward the ceiling, then lower them to a 45-degree angle (or wherever you can while maintaining a flat back) and begin pumping your arms briskly as though slapping water. If you feel any strain on your neck, lower your head. If your lower back is strained, bend knees at a 90-degree angle. Pump your arms five times while slowly inhaling, then exhale for five more pumps. Alternate to a count of 100. Lower your upper body and draw knees into your chest.

DOUBLE-LEG STRETCH