Best Exercises to Rid Your Waist of Waste

So, we normally consider an apple core as waste, but with humans, our core IS, essentially, our waist and for many of us, our waist has a bit of waste (in the form of fat) attached to it.  This waste on our waists has a few names associated with it, love handles and muffin top being the most popular.  Regardless, many people prefer to have a defined waist rather than the upper-body “square” or “cube” look whereby we resemble a block with a head, arms and legs attached.  Well, here are a few exercises that, if performed on a regular basis (three to four times per week), should bring your waist back from the wasteland.

Disclaimer: these exercises are NOT a panacea for your figure.  They MUST be combined with two to three hours of cardiovascular exercise every week and a sensible and healthy diet (both topics I’ve written about extensively for this blog) for goals to be achieved.  Yeah, I know, body shaping is tough work, deal with it.

• • Planks – both front and side. The secret to planks is to form your body into, well, a plank…straight and firm.  While doing front planks, use your ab muscles to pull your tummy in as tight as possible.  Imagine trying to get your abs to attach to your spine.  If you’re new to planks, begin by assuming the position, with knees down, if necessary, and holding it for a short period of time, as short as 10-20 seconds if that’s all you can handle.  Then, take a short break and complete two more repetitions.  As your muscles adjust to the work load, extend that 10-20 seconds out until you can hold the position for at least one minute.  Here’s a great planks video…just try to ignore the shapely model.

• • Russian twist – Not sure if this exercise is Russian in origin or not, or if Vladimir Putin performs it shirtless on a Siberian snowfield. Regardless, it’s a great exercise to shape your waist and strengthen your core without excessive effort.  As with all exercises on this list, start with a low number of twists and then increase them as your ab muscles adjust to the workload over the weeks.  Watch a demonstration here:

• • Windshield wipers – And like the wipers on your car, these can be performed intermittently, slappingly fast, and every speed in between. As the demonstration video shows, begin with your knees bent and progress to straight legs only when you’re ready.  If you’re just beginning this exercise, begin with three sets of ten-fourteen repetitions (always an even number as you want each side treated equally) and then add reps and sets later.  Watch an expert wiper here:

• • Hula-hoop – Yes, you read correctly, you can use a hula hoop to shape your waist. Every time you spin that hoop around your mid-section you’re engaging just about every muscle within your core and it elicits wonderful childhood memories as well.  Simply spin that hoop for a few minutes a day to start and then increase that time interval as your core muscles adjust to the workload.  Here’s a great instructional video for beginning hoopers:

• Yoga and/or Pilates – Yes, I know this isn’t a specific exercise, but these two exercise disciplines have dozens of individual exercises or positions that work your abs and obliques and, therefore, rid your waist of excess waste. Find a class in your area that meets your fitness level, join, and then stick with it.  You’ll meet new people and body shape at the same time.   Here’s a Pilates for beginners video:

and a yoga version:

As with eating healthy and cardiovascular exercise, consistent, long-term commitment and effort is required in order to realize your desired results.  There are no quick fixes here.  So, if you begin a waste reduction program for your waist, stick with it!

If you’re a little older, and these look too difficult, try our series of videos for seniors: https://www.magickitchen.com/exercises/workout-videos.html