Whip that waist into shape in under 20mins!

Having kids changed my body in ways I never really thought would happen. But the great news is we can make progress and see results each day just by doing exercises that are targeted to the area. Here are 5 exercises which tighten up the obliques and tum helping us rediscover the waist we once had! It is there ladies, we can find it again! woo hoo!

Use a stop watch. Time each exercise for 60 seconds. No rest between each exercise. 20 secss rest between each set. Do 3 sets, or build to 5 sets if you have time!

3 sets will take about 15mins to complete!

1. Russian Twist - Grab a medicine ball, dumbbell, or weight plate and sit on the floor with your hips and knees bent 90 degrees. Hold the weight straight out in front of you and keep your back straight (your torso should be at about 45 degrees to the floor). Explosively twist your torso as far as you can to the left, and then reverse the motion, twisting as far as you can to the right. That's one rep. To make it harder lift your feet off the ground and balance while you twist.

2. Reverse Crunches - Lie on the ground in a traditional crunch position, your feet flat on the floor and hands underneath your head. Press your lower back into the floor and pull in your belly button to lift your feet off of the floor. Keep your knees together, bent at 90-degree angles.

3. Back Extensions - Lie face-down on an exercise mat, hand on your lower back, palms facing up. Keep your legs on the mat throughout the exercise. Squeeze your buttocks then lift your upper body 2-3 cm (approx. 1 inch) off the mat. Hold for 3-5 seconds then lower yourself back down gently. Repeat 10 - 12 times, rest, then repeat the exercise sequence as desired.

4. Waist-slimming Squat - Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart while holding the ends of a dumbbell. Squat down while keeping your heels flat on the ground, chest up, hips back and knees out. Bring the dumbbell to the outside of one hip. Step 3 Stand and bring the dumbbell across your body.

5. Standing Side Bend - Stand with your legs hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Holding ends of a rolled-up towel, extend arms overhead in a V formation. Lift up and out of your rib cage and each about 10 degrees to the left without moving your lower body. Return to start. Bend to opposite side to complete one rep. N.B: Concentrate on bending from the waist, and letting your upper body/ arms follow.

Enjoy! Would love to hear how you do? Please comment in the yellow box below!