Thigh/bum toning exercises for exercise newbie

[KnobJockey]

I'm averse to exercise, but I need to start something. I've gone from a very active retail job to a desk job, and from being single to being in a relationship. Both have had an affect on my bum size!

Previously I could just about squeeze into a size 10 bottom/ comfortable 12, now it's a squeeze for a 12/ comfortable 14. Pear shaped, so I'm still a 10 on the top.

I know that I need to do overall exercise to slim down, and I'm stopping and starting with the motivation. But to honest, I can cope with the size, if my thighs were just a bit more toned- I want to get my shorts back out!

If you could only commit 10 minutes a day if something to do at home to help tone up your thighs/ possibly bum, what would you do? I'm not looking for a miracle, but I want to start small and keep motivated. So, 10 minutes, suitable for a beginner, any links for me to follow? Thanks!

I would go for a Jillian Michaels workout. If you can make it twenty minutes not ten, perhaps start with her thirty day shred. She also has ten minute workouts focused on specific areas including bum and thighs, but I am not sure you'd get what you want with just ten minutes. Other people with more experience than me may be able to advise. Good luck!

Thanks, but I have tried Jillian Michaels before, and just not stuck with it- I don't want a workout like that, it's just too much as daft as that sounds.

You know the way that the squat challenge meant that everyone started it really slow, and it just took a few minutes? I figured if I had something of that level, I might actually DO it. Whereas last time I started Jillian Michaels I wanted to be sick as it was just too much, going from nothing to that, so I just gave up. Lasted 3 days, full of pain and dreaded every time.

I need to trick my body into doing it by doing something small, then I might have a chance. I don't want to spend my life dreading having to get up and do something, cos I just won't keep it up.

I'm not trying to be awkward, but I'm just trying to admit to myself that there's no point going big guns because I've got no drive and I'm actually lazy!

I would do squats.

I’m a convert. I have a sedentary job (writer) but am very active -gym, ballet, street dance, walk everywhere - for at least 2 hours every day.

I’ve started to add strength and weight training to my gym work out and I’ve dropped 2 dress sizes and have thighs and flutes of steel (under the layer of fat).

I put it down to doing around 50 squats s day.

I have today downloaded a 30 day bum challenge.. which I suspect will be full of squats so just as good for legs as bums... Search in the app store there's bound to be something similar

Glutes

Thanks! I have been trying to do at least 10 squats every time I make a cuppa at work. I've just been watching various YouTube video of exercises and tried to do a few glute squeeze thingamiBob's, which felt effective, so I'll add those too!

I think I do need to download an app or something which I can tick off everyday, so I'll look at downloading one thanks. Otherwise I just won't end up doing it. I hate my lack of motivation when it comes to exercise, but I hate doing it more.

Walk everywhere, google body weight exercises. Try couch to 5k nhs app to get running it’s amazing for toning up all over and the beauty of running it’s only 3x a week, half hr at time you can squeeze it in at anytime.

Squats are excellent for toning thighs. Elevated glute bridges are much better for targeting glutes in my experience. I'd split my efforts between the two exercises if I were you.

Well I managed until the day before yesterday doing two lots of 15 reps of squats while raising my arms above my head (seems to get my heart working quicker), and two lots of 15 reps of glute bridges. Feeling the leg workout from that already! Unfortunately maybe a little too much, as I got woken up with awful leg cramps at 4.30 in the morning yesterday. So I hit the voltorol and had a day off. Today I feel like I've been hit by a tonne of bricks by a cold, so I'll try to psych myself up for it later on.

Thanks again for the advice!

Hope you're feeling better now.

Have a look at Fitness Blender - tonnes of free videos from husband and wife PTs that can be filtered to length of time, difficulty rating, area of body you want worked, equipment etc.

Squats.