Your 3-minute daily exercise programme

ATTEN-TION!  These exercises are designed to get the underlying muscle tissue to stand up and pull their weight!  Efua Baker, London's A-list trainer (you name the star and she has kicked them into shape) has worked with us to hone in on two no-nonsense, surefire bust perking exercises - The Fly and The Push Me Up.

No gym required – this gravity-defying duo can be done in your bathroom!

Hold a 1.5 litre (the larger size) water bottle in each hand. Lay down on the floor on your back with your knees bent and feet planted firmly on the floor. Keep movement fluid, slow and controlled.

1 Extend your arms fully out to sides, at right angles with your body.  

2 With elbows slightly bent, lift both bottles in a straight line arcing up and meeting directly above your chest. Give an extra little squeeze on those muscles down the centre of your chest. 

3 In a controlled manner, bring arms back to the floor, keeping elbows slightly bent throughout the entire exercise (imagine your arms wrapping around a large tree).

The Fly is very specifically created to wake up your pecs - the muscle structure that holds up your boobs.  It is especially good at strengthening the pecs, which give you great definition and cleavage.  Added bonus - will help tone up that little flubby bit just near your under arm (the bit that blobs out over your bra - hate that bit!).

Exercise two: The Push Me Up

You think you know this one - but have you really done it properly, focusing on the right muscles?  Efua always includes these in any workout programme as they are just so quickly effective.  Choose from 2 positions depending on your strength level and any body weaknesses you may have.  

1 Keep your back straight, lower your chest down towards the floor bending your elbows and inhaling.  Stop when your chest is just above but not touching the floor.

2 Exhale slowly as you push your arms straight until your body is back up to the starting position. 

The key things to remember are:

1 Always keep your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, with fingers together and pointing straight ahead

2 Start in the "up" position with your arms straight, Inhale as you lower yourself toward the floor.

3 Don't go lower than forming a 90-degree bend with your elbows. (There is no need to touch your chest or chin to the floor.

4 Your back should be straight. Don't let it sag and don't stick your butt up in the air.

5 Exhale as you push yourself up from the floor - Don't lock your elbows at the top  

Really focus your mind on those muscles across your chest above your boobs and concentrate on tensing those when you are at the top of the press-up.  Lower your chest as close to the floor as you can, remember slow and controlled is much better than speedy and sloppy.  Added bonus - your upper arms will also tone up very quickly.

Your 3-minute daily exercise programme

Bottoms Up!  These exercises are designed to get the underlying muscle tissue to stand up and pull their weight! Efua Baker, London's A-list trainer (you name the star and she has kicked them into shape) has worked with us to hone in on two no-nonsense, surefire butt-busting exercises; The Butt Raise and The Doggy.    

No gym required – this gravity-defying duo can be done in your bathroom!

Exercise one:  The Butt Raise

The Butt Raise looks a little rude but is definitely worth the embarrassment. Lie on floor on your back, bend legs, planting feet on ground, hip width apart with your feet approx 18 inches from your bum. Your upper body should be totally relaxed, with your arms lying at your sides.

1 Start the motion by clenching your bottom cheeks together then lift butt up in slow and controlled fashion. Imagine there is a string attached to your belly button, pulling you up towards the ceiling.   

2 Stop when there is a line straight up from your shoulders to your knees.

3 At the top of the lift, slowly squeeze your knees together and then release back to hip width apart, keeping your bum as clenched as it can be.

4. Lower your butt back down, again in slow controlled way but DO NOT touch the floor.   

It is super simple but after a few of these Butt Raises, you will feel a very targeted burn and tingle all way down backs of thighs and your bum.  If you don't feel those muscles, try doing the exercise slower and squeeze even harder. These are also great for helping inner thigh wobble.  A common mama problem is that your butt slides down your legs and lacks definition and pertness! This exercise focused on giving you a nice bootylicious shelf bum.

This is an Efua classic and when done properly she swears it is the most effective exercise for shaping up your rear end.  You may think you know this one - but have you really done it properly, focusing on the right muscles?  Get down on the ground on all fours - wrists and elbows in a straight line beneath your shoulders and knees beneath hips.  

1 Keeping a 90-degree bend in your right leg, lift your knee until it is on a parallel line with your hips

2 Next, always maintaining the 90-degree angle squeeze your knee back down to touch the other knee - but holding it slightly off the floor.

The key things to remember are:

1 Maintain a 90-degree bend in your leg at all times.

2 Keep the motion slow and controlled. It should take 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down- imagine someone is gently resisting your movement on the way up and down.

3 Keep your hips level as you lift - don't slump to one side as you do the lift, stay upright with both arms straight. Your back should be straight. Don't let it sag and don't stick your butt up in the air.

4 When your knee is raised to the top, visualize balancing a full martini glass on your knee.

We mamas tend to carry a bit of excess 'saddle-baggage'.  So if you want to lift your butt and smooth the curve out over your hips, The Doggy is the exercise for the job. Added bonus - your inner and outer thighs will also tone up very quickly.

Launching fall 2008. Available at mamamio.com

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