14 DAY TRIAL // It’s still a long way to go until summer, but that doesn’t mean that women shouldn’t already be thinking about what they can do to get into the perfect swimsuit body shape, beauty magazines are already suggesting us. The saying “It’s better late than never” does not apply here, sadly, which is why Shape Magazine has come up with an easy, cheap and most convenient exercise for the legs and the backside.
If we’re more of an outdoor person, jogging should be just the thing to help us get toned legs and a nice posterior, ideal to show off at the beach come summer. However, Shape Magazine is telling us that there is yet another exercise that we can try, said to return results quicker than simply running – and it implies climbing up and down the stairs.
Granted, it has often been stressed that climbing stairs is ideal for the legs and backside, so this is far from a novelty. It’s just that, at times, we tend to forget or overlook the obvious, which is why the fitness mag is here to remind us of the basics. What we need for this exercise is a stairwell with at least one flight and, of course, plenty of motivation and the will to go on when we notice that our body is all sore.
After warming up, we’re to run or walk up the first flight, one step at a time. The pace of the exercise can be, understandably, set by us, depending on how energetic we’re feeling at that precise moment. Once the second flight reached, we should pick up the pace and climb two steps at a time – if the only stair we find has only one flight, then we should, of course, go down first and then back up again, which means more effort for us but better results in a shorter time.
Shape Magazine recommends we repeat the pattern for about 17 to 20 minutes, after which we should do more engaging exercises, like cardio or jogging, for about 15-20 minutes more. Once the time is up and after a 5-minute break, some stretching should make us feel as good as new again. Climbing stairs may prove quite a challenge at first, it is being told, but it’s undoubtedly the cheapest, most convenient way of getting our body in top shape for the beach.