TONE UP IN JUST 10 MINS

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Jun 14, 2009 | by SHARON VAN GEUNS

SUMMER'S here and the time is right for... casting aside all those protective layers and giving the world a glimpse of the beautiful body you've kept under wraps all winter long.

So are you ready to let everyone see your true shape? Or are there wobbly bits you'd really rather keep hidden? We all know that sticking to a gym routine pays off, but membership fees can be sky- high- and it's not always easy to find the time to fit in regular workouts.

Which is the clever idea behind a new series of exercise DVDs that are flying off the shelves all over the world. In fact, The Ten Minute Solution Series - there are 25 DVDs on sale in Britain - has become the country's best selling exercise DVD.

The series of exercises, already a huge hit in the US, show how just 10 minutes of cleverly targeted exercise really can work wonders, from pilates and yoga to dancing and workouts with weights. So we show you how you can be just 10 minutes away from thinner thighs, a flatter tummy and a perter behind.

To get you started, we've selected a few essential moves you can try out before you go out and buy any of the DVDs - see the three sections on the right. And below there's an exclusive Sunday Mirror competition which gives you a chance to WIN one of the DVDs.

Five hundred lucky readers will be able to get themselves in trim for the beach.

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GET LEANER LEGS

HALF SQUAT

START with both feet parallel, separated from each other by the width of your hips. Bring your hands together and clasp them in front of you. Rest your body weight on your heels, push your shoulders back and suck in your abs as tightly as you can. Bend your knees into a squat but don't go all the way down. This way you should feel extra strain in your thigh muscles. Repeat eight times.

SLOW REPEATER

START with one leg a metre in front of the other, bring your fists together in front of your chest, forming a triangle (right).

Slowly raise one leg with your toe pointing downwards. Lower your leg and tap the ground. Then step back so your feet are together flat on the floor. Swap legs and repeat the move eight times.

LUNGES

Stand with one leg forward and the other leg back with your weight on the ball of the front foot. Push your shoulders back and suck your abs in. From your hips, lunge straight down and then come up again (above right). Repeat eight times. Switch to other leg and repeat - again eight times. You can always hold weights to make this exercise more challenging.

PLIE

STAND with your legs wide apart, bend so your knees are as near to your toes as you can get them, all the time trying to keep your back as straight as you can. Move your tail-bone straight down and straight back up again (shown right). Exhale as you lift. Repeat this move eight times. Then repeat it again, but more slowly this time, going down to the count of three and back up to the count of one.

HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

THIS is a very simple, but highly effective move.

Put your left foot forward about a metre in front of your right foot. Raise your weight on to the ball of your right foot. Then lace your hands together over your left thigh (right), stretch and lunge forward. Hold the position. You should be feeling a definite tension at the back of your thigh. Repeat the move eight times, and then repeat again with your other leg.

GET A HOT BOT

WEAVE

FOR this exercise, you'll get most benefit if you use hand- weights. But if you don't have any, a tin of beans or bag of sugar will do the job just as well. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart, bend your knees and lean forward. Now pick up a weight and weave it through your legs, passing it from one hand to the other.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBING

GET into what we call the plank position - just as if you were going to start a push-up (below left). Then raise yourself up on your hands with your arms fully extended and straight. Then bring one leg up to your chest until your knee is bent under. Repeat this move eight times and then do it all again with your other leg.

KNEELS AND STANDS

GRAB a hand-weight with both hands. Get down on one knee (shown right) then in one smooth movement, push yourself up into a standing position. Next, put one leg out about a metre while you stretch your arms towards the ceiling. Remember to squeeze your buttocks tight. Do this eight times. Then swap your legs and repeat the whole move.

DONKEY KICKS

SQUAT on the floor on your hands and knees. Kick your right foot back as hard as you can for the count of two and then hold the position (shown left). Repeat this move eight times. Then switch to the other leg. Again, perform the exercise eight times.

BUTTOCK SQUEEZE

LIE on your front with your hands under your chin, knees bent, legs raised at right angles and your heels close together. Lift your pelvis up towards the ceiling while squeezing your buttocks together as tightly as you can. Hold the position for 10 seconds, then lower your pelvis and repeat the move eight times. Remember to keep your buttocks tight throughout and you will really feel the benefit.