The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day! (49 page)

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Do the sequence as a circuit, performing each move for about 60 seconds, unless otherwise indicated. Rest 30 seconds and repeat the circuit.

Core Lifts

A

• Sit up tall in your seat. Contract your abs and lift one foot off the floor about 6 inches.

• Hold for 10 seconds and slowly lower it while relaxing your abs. Repeat with the opposite leg. Alternate throughout the exercise.

REPS:
Do as many as you can with each leg for 60 seconds.

Wrist and Ankle Circles

A

• Lift your right foot and right hand. Simultaneously rotate each in a clockwise direction 10 to 15 times.

B

• Reverse directions. Repeat with the opposite hand and foot.

REPS:
Do as many as you can in 60 seconds.

Armrest Arm Boosters

A

• Sit up tall in your seat. Place your hands on your armrests with your elbows bent and pointing back.

B

• Press into your hands and lift your butt off the seat.

REPS:
Do as many as you can in 60 seconds.

Heel Raises

A

• Sit up tall in your seat with your feet planted firmly on the floor.

B

• Keeping the balls of your feet on the floor, contract your calf muscles and lift your heels off the floor as far as possible. Pause, lower, and repeat.

REPS:
Do as many as you can in 60 seconds.

Seated Eagle Spine Stretch

A

• Stretch your right arm out in front of you and cross your left arm under your right, bending and twisting both arms until your left fingertips are touching your right palm.

B

• Slowly press both arms up toward the ceiling for 30 seconds.

REPS:
Do 1, then switch hand positions and repeat.

Toe Raises

A

• Sit up tall in your seat with your feet planted firmly on the floor.

B

• Keeping the heels of your feet on the floor, raise your toes as high as possible. Pause, lower, and repeat.

REPS:
Do as many as you can in 60 seconds.

Upright Reverse Crunches

A

• Sit up tall in your seat. Place your hands on your armrests with your elbows bent and pointing back.

B

• Contract your abs and slowly pull your knees toward your chest. Pause, lower, and repeat.

REPS:
Do as many as you can in 60 seconds.

Bun Squeeze (not shown)

• Sit up tall in your seat.

• Contract your glutes and squeeze your buns together as tightly as possible. Hold for 10 seconds. Slowly release.

REPS:
Do 6.

Chapter 12:

15-Minute Workouts for Athletic Sex

PASSIONATE, BED-ROCKING SEX CAN BE AN ATHLETIC EVENT. TO FEEL MORE CONFIDENT AND DESIRABLE, SCULPT LEAN, FLEXIBLE, SEXY MUSCLE.

Superfast Better-Sex Workouts

A healthy session in the sack uses every major muscle—including quite a few that you don’t see in the mirror. The stronger those muscles, the more likely you are to reach your pleasure peaks. A little sexercising of your inner thighs, glutes, core, upper body, and pelvic floor muscles improves blood flow to key areas, making it more likely that you’ll get some satisfaction, again and again. Some women have even reported hitting the big O just by doing some of the moves below (seriously), because of all the pelvic area activation.

These routines are guaranteed to heat things up between the sheets. Just don’t try them every day (tempted though you may be). Your love muscles need a break to recover—but feel free to test drive the results anytime!

Begin with the basics...

The original better-sex exercise is one you can do anywhere—at the dinner table, a work meeting, or while driving in a car. You know them: kegels, named after gynecologist Arnold Kegel who prescribed them to his patients. You do them by squeezing the PC, or pubococcygeus, muscle, which you use to stop the flow of urine. Kegels strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and the transverse abdominals, both of which boost blood flow to your nether region, increase the amount of friction you can generate, and intensify contractions during orgasm. While you can do them any time, anywhere, incorporate them into your workouts: Lie on your back with knees bent 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. Without tighening your glutes, squeeze your PC muscle and hold for 15 seconds. Do 20 or so a day.

TOP CONFIDENCE BOOSTERS

The number-one thing that elevates a woman’s confidence is a workout, followed by compliments, and third, seeing a flattering photo of herself, according to a poll of
Women’s Health
readers.

FIND IT QUICK:
YOUR 15-MINUTE HEAT-THE-SHEETS CIRCUITS

COREgasm Workout