Top 5 exercises to refine your figure

The different sizes of Swiss Ball

Before starting this top 5, do you know that there are swiss balls of different sizes? Indeed, there is the small (25 cm in diameter), the medium (45 in diameter), and the large (65 cm in diameter). The medium and the large will roughly be used in the same exercises. We will opt for a medium if we are less than 1m70. If you are over 1m70, you can also use a medium, it is the level of instability, heightening, or spacing of the legs desired that will make you choose between the large and the medium. The small one, on the other hand, has the advantage of being able to easily fit between the knees or the ankles. Thus, it allows to vary the exercises.

Exercise n°1: Sheathing with shins on the Swiss Ball (large or medium)

This is the  classic frontal sheathing  (elbows on the ground), but with your shins resting on the ball. Pressing on an unstable ball imposes a much greater muscular activity of the stabilizing muscles (abdominal and lumbar). The rules are exactly the same as for standard sheathing: obtain an aligned leg/pelvis/trunk segment.

Exercise n°2: Inclined push-ups with shins on the Swiss Ball (large or medium)

Do your  push-ups  with your shins resting on the ball. If you can’t do this, start by putting your knees on the ball. For this exercise, the use of the ball has 2 functions:

• Elevate your feet above your hands on the floor. This allows you to recruit more of your shoulder muscles compared to normal push-ups.
• Create instability in your supports. This will work your abdominal muscles (obliques and rectus abdominis).

Exercise n°3 Pelvis lift with Swiss Ball (small)

Lie down with your legs bent. Wedge the small ball between your knees, and perform a pelvic lift without dropping the small ball. The management of the ball will work all the deep muscles of your thighs and thus refine your silhouette.

Exercise n°4: The lateral leg lift with Swiss Ball (small)

Lie on your side, raise your chest by leaning on the ground. Place the small ball between your ankles, and do slight leg raises without dropping the ball. This exercise is great for toning your core.

Exercise n°5: Squats with Swiss Ball (large or medium) against a wall

Hold the ball between the wall and your back, bend your knees until your legs form a right angle, then come back up. With the gymball, you move the center of gravity back, which targets the glutes better than a  traditional squat .

Bonus: replace your seat at work with a swiss ball (large)

You may have heard of it before, but sitting posture at the desk is very important. Poor posture can lead to extremely painful back problems. The problem is that, even knowing this, we often tend to slouch in our chair. Sitting on a fitness ball makes slouching impossible. It therefore greatly promotes a good sitting posture. In addition, to stay in balance, you continuously work the deep muscles of your abdominal belt and your legs. In addition to preventing back pain, the ball refines your figure. What more?

Discover the yin yoga stays

In addition to exercises with the Swiss ball, treat yourself, from time to time, to a wellness stay to take care of yourself. The website bienetre.fr offers wellness stays of all kinds. Generally short stays, the time of a weekend, based on these elements: meditation, breathwork (breathing), yin yoga or all three at the same time. These stays are only organized for women, by women. The idea is to offer yourself a little moment of respite, to disconnect from everyday life and reconnect with yourself.

Do you know yin yoga? Yin yoga is a very gentle style of yoga. Yin yoga is a form of Taoist yoga, which translates to “yin” (passive). For this type of yoga, you use props like blocks and belts to support the poses for 3-10 minutes. The intention of yin yoga is to focus on deep stretching of the joints and breathing.

The benefits of yin yoga are many: it improves joint mobility, increases range of motion and flexibility, calms the mind, and relieves stress and tension. Yin yoga is also a great way to work on your alignment because you can really focus on performing each pose correctly.

Yin yoga helps open up and stretch tense and difficult areas (the spine, hips, and others), which can reduce pain levels for some people. It also teaches you to be patient, accepting and self-compassionate. Practiced regularly, yin yoga can help promote emotional well-being, reduce anxiety and stress.