Being active is your best bet to shift unwanted fat and shake up any flabby muscles.
In fact, going up stairs two at a time is as good as a Stairmaster, brisk walking outdoors is healthier than a treadmill and dancing is fantastic - and fun too! Below are some easy home exercises which really work to lift and tone that tush.
 - Get moving
Fat loves places it won't get disturbed - especially right where you sit on it! never sit for more than 30 minutes at a time. even a three minute break gets that circulation moving again and stops cellulite in its tracks.
- Finding time
There are 168 hours in a week and all you need is five to get the bum of your dreams. But don't go busting your butt in a gym - start with these easy time-fillers.
- Too early at the school gate? Don't wait in the car or sit on a wall, fill those ten minutes with a brisk walk round the block.
- Missed the bus? Why hang around when you can walk to the next stop.
- Waiting while a prescription is filled or your car's being serviced? Don't just stand there, walk to town and back.
- Finding motivation
Get a job done. Washing the car by hand tones your bum. And with all that bending and stretching, it raises your heart rate, burning off those stubborn calories - and it saves money.
- Make exercise meaningful - if it's pointless, like walking on a treadmill, you're less likely to do it. When you enjoy something, like dancing, wanting to work out isn't an issue.
- Walk the dog or offer to walk somebody else's. Walk uphill with long strides to really give your bottom some hard work. you'll be doing someone a favour and the circulation boost is great for blasting cellulite and bumpy flesh.
Get a beach bum at home
Work out the easy way for that toned tush
Your house is a gym - complete with its own equipment! Every work surface is a stabiliser, those bottles of water can be weights, your bottom stair a "step" toner and your back doorstep helps get rid of those love handles. Here's how to work that butt as part of your daily routine.
- Waiting for the kettle to boil
It may seem like forever, but those three minutes can be put to good use.
- Stand with feet hip width apart, in flat shoes or bare feet, 18in from the skirting board. Place your hands flat on the work surface. Flatten your back and stick your bottom out.
- Slowly bend knees, keeping your back flat. Go down in a squat. Keep heels on the floor and make sure your bottom does not go below your knees.
- Then slowly straighten knees, using buttocks to squeeze upwards.
- Do in sets of 12, resting for 10 seconds between, until the kettle boils.
- Slide down the wall
Use a small football or medicine ball if you have one, otherwise just do this on its own.
- Stand with your back against a wall, or put the ball between you and the wall in the small of your back.
- With straight knees, move feet about 18in from the wall.
- With your back flat, slide down the wall, bending your knees. You should now look as if you are sitting on an invisible chair.
- Now striaghten up, using your bottom to do the work.
- Repeat six times, rest for a few seconds, then do six more.
- Cleaning your teeth
Fill a small plastic bottle with water and place behind right knee
- Grasp bathroom sink for support. Curl your right leg to grip the bottle. Standing firmly on left leg, slowly raise right leg behind you.
- Do 20 little squeezes upwards. Rest for 10 seconds, then repeat. Change legs and repeat.
- Lose those lumpy love handles
Stand on back doorstep or other step about 4-6in from ground, on left leg, sideways to the wall. Dangle right leg off the step.
- Keeping your knee straight, lift the right leg from your hip. Imagine it's weighless. Lift up and down 12 times, then change legs and repeat.
Eat yourself gorgeous
In order to get that sexy bum of your dreams, the right diet is just as important as exercise.
Most women carry fat on their hips, thighs and bum. But too-strict dieting simply wastes your top half, leaving your butt just as big - so you must exercise those muscles and eat for fitness. What you gain is energy, clearer skin, and a better night's sleep. What you lose is bumpy buttocks and thighs.
Top power foods
- Low-fat proteins
Losing fat from your bottom can leave a flat, saggy look. Muscles which haven't been used for years need the right food if you're using weights to make pert. Choose these "solid" low-fat proteins - eat about 45 to 50g a day:
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Cottage Cheese
- Beef or Lamb
- Pulses
- Carbohydrates
Low-fat, non-sugar carbs are important to keep energy high. If you need to lose fat just eat two portions a day from this list - but if your weight is ok then choose three portions:
- Breakfast cereal
- Two slices of wholegrain bread
- Medium-size jacket potato
- Three tablespoons of cooked pasta
- Three tablespoons of cooked rice
- Calcium
Low calicium levels mean your muscles can't work properly. Not only will you feel irritated, but the muscle tension and stiffness will soon sabotage your beautiful bottom dream! Try the following calcium-rich foods:
- Sardines in oil
- Cheese
- Slice of quiche
- Blackcurrants
- Tofu
- Magnesium
Magnesium helps muscles relax. Not enough and your muscles stay stiff and contracted after exercise, feeling like cramp. These foods help:
- Sunflower seeds
- Broad beans
- Kippers
- Bananas
- Turbot
Detox!
Sometimes it's an uphill battle against takeaways, booze, cigarettes and lack of exercise. So detox before starting any diet.
- Never add extra salt to your meals
- Drink extra water - add fresh orange slices for calcium and vitamin C boosts.
- Eat fibre. The shells and skins of fruit and veg are great for clearing out pollutants from your system.
- Blast those bumps! A dimpled bum could mean you're waterlogged. Have cold chicken, meat or a jacket potato together with this "cellulite salad" made up of diuretic foods every day for a month:
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