For women, taking care of their bodies is essential for good physical and mental health. Regular exercise not only helps maintain a healthy weight and prevent chronic disease, but it can also be an effective tool for toning and strengthening abdominal muscles and trimming the waist, which can improve physical appearance and boost self-esteem.

It is important to remember that muscle tone and definition do not depend solely on exercise, but also on a healthy diet and the body composition of each person. Therefore, a combination of resistance exercises and a proper diet are important to achieve the goals of toning and muscle definition.

In addition to the aesthetic benefits, toning the abdomen and trimming the waist can also have benefits for general health. A slim, toned waistline can help prevent obesity-related diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It can also improve posture and reduce the risk of back injury.

Finally, it's important to remember that every body is unique and results may vary based on genetics, lifestyle, and other factors. Don't be discouraged if you don't see immediate results and remember that patience and consistency are key to achieving our goals.

What factors influence to achieve a marked waist?

The factors that most influence our goal of reducing the waist are diet and exercise. It has been shown that a good sports routine and a healthy diet favor the loss of those extra kilos that we want to eliminate.

But of course there are other factors that can affect our goal of achieving a flat abdomen such as organ function, lack of sleep and even hormonal factors.

It is also necessary to say that there are genetic predispositions to have that waist that we want so much. Some women can develop it naturally and without much exercise or problems, while other women who diet and exercise do not have very visible results.

Despite this, we recommend you follow our exercise routine to achieve a small waist and a flat abdomen.

What exercises are good to define the abdomen and mark the waist?

Plate with rotation

The rotating plank is an excellent exercise for strengthening and toning the abdominals, obliques, and lower back.

1. Start in a high plank position with your hands placed directly under your shoulders and your legs extended behind you. 
2. Make sure your body forms a straight line from your heels to your head. Be sure to keep your core tight and your shoulders away from your ears.
3. Twist your body to the left and raise your left hand toward the ceiling, balancing on the right hand and on your toes.
4. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly return to the starting position.
5. Repeat the movement to the right side, raising your right hand toward the ceiling.
6. Continue to alternate sides, maintaining balance and body alignment at all times.

Russian twists

Russian twists help strengthen the obliques.

1. Sit on the floor with knees bent and feet supported on the ground. Lean back slightly until you feel your core engaged. 
2. Lift your feet off the ground and cross your ankles. Knees should be aligned with hips.
3. Extend your arms in front of you and clasp your hands together. 
4. Rotate your torso to the right, bringing your hands towards that side and touching the ground beside your right hip. Keep your abs tight at all times. 
5. Return to center and then rotate to the left, touching the ground beside your left hip. 
6. Continue alternating sides, holding the position for a few seconds before returning to center.

Plank

The plank is a full-body exercise that can help strengthen the core, shoulders, arms, and legs muscles. Here is how to properly perform a plank:

1. Start in a plank position with your arms extended and your hands placed on the ground directly under your shoulders. Make sure your fingers are spread apart and pointing forward.
2. Keep your feet together and your toes pointing down, pressing your heels back.
3. Engage your core muscles by tightening your abs and keeping your back straight. Don't let your hips sag or lift.
4. Keep your head in line with your spine and look down at the floor.
5. Hold this position for at least 30 seconds or until you can no longer maintain proper form.

Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks are an effective and easy warm-up exercise that involves jumping and stretching your arms and legs.

1. Start standing with your feet together and your arms at your sides.
2. Jump and extend your arms up while separating your legs to a slightly wider than shoulder-width distance.
3. Land softly on the balls of your feet, making sure to keep your knees slightly bent.
4. Immediately jump again, bringing your arms down and bringing your legs back together.
5. Continue jumping and separating your legs, extending and lowering your arms with each jump.

Side Plank with Hip Raise

The side plank with hip raise is an effective exercise for strengthening the core, glutes, and legs muscles.

1. Start by lying on your right side with your legs together and extended.
2. Lift your body so that your weight rests on your right forearm and the outside of your right foot. Keep your forearm in a straight line under your shoulder to support your body.
3. Lift your hip off the ground, forming a straight line from your shoulders to your feet.
4. Hold the position for a few seconds and then lower your hip back to the ground.
5. Repeat the exercise several times and then switch sides.

Squat

The squat is an effective exercise for strengthening the muscles in the legs, glutes, and core. 

1. Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing slightly outward.
2. Look forward and keep your back straight as you bend your knees and lower your body as if sitting in a chair. Make sure your knees point in the same direction as your toes.
3. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground or until your knees form a 90-degree angle. If necessary, adjust your foot position to ensure your knees do not extend beyond your toes.
4. Hold the position for a few seconds and then extend your legs and return to the standing position.

Lying bicycle

The lying bicycle is an exercise that targets the oblique and rectus abdominal muscles, as well as the muscles in the hips and legs.

1. Lie on your back on a mat with your hands behind your head, legs raised, and knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Lift your right shoulder and left knee simultaneously, bringing your right elbow toward your left knee while extending your right leg.
3. Alternate sides, lifting your left shoulder and right knee while bringing your left elbow toward your right knee while extending your left leg.
4. Continue alternating sides in a pedaling motion, keeping your head and shoulders elevated at all times.
5. Perform the exercise for several repetitions.

Circles with the Waist

Circles with the waist are a mobility exercise that focuses on the core muscles, especially the obliques and abdominals.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands on your hips.
2. Slowly begin to move your hips forward in a circular motion clockwise, keeping your feet in the same place.
3. Continue moving your hips in circles to the right for several repetitions.
4. Then, change direction and move your hips backward in a circular motion counterclockwise.
5. Continue moving your hips in circles to the left for several repetitions.
6. Perform the exercise for several minutes.

Superman Plank

The Superman plank is a core and back strengthening exercise performed in a face-down position.

1. Start by lying face down on an exercise mat or on the floor. Extend your arms forward and your legs back, keeping your arms and legs parallel to the ground.
2. Make sure your neck and spine are aligned, keeping your neck in a neutral position.
3. Simultaneously, lift your arms, legs, and chest off the ground. Hold the position for several seconds, focusing on contracting the muscles of your back and core to maintain stability.
4. Then, slowly lower your arms, legs, and chest to the ground.
5. Repeat the exercise for several repetitions.

Side Plank

The side plank is a core strengthening exercise that targets the oblique abdominal muscles and hip muscles.

1. Start by lying on your side with your elbow and forearm resting on the ground and your legs together and extended to one side. The forearm should be perpendicular to the body and the elbow under the shoulder.
2. Make sure your neck and spine are aligned, keeping your neck in a neutral position.
3. Simultaneously, lift your hips off the ground, keeping the body in a straight line from head to toe. Hold the position for several seconds, focusing on contracting the core muscles to maintain stability.
4. Then, slowly lower the hips to the ground.
5. Repeat the exercise several times on the same side before switching positions.

It is always a good time to start getting fit and start a healthy life, and when we think of an exercise that is ideal for this task, running will always come to mind. And even if we're right, it's not a good idea to just grab your sneakers and go for a run.

It is best to carry out this activity with a work plan and with objectives in mind, in order to know how to progress naturally. Of course we can start running for something more than just having a healthier life, maybe we want to improve our physical condition, lose weight, run a race or simply look for a healthy hobby.

What is running?

Running or jogging, as we can usually come to know this exercise today, is the physical activity in which a person performs a continuous run, generally outdoors. It is a complex and coordinated process that fully involves the entire body. An act by which the feet touch the ground alternately at a speed greater than when walking.

Practical tips to start running

Start with a good warm up

Warming up is very important as it helps us prepare our bodies for intense physical activity, as well as helping us to avoid injuries. That's why we recommend starting each training session with at least 5 minutes of warm-up.

Do short intervals at first

If you are a beginner or have not done any physical activity for a while, what we suggest is that you do not run a full distance in your first sessions. Intersperse walking and running, depending on what your body tells you.

You can start by alternating 2 minutes of running and 2 minutes of walking. Increase the length of your running intervals by one minute until you can run without stopping to walk. Of course you can alternate longer intervals, but without pushing your body too much.

Don't start too fast

For our body, this physical activity is new, so it is not used to the stress it generates or the demand it needs. It is a common mistake among beginners to want to run very fast from day one, but this can lead to injury.

Run at a moderate pace in your first days of training, so the body can get used to this type of exercise and little by little you will be gaining the necessary physical condition to increase the intensity.

Matter of technique

To progress adequately in running, we advise you to implement these keys in your running technique:

• Try to avoid that your heel is the first part of the foot that contacts the ground.
• Do not take sudden strides when running: the ideal is that your footsteps do not make noise.
• Keep your shoulders relaxed and avoid letting your hands go past them.
• Relax your hands: do not clench your fists.
• Use the force of gravity as an ally to generate forward momentum.
• Try to make your strides land below the line of your hips.

Choose the right surface

There are several types of surfaces that you can use to start running, among them are:

• Asphalt or pavement:
  • It is quite useful to go fast and with little danger of sprains, although it has a problem and that is that it can cause injuries to the joints and knees. It is recommended only for light runners and those who are in shape.
• Park or forest:
  • It provides better cushioning for your joints and is not as hard on the knees. It is likely to suffer injuries due to irregularities, we advise you to always be careful to avoid obstacles such as roots and stones.
• Sand:
  • This surface is excellent for training the muscles, although it could overload them, so training must be carried out with great care.
• Tartan:
  • It is the synthetic surface of athletics tracks, it is soft, spongy and elastic, therefore it does not overload the joints although it can make the Achilles tendon work a lot.
• Treadmill:
  • It allows you to train at all times and with excellent cushioning, but it can become monotonous and boring..

When choosing one of these surfaces, assess its pros and cons, we believe that it is best to run in a park or forest, since in addition to having good cushioning it will help you to be in contact with nature and it will not seem a boring activity.

Don't eat heavy before training

Avoid solid food about two hours before each workout and drink small amounts of fluids. This will help you avoid soreness or flatus. If this pain happens to you during a race, it is best to take a deep breath, walk and apply a little pressure on the part of the body that hurts.

Do not start the race again until the pain is completely gone.

Do cross training

If possible, vary the exercise you do a few days a week, so you give your body a chance to recover and get used to another type of stress. Another benefit is that it becomes more fun and stimulating to train and we introduce different motor patterns to our body, which means that our muscles and joints will not get used to a single movement and will be better prepared for a race.

Don't forget to do a good cool down

After your run, cool down by walking or jogging slowly for 5-10 minutes. Your breathing and heart rate should gradually return to normal. It is also good that you stretch for another 5 to 10 minutes, in this way we predispose our body to a better rest and better recovery.

Take note of your runs

It is advisable to keep a diary in which you record the times made during your races. To keep a good record of each session add the following information:

• Duration
• Kilometres
• Surface
• Effort required
• Food and drink consumed before and after the session
• Climate conditions
• Your feelings after training.

It will help us meet our goal and it will be a load of extra motivation because we will have a simple and easy way to see our progress.

Don't get discouraged

The results do not come from one day to the next, everything is a matter of perseverance, perseverance and patience. That is why you must continue training so that in a couple of weeks you begin to see the first advances in your exercise.

What items do I need to start running?

Without a doubt, the most important thing is to choose good running shoes, but here we leave you a simple list.

• Technical T-shirt
• Sports pants or leggings
• Socks
• Tennis
• Earphones
• Sports phone case

Training plan

The training plan to start running that we suggest is 6 weeks, you will exercise three times a week, resting the other days. You can do another type of physical activity to complement during those rest days, but taking care that you do not overload your body.

What did you think of our training plan? What was your training plan when you started running? Do you think we are missing some advice or that we have missed something important? Leave your opinion in the comments.