Stride Forth to Lift Your Derrière
Our bodies are so beautifully designed, and I always welcome a natural way to tone up without the aid of weights or hours at the gym. I’m sure I’m not alone with my love-hate relationship with the Stairmaster. I respectfully do not negate the cardio value of this machine but it just plain bores the socks off of me. Secondly, using it really tightens my hamstrings. So for a shapely derrière, here’s a much simpler, natural solution: Lengthen your stride when you walk by just 1 to 2 inches, and this will naturally lift and tone your behind. You’ll never have to go near that Stairmaster again. Well, that makes me happy.

Avoid the Old-Age Shuffle
From this moment on, nurture your walking. Walking is something that is so natural that we seldom give it a thought. In fact, we have a tendency to lean forward, shorten our stride, ending up with what I call the Old Age Shuffle — little steps, with stiff ankles and slightly bent knees, while looking downward at the pavement. Oh! No, no, no, no, no!

Start Striding Forth Now
Becoming a conscious well-aligned walker is an important choice for your body. As you lengthen your stride you might be tempted to lean the chin, head and shoulders forward and/or possibly overarch the lower back. This will change the weight balance and disengage the toning action of the butt muscles, so don’t lean. Walk tall.

Here are the requirements of a healthy walk:

• Always think tall - ears balanced above your shoulders and shoulders balanced above your hips. This gives you a healthy aligned spine

• Keep your pelvis in its natural curve. Imagine you have a weight on your tailbone, which keeps your tail-bone lengthening toward the floor as you step out, then gently lift the low abdominals in toward the spine by 30 percent, giving you both alignment and support.

• Enjoy how legs and arms can swing with ease of movement.

• Step forward with a long straightened leg (many of us walk with bent knees).

• Reach forward with your heel, keeping it close to the ground.

• Consciously “roll” through each foot: heel-ball-toes.

• Imagine your toes lengthening as the weight rolls through them.

• Keep the front of your ankles soft and relaxed.
  

The body’s natural mechanics will tone your derrière without you having to think about it. Don’t think boot camp, just stay relaxed and easy as you walk. Imagine the pavement is not hard cement but actually soft sand and see if that helps bring a new perspective.

Tip: We walk around all day anyway, so why not add value to your walk? It’s fun to know you’re walking with purpose, scooping your abs, toning your butt and strengthening the muscles that are going to keep you tall. I’m only 5 foot 2 but in my mind, I’ll be 6-foot-1 day.

Amanda Musker studied classical ballet at the Royal Ballet School in London. She went on to enjoy 14 enormously successful years working in London’s West End, starring in productions such as “Cats,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat” and “Oklahoma.” In 2000 Amanda decided to pursue her other great passions, Pilates and yoga. This led her to an equally successful career as one of the most sought-after teachers of these disciplines. Having experienced 30 years of career-related injuries, as well as working with hundreds of yoga and Pilates students, Amanda is uniquely qualified to bring a deeper understanding of our bodies and what helps to make us flourish in them. Send your questions to Amanda@smartnow.com.