Achieving a desired body weight and shape is not really easy. It demands hard work, regular exercise and strict compliance to diet requirements. Exercising alone will not guarantee bikini body results. Good thing there are other ways to further intensify your fitness routine and have that sexy body you’ve always dreamed of. Here’s how:

1. Maximize your moves. Incorporate smaller synergy muscle groups when doing exercises for large muscle groups of the body. This compound exercise elevates your heart rate and expends more calories. An example of this is squatting with a shoulder press on.
2. Add twists in your exercises. Perform exercises that help you develop balance while working out. For example, you can do lunges with just one hand and pretend to be picking up something from the floor. This exercise is referred to as functional training and is considered to be a multi-planar, multi-joint and multi-dimensional type of workout. Exercises such as this help you prepare for daily activities and prevent injuries.
3. Add variety. Doing similar exercises each day can develop motor improvement in the body. While this may be good, it is so much better to mix up your workout routine every so often. This will increase and tone down intensity while adding more volume and/or more weight to your exercise. For example, you can include jumping rope activity while doing your fitness workouts. This will boost calorie burn and help strengthen the most important muscle of the body, the heart.
4. Rev your rate. Give your cardio respiratory system a variety for proper progression. For example, if you perform moderate intervals at 65-75% of your maximum heart rate in five minutes, shift to a higher intensity such as 80-86% of your heart rate for one minute. Repeat this for at least 30 minutes.

With these exercise tips, you’ll get closer to achieving that bikini body for summer.

Shibashi is a simple exercise that originated in Shanghai, China. It was created by He Weiqi, a Tai Chi Master, and Lin Hou Sheng, a Qigong Master and Healer. The sequence of 18 simple calisthenics of Shibashi combines the elements of traditional breathing and movement exercises. As you learn the moves, you can gradually increase the number of repetitions for each movement.

Below are the lists of the movements that must be followed in order:

1. Raising the Arms
2. Opening the Chest
3. Painting a Rainbow
4. Separating the Clouds
5. Rolling the Arms in a Horse-riding Stance
6. Rowing a Boat in the Middle of the Lake
7. Carry Ball in Front of the Shoulders
8. Looking at the Moon
9. Pushing with the Palms
10. Cloud Hands in a Horse-riding Stance
11. Scooping the Sea and Looking at the Horizon
12. Pushing Waves
13. Flying Dove Spreads its Wings
14. Punching in a Horse-riding Stance
15. Flying wild Goose
16. Rotating Wheel
17. Stepping Whilst Bouncing a Ball
18. Balancing Chi

All of the shibashi movements are centered on a face and forward position. The diagonal side steps involved always return to the starting position, making the whole process fixed. The coordination of the hand and leg movements with the controlled breathing pattern is emphasized.

When these movements are performed with the right breathing pattern and proper posture, it can be a perfect relaxation exercise. Shibashi cannot be considered as something that can cure diseases or illnesses. However, it does aid in the improvement of a person’s physical and mental condition.

People who have been attending Shibashi classes have experienced better breathing, increased physical strength, enhanced concentration, an improved sleeping pattern, and many more benefits. The ideal duration of the Shibashi exercise would be 20 minutes daily, depending on your pace. But it is suggested that as you master the movements, you spend a little more time on the practice. Just be cautious not to go overboard. Shibashi is suitable for all age types so it is never too late to start.

Our inner life greatly affects how we deal with our feelings, moods and consciousness. More often than not, we cannot control the events of the world but we do have the power to change our reactions toward them. Whether we like it or not, everything starts from within. We deal with life with our own consciousness and that is our mind. Meditation enables us to balance the inner and outer world by creating positive qualities that reshapes our experience with life.

Meditation is the mental discipline that attempts to go beyond the “thinking” mind into a much deeper state of awareness or relaxation. It is through meditation that the wisdom of our souls are easily felt and experienced. Our soul, being our inner pilot, enables our true self to flourish and prosper once we practice listening to it. We are able to access deeper and know the inspirational parts of our being and make us a very peaceful person.

The constant practice of meditation brings about positive effects in our life. It can relieve stress and tension which benefits our present health condition. Our mind and body becomes more relaxed. Meditation also increases our body’s resistance to pain as well as muscle relaxation. It also balances the logical and creative sides of our brain making us more balanced and happy individuals.

When we are experiencing depression, doing meditation for at least 20 minutes each day can help us cope with the situation and relieves our anxiety. It also improves our quality of sleep making us less prone to waking easily in the night. Post-operative patients also benefit from meditation since it enhances recovery and healing. Blood pressure is lowered and there will be an improvement on our immune system.

The state of this deep relaxation does not only bring health benefits, it also boosts our self-confidence. Start doing meditations and experience the positive changes that it brings.