Shelly has been working out more lately with the help of me of course and she has been seeing big results. Cross training is the only way we have found that helps us build muscle mass while shedding the pounds. Here are a few of the exercises that I have Shelly do to help her tone up.

1. With an exercise ball I have her do about 25 crunches in all directions. Front sit ups are the most common, but I also have her crunch to either side for 25 counts for a total of 50 and the front for 25. I then have her lie on her stomach on the ball and do crunches toward the back for 25 for a total of 100 crunches all around. She used to do regular sit-ups for about 250 every night and she wasn't seeing the results she wanted so we changed it up a bit and this is definitely giving her the results she wants to see as well as myself.

2. For the thighs I have her stand hip-width apart and pick up her right leg first and stand at a sort of "Captain Morgan" stance and swing her leg to the other side for 50 counts then switch to the left for 50 counts. This move helps her build up her inner thighs, where she has the most issues with strength.

3. Squats are the best way to work the backside of the legs and the butt. Doing about 50-100 swats is what Shelly has now worked up too and this motion helps her on long bike rides as well when we cross train.

4. Raising a 5-10 pound dumbbell behind the head and to the sky is working the backside of her arms a lot. She has said that she sees results more than anyone else and its slow results that are building muscle mass as well. Doing about 50 arm lifts with the dumbbell behind the head is the best way to target those hard areas on the upper arm.

5. Shelly also likes to add in a bit of yoga with the down dog, forward bend, dog &cat, triangle, cobra and a few others that I can't even do. This helps straighten the muscles and keep them from becoming stiff.

These are all things that are working for us, give them a try and they may work for you. Keep in mind though that every person is different and their exercise routine will be different. 30 minutes of some sort of cardio, be it walking, riding a bike or some sort of vigorous activity is recommended for everyone.