Exercises for Bigger Hips
By Lisa Stone, ACE

Q. I delivered three months ago. The problem is my hips; they seem so much wider now, and I'm afraid of being out of proportion. Do you have any exercises I can do to help this problem? None of my jeans fit because of this.

A. It's very normal for your hips to be a little wider after pregnancy - they'll probably return to their pre-baby width (or pretty darn close!) within a couple of months, so don't despair yet!

That said, the two best things you can do are squats and lunges. Here's how:

• Squats: start with feet hip width apart, knees slightly bent, abdominals tight; inhale as you bend your knees further and press your buttocks toward the back of the room like you're sitting into a chair; exhale as you squeeze your buttocks to return to the starting position; work up to doing 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions

• Lunges: start with feet hip width apart, knees slightly bent, abdominals tight; inhale as you step forward with your right foot, lifting your left heel slightly, and bend both knees toward the floor until your right thigh is parallel to the floor; exhale as your squeeze your buttocks to come back to the starting position; repeat on the other leg; work up to 3 sets of 8-12 reps on each leg