Five Easy Moves to Tone Legs and Butt with a Band, from Caroline Deisler

Stronger legs and glutes make walking more enjoyable, running upstairs easier, recovery time faster, and can help alleviate pain in your lower back and hips. Not to mention, shorts season is coming up fast, and who doesn't want to look toned during the warm weather? Perform this easy resistance band workout with vegan fitness guru Caroline Deisler twice a week and you will feel (and see) the difference in no time!

There are thousands of exercises for your lower body on the internet, but The Beet enlistedCaroline Deisler, an expert in vegan fitness, to create this video exclusively for you, to help you tone your legs and strengthen your butt. Caroline takes you through five easy moves step-by-step using an optional resistance band so you can accomplish your fitness goals that much faster.

After your workout, stretch out your muscles with Caroline's five-minute stretching series and feel refreshed the next day, instead of sore or stiff.

Why use the band: Resistance bands enhance your workout, tone your legs faster, and sculpt your butt more effectively than using just your own body weight. Running and cardio exercises can help strengthen your legs but bands take the pressure off the joints, especially helpful for anyone coming back from injury.

If you want to specifically target muscles that need more training try her other videos:

First Move: Donkey Kick with Straight Leg. On your mat, get in tabletop position and put the optional resistance band around your thighs, just below your butt. With one leg, move your knee back and kick straight behind you, then return to starting position and do a second kick up into the air as if you are kicking something straight behind you. Repeat for thirty seconds, then switch legs for a total of one minute.

Second Move: Wide Legs Butt High. Flip over onto your back and lift your hips into the air so you are in a bridge position. Put the resistance band around your upper thighs and push your legs out past hip-width apart. Repeat for one minute. This exercise targets hip flexors and strengthens your glutes.

Third Move: Wide Leg Pulse. In the same position as the previous move, pulse your legs with mini pulses, same as above but half as wide and quicer. You will feel the burn in your glutes, inner, and outer thighs.

Fourth Move: Side Kicks. Back into tabletop position, lift one knee off the mat and push it out to the side. These are also known as fire hydrates (since you're not so delicately imitating a dog peeing ...) and target the inner thigh and glutes. Switch legs after one minute and complete the same movement on the other side for a total of two minutes.

Fifth Move: Push Outs. In the same position, lift onto your toes so your heels are in the air. You're in a downward dog position with your knees bent, hovering low off the mat. With the resistance band around your thighs, push your knees out away from the centerline, and repeat this movement for a total of one minute.

Now that you're getting optimal exercise and toning for your muscles if your goal is to lose weight on a healthy plant-based diet, sign up for The VegStart Diet.