Style Celebration: Health & Wellness- Seven Moves That Will Ensure A Giselle-Like Derrière For Bikini Season

Even since announcing a pact called “The Health Initiative”, various editions of Vogue magazine across the world have taken the first step away from underweight, malnourished models towards fashion’s answer to a more athletic ideal. Supermodel Giselle Bundchen’s behind covers this month’s Vogue Paris along with the headline, "Health Initiative Issue ... Special Shapes: the cult of the body and mind." While great genes might also have something to do with the 31-year-old’s enviable figure, with a bit of hard work it is possible to sculpt a fairly similar derrière.

Condé Nast International’s pledge to stop shooting underage girls in all 19 editions of Vogue has finally come to fruition. Beginning with their June issues, the editors made a pact to stop using models under age 16 or those who, from the viewpoint of the editors, appear to have an eating disorder. It is really great to see a shift towards healthier images of women in magazines. It had gotten so bad that even models like Natalia Vodianova were rushing to defend the disturbing images and harmful standards put in place by magazine editors. Regardless of Natalia’s controversial views on weight, we have all heard horror stories of just what girls go through to be as thin as they appear in runway shows, ad campaigns and editorials. Victoria’s Secret model Doutzen Kroes, famously admitted to have been taken by her agents into a meeting centering entirely on the size of her butt.

While 14-year-old Julia Bluhm’s 25,000 strong petition that pled with Seventeen Magazine to stop photoshopping young women on their covers was received with a cold shoulder from the Hearst owned publication, Vogue Magazine editor’s have resolved to implement a (hopefully) lasting change from now on. For their June issue, American Vogue decided to go quite literal in the healthy, athletic department.

Featuring Ryan Lochte, a six-time Olympic-medal-winning swimmer (the fourth man ever to cover Vogue), Soccer star Hope Solo and Tennis Champion Serena Williams, for an Olympic themed issue. This is quite a new direction for Anna Wintour’s fashion bible. The magazine came under fire by readers and critics for previously featuring the story of Dara-Lynn Weiss for putting her tween-age daughter on a weight loss plan for an entire year, that reduced the child to tears. Her reward for losing weight was a feather hair extension and designer clothes.

In addition to eating healthy you do have to put some work into achieving a great figure though. No pain, no gain as they say. Exercise physiologist Dianne Sykes Scope gave Self Magazine some advice on creating the perfect posterior. "The squat is the best exercise for a sexy lower body because it targets the glutes and quads better than many other moves." To get the best results, do three sets of 12 reps of a few moves below on nonconsecutive days, then do the remainders the week after.

Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes out, hands on hips. Squat until thighs are parallel to floor, then lift both heels (as shown). Lower heels for 1 rep. Repeat.

With feet shoulder-width apart, squat all the way down, fingertips on floor slightly in front of feet. Keeping fingertips on floor, lift hips, extending butt toward ceiling with knees slightly bent (as shown). Return to start for 1 rep. Repeat.

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips. Squat, then stand and forcefully bring right leg across and in front of body, leading with heel, as if kicking a ball, left arm swinging in front, right arm behind (as shown). Return to start. Switch sides to complete 1 rep. Repeat.

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands behind head. Squat, then stand, lifting left knee across body (as shown) toward right elbow at center. Return to start. Switch sides to complete 1 rep. Repeat.

Stand with feet hip-width apart. Squat deeply, extending arms behind torso. Stand, then raise left leg and lower chest until parallel to floor, extending arms forward (as shown). Hold for 1 count, then return to start. Switch sides to complete 1 rep. Repeat.

Squat with back to wall, feet together, thighs parallel to floor, hands on hips. Maintain back and butt contact with wall as you lift left knee toward chest (as shown). Return to start. Switch leg to complete 1 rep. Repeat.