Advice on Exercising

Hi B.!

I have similar issues and have found this year that doing the Biggest Loser workouts have really helped me. I have the Cardio Max and the sculpting workout and they are awesome and you see results in a short time. Also, I have had adult acne and have recently started using a line by Northeast Dermatology Assoc. called Intelligentesthetics.
http://www.intelligentaesthetics.com/pc-22-2-deep-pore-cl...

It is the first thing that has ever worked for me and I saw immediate results. It is about $107 for the whole set, but it lasts for a long time. I have had mine for 3 months and have not even used half of fit. I have tried just about everything else since I have had the problem for about 20 years, and this is the first thing that has ever worked for me.

Good luck with everything!
D.

Hi B.
I had great luck with a combination of the Slim in 6 vidoes and a weight management program called Transitions. They both target the belly and the bottom.
If you would like more information on Transitions let me know. The slim in 6 you can sometimes find on Ebay or you can go to beachbody.com to find out more.

Hi B.. How are you? As a Fitness Trainer I thought I could offer you some advice on the exercise part.

Strength training is the only way to change the shape of your body (to a certain degree of course - can't make you taller or smaller boned, etc, you know what I mean)?

Zumba is a great cardio routine, but perhaps you need more strength training. You also need to make sure you work out fairly hard for at least 30 min 5 days a week. 3 days a week is for maintenance only. You do not need to go to the gym for hours at a time either. Just work up a good sweat in 30 min.

I offer a FREE Ebook to Mamasource moms with advice on exercises (ones that you can do right at home), nutrition and diet tips, and more! Feel free to email me if you would like a copy. ____@____.com

Thanks, and good luck!

I know i'm a bit younger, but I have the same problem areas. Like you I've always had a flat stomach and curvy lower body. After having my twins it has been such a challenge to get back to my previous shape. Have you tried step aerobics? I have videos called "the firm" and they work great for toning the lower body. I also like a couple of the slim in 6 videos. I work out 6 days a week alternating workout videos and running. This routine, along with smaller meal portions, has been the most successful for me. Hope this is helpful.

Hi B.,
Good for you for making a lifestyle change with diet and exercise. I'm 34 and have a lot of the issues you have; here's what I've learned that helps me. Maybe it will help you too.

You have probably heard of Pilates - I use a 20-minute DVD by Mari Windsor three times a week and it really does show results. You feel and look a lot firmer. You wouldn't think such a short workout would work but it does (when you do it right it's not easy, but once you put the DVD on before you know it, you're done!). It comes in a 3-DVD set. One is an instructional/theoretical one, one is the 20-minute workout, and one is an hour-long workout that really kicks your butt.

A tip for between meals: Have a glass of skim milk. It really fills you up and is very good for you. No fat, lots of calcium.

For your skin: I also have problems with acne but would like to prevent wrinkles (I don't know if this is a concern for you). I've started using products from a line of Neutrogena that is both acne- and wrinkle-prevention. It has 2% syllic acid and retinol. It doesn't prevent pimples 100% but it does a good job of curbing them (around my period nothing stops them from coming).

I hope this helps. Good luck!

hi B.,
i've just started with a personal trainer she is great charges 25$ and comes to you ....
she will set up a workout for your specific needs and then you can make follow up appts when you want.....as far as the acne you amy want to think of a internal cleanse the company i work with has a gentle cleanse that is great email me a ____@____.com and i can give you K. rochas # and my website.... mother of 13 11 8 and 17mths K.

I had good luck with keeping a food journal (just write down what you are eating each day for a couple weeks) to see where your 'empty' calories are coming from.

Also you may need to switch up your excercizes since your body can get used of the same motions and not burn as much. Jogging has always been something that helped me lose weight but someones previous post about toning excercizes makes sense (maybe both types of excercize with a journal will do the trick).

If you belong to a gym they usually offer a free training session with one of the trainers. They will introduce you to the weight machines and help you come up with a program. Also, have you tried Pilates? Local gyms and studios offer classes. Good luck!

Hi B.. I agree that you've received a lot of great feedback. To chime in on the acne, I had a similar situation. My dermatologist suggested spironolactone, which totally worked! It helps regulate hormones that often contribute to acne at this time in our lives.

For workouts, I agree with Gina that strength training is the way to go to target specific areas. Two fantastic programs that I recommend are TurboJam and SlimIn6, both available through my web site. I'm also a bit pear shaped and these helped me slim my bottom half very well. You can always call me for a free consult too. ###-###-####.

http://personalfitcoach.com

All the best!
Jennifer

hi there! I have been doing weight watchers and finding it to be successful. I've learned that changing things up in your diet and excercising helps.

Good luck!!!

I just wanted to touch on your comment about acne...maybe you could ask your doctor to test your thyroid to see if it has changed it's function. It is a simple blood draw. Thyroid issues can also have connection to weight, emotions, etc.

Hi B.,
You would like to tone your bottom half, right? Tone or slim? I assume both... That's great that you have been exercising regularly. You have the hard part done. Now, it's time for tweaking. I recommend that you become personal with a trainer or coach to get details, and I am both. Here's is what I would recommend as a coach: get a heart rate monitor and be sure you are in your heart rate range. While Zumba and the like are fun, they are not helping you accomplish your goal. Get the HRM and see the truth, just how hard you are working out and what you will find is that maybe you aren't working out hard enough or maybe too hard. But probably not hard enough, your body got used to your workouts and your heart rate probably went down from all your exercise. You must continue to work at your capacity to get results or you may go backwards. As far as getting tone, you must strength train 2-3x a week. You are on the way, just tweak and you will get there. But know this, B., our body will get smaller not reconform to our perfect idea.

F.

Hello B., You received a lot of great advice! Especially from Gina. I'll chime in a bit here. I was a body builder for years.. and NO I didn't take steriods, I was totally natural. After having my son at 41, my first year I actually lost TOO much weight, if you can believe that... and then I gained 15 pounds after he turned 3. I was so depressed, because of the way I used to look. I'm a stay at home mom, that also has a home based business, so I gave up the gym and looked for a workout routine that would work for me. I am now 45, and I have lower back problems, so i had to find something that would work for me. I started with Slim in 6... Debbie Siebers is awesome! She works your botty really well. She's known as the Lunge/Squat Nazi... but, that's where I gained all my weight, and it's gone now. It only took me the 6 weeks, and I didn't even diet, just ate everything in moderation. Diet is important, you have to know what's good and bad. I say anything white.. gluten, sugar (yes, pizza, pasta). If you're going to eat those items, one piece of pizza with lots of salad etc. After Slim in 6 I moved to her Slim Series for one month and now I'm doing P90X... which WILL work, I guarantee it! I also try to get to the gym once in a while to shake things up. That's key! Well, I wish you the best, write back if you'd like:)

I am 35 and experiencing the same situation--subtract all the extra exercise, however, I have a very physical job. I just went to a new doctor who is doing all kinds of test to check my endocrine system (thyroid). You should go see a doctor. It is difficult to find one who doesn't point a finger and assume we are lazy gultants! Good Luck!

Hi B.,

I echo what other posters said about getting a blood workup. The changes you see could easily just be the changes we go through as we get older, or it could be an endocrine issue like PCOS.

You got lots of good advice already, but I would also stress that it's very hard to lose weight by exercising, and that might be why you are discouraged. Exercise will make your body feel good and get more toned, but it's really the diet that will get pounds off or on. A half hour of even pretty vigorous exercise will only expend about 300 calories, which is the amount of calories in a bagel. So you will see more weight results, if that is what is important to you, by closely watching your diet.

Good luck, and I hope you start to feel great soon!

Try the Firm! It works but you have to keep up with it always which is not me! But when I did it worked very well.
Also try the book Fit or Fat for women (there is a male version too). I forget the authors name but it is a great book & you will learn a lot. Also I would recommend getting blood work done (if you have not done so already) to check for pre-diabetes/diabetes and thyroid. That could be why you have gained weight with no explaination!
As far as the acne I would recommend a really good dermatologist which are very hard to find. But if you find a good one they should be able to help you. It could also be a food related reason. I am allergic to yeast so I have to be careful what I eat or I break out with a terrible rash.

I have lost 20 lbs in the past 6 months through diet and exercise using www.sparkpeople.com as a tool to track what I eat and how much I exercise. It has been very helpful to see these things to know how much of each I should do. I hope you find what works for you.

I think the Zumba is a great cardio workout, but have you tried weight training? Despite the old myth, you will not bulk up. However, that said, you must be a little caution about how you work your lower half. If you can build some lean muscle on your upper body, you will no longer look so pear shaped. Plus, the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn. Even if you eat more!! Got to love that. I worked at a gym for a while I have gotten out of shape myself and have started digging through my old workout stuff. Another great program is the Body For Life challenge. You might it a little tough at first, especially if you've never weight trained, but it's a great work out for Moms & Dads with little time for working out.

As for the acne, I've had it my entire life. I've used Proactiv with pretty good success. You may want to try Clinque's Acne system. I had great luck with it. Also, if you wear makeup, try BareMinerals. Sold online or on QVC. Thought it might me a joke until my girlfriend turned me onto it. Now, 6 of us in our office use it. Hope this all helps.