"getting rid of the belly"

Hey everyone ,

lately I've been having a bit of a problem . I gained about 4 lbs , my body itself looks somehow as thin as it used to be but healthier ...my main issue here is my belly it looks like I gained the weight on my belly only , Im about 121 pounds right now .. Im wondering if there is any simple excersices I could do to tighten up my tummy .. its not that huge but i prefer it to be a bit flatter..

Im hoping there is an excercise or smth other than losing the weight ive gained .

thanks

Yep. There are tummy flattening exercises.

Strengthen oblique mucles, and more than that, lower abdominal muscles, moreso than upper abdominal muscles which are given too much focus and attention, according to a physical therapists words to me.

If you don't know too many exercises, examples follow:

1. On back, knees bent, bring right elbow to opposite bent knee...actually raise knee to meet elbow halfway. LOL. Repeat on opposite side for 10 or so repetitions each.

2. Do the bicycle type thing like the above exercise. Legs are held straight out or 45 degrees or so from ground, but don't strain your lower back or arch it too much in these. One knee to opposite elbow, twisting body so that elbow reaches one bent leg at a time, while holding opposite leg straight.

3. Do sit ups and oblique sit ups (#1 above) while sitting on a stablility ball. You get double the workout that way.

4. Pilates can be easy to very difficult and is designed for strong flat tummies and back.

I do all of these above, but not enough (IMO)!

You can look for exercises on internet, buy a stability ball and do exercises for core strengthening exercises..Core meaning the deeper muscles in your abominus rectus, top of legs, butt, back, and even up into the chest. You need good strong back and tummy for good health now and later in life.

Hope that helps,

11flower

i dont think we can 'target fat loss' despite what exorcise informercials say. we can target muscle definition. but unfortunately i dont think we can lose weight in 1 certain area without going under the knife...which in your case would be absolutly rediculous. when you lose weight it seems to get distributed thoughout your entire body. id like to lose a little bit around my love handle region but if i lost any more weight id look like a crack head b/c my face would get thinner & id look unhealthy by the time my love handles get smaller. it sucks! and its so annoying lol. just go for a run every few days & lay off some of the junk food.

-DG724

Oh, I should add that you can easily work up to 80 to 100 abdominal exercises about 3 times weekly and it doesn't take that long. Just do your repetitions doing about 20 per round, and switch sides. Do another exercise and alternate sides till you've done a 100 or so. This goes a long way!

11flower

I have to agree with Dragongirl. Running will do it everytime (and diet). Running gets your tummy, legs, back, and butt and you will most definitely see results.

11f.

11 flower,

those kind of muscles help with muscle definition. they do not allow you to lose weight. they simply stretch & define the muscles underneath the fat layer. you could have awesome abdominal muscles but if their hiding under a blanket of fat they arent going to show. aerobic exorcises like running, swimming, & walking are the kind of exorcises that are meant to help you lose weight.

-DG724

Hey Dragongirl,

As I said, have to agree! That's for sure and it shows on me as well because I need to run more and do aerobics. Tee hee LOL!

No, no argument there. So, yes, running is I think her answer and but if she wants to add a few abdom exercises for toning, this would at least help strengthen.

Again from what I hear, there's nothing like running for overall health. You'll get the butt, leg, and tummy, not to mention cardio muscle health.

Hey!

11flower

link removed

check out this link.

-DG724

I have one Pilate video, and one DVD. Both of them are taught by Ana Caban. One is intermediate, and that' hard enough. Another is advanced, and I can barely do some of the exercises. It takes immense strength to hold legs up straight at 45 degrees w/ feet in Pilate position (knees rotated outward) and pull upper torso slowly near toes and slowly go back down while still holding legs up. Jeez! But yeah, I end up sweating and feeling great after this workout and there's some great exercise moves there.

There's probably a lot of excellent Pilate VCRs out there. You have to choose your teacher and workout.

11flower

thanks for all the tips guys really appreciate it