Workouts for Performance and Modeling

[Coradion]

What does everyone do to stay in shape for shoots and dives? I don't workout nearly as much as I used to, but being a college student not having money for food helps this situation. I do acro for an hour or two three or four times a week, doubles beach volleyball on the weekends, and some swim cardio when I have time. My personal goal is defined abs by Easter. What does everyone else do to keep a mermaid/merman body?

[Mermaid Lorelei]

I play soccer, work out in the gym, and I swim in my monofin. :P

[AniaR]

swim, work out at the gym, walk a lot, and hoop!

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Like hula hoop Raina?

[Coradion]

Performance and working at Hollister can be depressing some days. The standard for most things here is either perfect abs for guys, or less defined, but definitely still there abs for girls. We have so many people apply for positions that don't meet the company look policy. Which sucks, is totally shallow, but then they're the ones paying us. I feel like mer performances seem to require the same as AnF co does.

[AniaR]

I really struggle with my tummy, I started medication that made me gain weight in that area, and no matter how much I up my workout routine no flat belly again :/

[Mermaid Jewel]

I dance...abs come with it ^.^

[happyguava]

Raina - me too. Weight gain from medication, especially medication that otherwise does its job well, is SO frustrating. That tummy fat seems to have a mind of its own, at least mine does :P

To be honest I don't keep in as good shape as I would like to, and I'm really trying to knuckle down at the moment and do something about it. I bellydance three times a week and usually swim at least once a week, I try to do a bit of pilates at home most days and I walk lots. I just have to keep doing all these things!!

[Gem Stone]

P90X for those of you who have the hour a day to do it. It works really well. The pounds just drop off you. I personally love plyometrics because it helps the most with your leg and core abilities.

[Mermaid Sirena]

Monday I go to the gym and do treadmill/elliptical/some general excersises for a half hour to an half. (Just signed up for a Zumba class that might replace this)

Tuesday I go and hula hoop with a bunch of people, occasionally getting to play with Silk, this is less of a work out more a practice/hang out time.

Wednesday I go swim from a half hour to an hour.

Thursday, my goal is to hula hoop on my own but as of yet it's been day of rest.

Friday is the same as Monday

Saturday I can't do anything

Sunday I want to start going to the gym to swim or do more hula hoop practice.


This is all a new years resolution and I'm not perfect at keeping it and haven't been doing it enough to see a results. My only two goals is to get a model flat tummy and have my lungs recover from second smoke compliments of BF and friends.

[AniaR]

Raina - me too. Weight gain from medication, especially medication that otherwise does its job well, is SO frustrating. That tummy fat seems to have a mind of its own, at least mine does :P

Yeah I couldnt live a normal life without these meds ugh. I have a really really small diet because of my illness too and it's all healthy stuff so changing my diet never does much. I go to the gym every second day and lots of stuff in between. when I swim it's not very noticeable, same if a stretch out, but sitting as a mermaid I hike the tail waist line up over it hahaha

[Mermaid Jewel]

I'm thinking for the abs, to work your whole core (abs and back, all around). I think that's why dancers have a good flat tummy because we work with strengthening all of the core and not just the abs. When I went to physical therapy (it was a hip problem but we worked on core strength to help it), I learned some good but painful ab exercises. I can draw/describe them and post them if anyone wants :)

[Mermaid Lorelei]

I'd actually like to hear about these core exercises, if you don't mind Jewel. That's the last area I'm not happy with.

[Coradion]

More core workouts can't be bad!

[Spindrift]

I run 4-7 miles at a time (3-4 times a week) and then go through a pretty intense ab workout.

[Mermaid Sirena]

I hate running, hate it so much I can not imagine how you people are able to run like 4-7 miles.

[AniaR]

I wanna hear these ab workouts haha

[SweeteSiren]

A friend of mine recently bought a bosu, so we practiced on it. I think it will be very good for core work.

Jewel, please share your exercises!

[Odette]

oh sweet! the BOSU trainer is great also for swimmers.doing some simple workouts with it can increase your balance and i dont get how it transfers but the olimpic swimmers use it.

[Mermaid Jewel]

Hey sorry guys! I'll write those down soon, I was gone over the weekend for a photography thing. I'll be glad to help though :) I warn you now, they're painful. And extremely hard to find motivation to do without a physical therapist making you xD

[Artisankatie]

When I was 17 I was at the height of my fitness as I was playing badminton competitively and training/playing for 11 hours a week as well as running 3km every day and riding my horse for hours on end at the weekends. Then I went to uni and livened up my studying with chocolate. I put on 20 kilos in no time, and now I'm 23 and trying to get rid of 10 of those kilos.
At the moment the Australian government is running an ad campaign on healthier lifestyles by 'becoming a swapper', where you swap your normal habits for healthier choices, and my NY resolution was to become a swapper. And so far it's working pretty well (not entirely by choice -I walk instead of driving my car because I can't afford the petrol at the moment).
So maybe other mers could try to implement something like that - it can also save money - my human and I found that if we put a couple of scoops of ice cream in a cone instead of filling a bowl, the ice cream lasts longer and we eat less because we're too lazy to get another cone :P

EDIT: I don't mean to put the focus on dietary habits, the point of swapping is to change habits a little at a time rather than try to get into something totally new.

[Mermaid Luna]

I don't do anything yet, but I really should start doing something about my belly flab. =/ I've already had like, 3 people post comments about it online on my photos. :(

Any tips for increasing lung capacity other than running and swimming?

[Spindrift]

I hate running, hate it so much I can not imagine how you people are able to run like 4-7 miles.

It's on my new year's resolutions/bucket list to run a marathon in November, so I'm pretty motivated. I have gotten shin splints once though, from over doing it.

[Mermaid Jewel]

I got the exercises FINALLY written out! :) I will post them as soon as I can figure out my scanner lol.

[Coradion]

BOSU trainers help swimming because it helps train core muscle body balance. One thing you do as a swimmer is just float in the water in a streamline and learn how to correct your balance so you don't tip while you swim.

[malinghi]

I don't do anything yet, but I really should start doing something about my belly flab. =/ I've already had like, 3 people post comments about it online on my photos. :(

Any tips for increasing lung capacity other than running and swimming?


To state the obvious, people on the internet are assholes. You look fantastic.

About lung capacity, I'm pretty sure freedivers do breathholding exercises that you can do in or out of water. Also, someone once told me that they got better at breathholding from yoga, though I don't know if that's true.

[Ilonka]

My job in itself is a full work out, i'm a housekeeper at a 5 star hotel. But iv never passed 120 and i eat like a man. Im going vegan though because im turning 20 and women's metabolisms tend to slow down with age.
As for breathholding, its true about yoga helping not only for that but for flexibility and resistance in general. Its the best exercise you could ever do for your general mind and health. :)

[Blondie]

Doing sit ups, push ups and planks are the easiest ways to get flat abs. I did this in February and it worked pretty well :) And it's simple!

http://fitandfabforlife.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/fab-ab-february.jpg