Better Body Goals-Accountability Thread

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Row boat exercises, is the only thing I can think of to flatten tummy.

Menopause has given me a fat tummy which some people think I'm pregnant...

[AniaR]

Yeah I did the row boat loads before and never really felt I got much from it :/ I can always try it again though

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Does it bother you that much to have a muffin top? It sounds like you tried everything except popping "health pills" but nobody wants to resort to that as opposed to exercise.

There is always surgery...

[PearlieMae]

The only way to get rid of that is to lose weight everywhere. You have to lose a lot of subcutaneous body fat to get rid of that pouch. No amount of sit ups or rows or anything like that is going to whittle that down, meaning you'll be hard as iron underneath, but you'll still have that little pouch of fat. It's a fact of life that most women face. So if you got your BMI down, down below where it's practically dangerous, then you might see a flat tummy.

[AniaR]

It's not so much the little pouch of fat I may not be clear enough in the issue. I was living a far unhealthier life style before but was still able to tone it. I wasn't skinny, but I had muscle and my core was strong, and the pouch wasn't that obvious unless I was having a bad stomach day. Now I look pregnant on some days despite living healthier than I ever have, and I am being asked if I am pregnant. And it also wont fit the measurements I had my tail made in for my waist/tummy. I'm saying the muscle underneath is gone. it's not fat. It's still muscle. But it's all soft now with no definition. It's calledhypotonia.
Basically
If I don't work my butt off my whole life to always work my muscles, I will lose them for good and be all rag doll like. I've gotten really close before when I was bed ridden and sick for a year. it was super hard to come back from. Doctors can't say or do much it is what it is but I'll be damned if this is it for my core. I'm not ready to just accept it and be jiggly all over and when I say that I'm not talking fat. I'm talking damaged muscle. I feel like I am on the down slope for that with my core right now and I want to try other techniques to engage the muscles if people have suggestions.

[PearlieMae]

Ah, I understand, now.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Oh, better to have a chat with your doctor then. He/she will be able to advise you better on how to regain the muscle tone. I had thought you were talking about body fat.

[Coradion]

Row boat exercises, is the only thing I can think of to flatten tummy.

Menopause has given me a fat tummy which some people think I'm pregnant...

You can't really spot tone, if you develop the muscle under the fat layer it just pushes the fat. Row boats are good cause it's resistance cardio, the main results you see are from overall weight loss and toning everything not just one spot.

If you really wanna drop the weight and are a normal person (some people never work out and make me mad with their abs) you should do a mix of cardio and lifting or another resistance. If you do cardio sets do interval training for faster results.

[Coradion]

And I feel ya guys I've gained like threeish pounds and feel super bloaty.

[Miyu]

Coradion, you're terrible! You can do those amazing moves and you feel bloaty? LOL!

BTW: Your feet are just gorgeous in that photo, I love how you point your toes!


I am having problems putting together an exercise routine for myself. I know what goals I'm aiming for, but I get lost on what exercises I should be doing, amount of reps, etc. I wish I could just pay someone to tell me what to do!

[AniaR]

Yeah doctors just keep saying keep working out. Toning my belly is low on their priority lok

[Rogue Siren]

Have you tried planking?

[Mermaid Nessie]

Consider yourself lucky that your country gives you free food at school at all :P

I don't get free food. I pay almost $3000 a semester for food.

[Mermaid Nessie]

Aww that's hard. Do you have a dorm kitchen or something? I bailed on the meal hall in my 2nd year and lived off of frozen veggies and anything I could cook in 2 pots and a frying pan. I also had a hot plate–which was illegal in my dorm but I used it anyway. A couple of friends got together with me and we would do dinner nights a couple times a week, rotating who got to cook, and car-pooled to the grocery store.

No dorm kitchen and hot plates are completely banned. There's no place to even safely use a hot plate even if I wanted to bend the rules.

[Rivertee]

Sorry it's been a while Firstly thank you mers for your support ^.^ I've still not lost any more weight but I haven't gained any either so hurrah!

Secondly Raina what has always worked for me (even now it's helping) is the crunch cheating movements. Basically I lay on a big ball and roll my body with it (usually while chasing my 2 year old around) but it works those tummy muscles and tightens the little pouches. I'm no longer fat and flabby I'm just chubby and round lol. I think it'll be easy on your back and if you only do a little a day it shouldn't irritate anything. Just a thought ^.^

Coradin you look amazingly well in that photo but I understand the discomfort of feeling bloaty. Just a little nutrition tip I learned in college, salad with JUST vinegar before and after exercising. No cheese, or meats just veggies and like an apple cider vinegar. Usually works for me when I swim.

Thanks again guys looking forward to everyone's changes in the new year!

[Mermaid Kelda]

I don't get free food. I pay almost $3000 a semester for food.

Ah, yes, but we pay $3000 and have to survive on 2 minute noodles and pizza coupons :P

Student life tends to suck in most countries. I guess we can be thankful that we get to go to school at all!

[Vrindavana Starfish]

Nessie, that sucks. I guess the best you may be able to do is organize something to try to get healthier food options in the dining halls. Not a quick fix though. And there's only so much you can cook in a coffee pot, and most of that is not very healthy anyway.

Raina, I don't know if this is helpful, and I don't know much about your health issues and what specifically it means to you— you know about that– but could it be possible that you may have over-trained your abs a bit and they're not able to properly recover? I know I overtrained in climbing, and didn't have enough recovery time between sessions, so my muscles just kept getting broken down, but not built back up. That can still leave muscle, but it doesn't feel toned. It sounds like with what you have to deal with, there would be a very delicate balance between recovery and losing muscle. And the symptoms of over-training are very much like symptoms you'd already have from other things, so it would be hard to tell.

If it's something like your body has just adjusted to the exercise you're getting, then it's good that you're doing yoga too. That might be enough to switch things up and get your body out of being energy efficient, if that makes sense.

[Coradion]

A lot of these are good points that everyone made about fitness. I've found with the majority of the people I've trained that the biggest barrier they have to overcome are their personal excuses. I don't let my acrobatics students say "I can't" unless there is a true medical reason making them physically incapable like a torn muscle. You can always try. If you are not mixing cardio with resistance training you are unlikely to look toned. Cardio means an hour and fifteen minute minimum three times a week. You must have an elevated heart rate if you want it to count, walking, hula hooping, etc is not good cardio and you don't start real weight loss until the 45 min mark.

[Coradion]

You need resistance training too, I was a competitive swimmer for thirteen years spending thirty plus hours in the pool every week year round. I was in great cardio shape but I was obese. It wasn't until I started doing resistance training with acrobatics that I actually lost the weight which has been like seventy pounds over the last five years. You have to be self accountable, if you are not committed to it, you won't see the results you want. This thread is about saying what we will do to make the changes that will help us get the fitness we want.

[-Annwyn-]

Raina, have you considered archery, or social dancing?