Abdominal Reconditioning? One for the ladies...

emmamcc1981

My 2 babies have ruined my abs! :C.

I'm 5'2" and was 143lbs, now 116 lbs, with a target of 112, i run and do yoga 3 times each a week but STILL i don't know why my abs refuse to play ball - everything else has fallen into place but they're the last piece of the puzzle!

has ANYONE managed to tone that lower 'mummy tummy' section? you know, to the point where they are flat(ish) again? i realise there'll be sagging skin still (grim!) and that, but i just want to get them as toned as the rest of my body!

HELP!

dvcab

yes the belly is last to go (sigh) my gym says cardio so a running i go with ab exercises thrown in, my natropath says to embrace the lower belly as most women have it after children (argh) so im sorry i dont think there is any easy answers

phoenixoncemore

I don't have kids, so I in no way claim to have experience here, but I just started the 30 Day Shred and Jillian Micheals does a couple of exercises in the ab section that are supposed to specifically target that lower section - she does give the muscle a name too but I can't remember it. There is one where you lie on your back and lift your legs in the air pulling your tail off the ground - and I can really feel that right in the bottom of my abs (you know the, ahem, pouchy bit!) So maybe there are some specific exercises that could help. I'll try and listen out for that muscle name when I do the shred later.

tkopps

I have not had any children, but I can say the best workouts that I do for all the tummy is pilates. There are lots of different exercise and it has really made a difference.

JennieAL

There are some pics on here of women who've had children and totally tightened their tummy back to what appears to me as "normal" though it may be slightly different, I don't know. I've not had children so I don't know. But judging from those pics, you'd never be able to point them out and say "Aha! She's had babies."

jeyko

yes the belly is last to go (sigh) my gym says cardio so a running i go with ab exercises thrown in, my natropath says to embrace the lower belly as most women have it after children (argh) so im sorry i dont think there is any easy answers

Embrace the lower belly! That made my day! LOL

JenS826

Don't know how much you've lost or how long you were heavier but I had been extremely overweight for a while (over 220 lbs. at 5'3"). I, at my lowest, got down to 124 after YEARS of yo-yo weight loss. I did a "just for the heck of it" initial consulation with a plastic surgeon to see how much it would cost to get everything put back to where it's supposed to be

He told me that he wouldn't even bother doing a tummy tuck on me -- that I would need a lower-body lift. He said that all those years of being so overweight stretched out the tendons which attach the muscles to my frame. As a result of that, there will always be that sag without surgical intervention.

It took me a while to accept that but now I have. It's not pretty but at least I now know that I'm healthier. I've put some of that weight back on -- not a lot -- but now I know I can run around with kids and I look better (in clothes). I don't want to give that up just to "fill in my skin" again.

Good luck!

jo_marnes

ME!

I've done it. I've had 3 kids and my tum is better now than before I had my kids.

I work out - hard. I have done now for 4 years. BUT my tum was looking great 2 years ago.

For me it really was about lowering body fat %. So long as you are doing lots of varied exercise, you should be working your core. But you have to lose the FAT in order to see a change.

You can do it ladies!

lbrschl

Wow! Great advice and *embrace the tummy* is good advice. . .love yourself. The exercise is to keep you living strong and healthy!

Matt_Wild

It is simply body fat to get it as flat as possible. There is no other tricks - just low body fat. I know I'm a bloke but I know plenty of mothers who compete and they get it back in shape with no surgery or the like, simply diet and cardio.

emmamcc1981

embrace the tummy - that is cute! i suppose i could eat a bit healthier - been concentrating on calories only but i suppose it's time to watch the composition of what i eat. i *know* i'm always over on the fat.

on with the slog. *sigh* :P

mhotch

if you remember your anatomy, the abdominal muscle splits in two to accommodate a pregnancy. The only way to put it back to pre preg form is with a large wallet, knife, and sutures.

You can get it back close by, eliminating excess fat and a good core exercises program. But remember great abs are made in the kitchen. DNA also plays a huge roll in this as well.

qtiekiki

My belly is pretty much back to pre-pregnancy state, while standing anyways. The skin shows the sagginess/looseness more when I am sitting and, especially, bending over. Interval training and using heavier weights helped me.

sumnerfan

I got mine flat with no pooch after my second child. I really think it depends on your diet and your skin elasticity. Good luck. It definitely is the last thing to go.

KylieBarstow

No kids here. But I would try this exercise routine on top of what you are already doing. It's only about 20-25 minutes. I love it and it definitely makes me burn more in my lower ab area.

http://fitchicks-fitchicks.blogspot.com/2011/09/tummy-tuck.html