Tone-less Arms and the Belly Bulge.

SarahD59

I've recently lost almost 20 pounds (yay!) with about 40 more to go. I'm beginning to notice a bit of difference in how I look, but one thing that has NOT changed even a bit is the fact that my arms are a bit flabby, and my stomach hasn't seemed to decrease at all. (I seem to be losing weight more around the sides.) What are some excercises that I can do at home to tone these areas? No matter how much weight I lose, it won't fix the looseness around the middle. I need toning tips!

almarsala

bump

Jenjaz1910

You can't spot reduce BUT planks are fab to help tighten the core and tricep dips to tighten the arms! Continuing to lose fat all over is the main thing. I'm in the same boat but I'm getting there slowly. Good luck on your journey and well done on your loss so far x

bcattoes

A lot of it is just loose skin and should correct itself eventually. Do some core strengthing exercises to keep as much of the muscle underneath. There are many aerobic and strength training exercises that will strengthen your core. Just do an internet search and find something that appeals to you.

iWaffle

my arms are a bit flabby, and my stomach hasn't seemed to decrease at all. (I seem to be losing weight more around the sides.) What are some excercises that I can do at home to tone these areas?

Can you dry out half a sponge and leave the other half soaked? Nope and you can't spot tone away fat. There is no exercise that will reduce fat in once place or another. Your body stores it where it wants to store it. Your stomach will probably be its last stronghold. Keep doing what you're doing and those areas will eventually start showing results too.

Start adding in some resistance exercise into your workout if you want to alter the shape of your arms. Muscle exercise builds structure and cardio just pulls off fat but not in the order you would like.

Dragonwolf

Check out You Are Your Own Gym and Never Gymless for some great bodyweight strength training routines and info. In general, though, strength training will get you more of what you want (though do remember that you can't "spot-reduce" fat, so fat deposits will shrink as your body sees fit to shrink them, regardless of what you do).

Some basic exercises to get you going, though, would include squats, push ups, planks, and dips. The "100 Push Ups" program and its sister programs are a great starting point, too, if you can't get a hold of the above two books.

You can also do Yoga and/or bellydance. If you have cable, see if you have a free fitness on demand station. I've found that they nearly always have some Yoga stuff and sometimes will have bellydance stuff. Both are great for the core and arms.

Klem4

Diet, and continuing to lose is the main thing. I've also found that when I eat too many carbs or gluten, my belly seems bigger and like stiffer. I'm thinking about going completely gluten free.

I started taking a class at the gym, its called "cardio blast" but we do A TON of push-ups, squats, lunges, and ab exercises, I have definitely started to tone up more in my arms and legs. its like 30ds but for an hour.

TeaBea

Strength or resistance exercises. You can use weights, a resistance band (cord) ... or your own body weight.

There are tons of exercise DVDs, or you can look up exercises on line and make a list, whatever suits you.


I like Kelly Coffey Meyers 30 Minutes to Fitness: Your Best Body is well rounded. It has 2 - 30 minute routines & premixes to keep it fresh

Uses weights: http://www.collagevideo.com/workout-video/kelly-coffeys-30-min-to-fitness-your-best-body-6107

Uses body weight: http://www.collagevideo.com/workout-video/kelly-coffeys-30-minutes-to-fitness-body-training-5756

SarahD59

Thanks for the tips so far. I'll definitely look into some of the exercises mentioned, and I think I'm definitely being impatient about the loss. No spot-reducing. Got it. I do think I'm going to get myself some resistance bands to work with at home. I've heard you can do a lot of different work outs with just a set of bands a some light weights. I think a lot of the frustration comes with the fact that I've never really worked out much. I played sports as a kid and had active hobbies as an adult, but I never got into actual "fitness." I'm kind of flying blind!

rprussell2004

Jillian Michaels' "Ripped in 30" or "30 Day Shred" will tone you all the heck over the place.

It's not a long workout, but varied and intense.

They work great for me, and I'm not even doing it every day...

edit: The only 'tools' she needs are a pair of handweights.

Ariberri9

You've probably heard this before: There's no such thing as spot-reducing. The fat will come off when and where it wants to, but it's up to you to "speed up" the process.

I have a beer belly, so I understand from where you are coming in terms of belly bulge. I've seen noticeable belly shrinkage since I've started what I'm doing now. My arms have toned up as well. Here is a quick synopsis:

THE BEGINNING:
1200 calories per day
No more than 200 grams of carbs
At least 50 grams of protein
At least 15 grams of fiber
At least 8 cups of water
No red meat
No "white foods" -- white bread, white flour
Whole grain only
No processed foods

35 minutes of cardio non-stop (for this, I walked on a gradually-increasing incline at a gradually-increasing speed) five times per week
30 minutes of strength training/weight lifting (working the inner thighs, the biceps, the triceps, and the abs [crunches]) five times per week

THE MIDDLE
1200 calories per day
No more than 200 grams of carbs
At least 50 grams of protein
At least 15 grams of fiber
At least 8 cups of water
No red meat
No "white foods" -- white bread, white flour
Whole grain only
No processed foods

35 minutes of cardio non-stop (for this, I walked on a gradually-increasing incline at a gradually-increasing speed and broke into a good sweat) five times per week
30 minutes of strength training/weight lifting (working the inner thighs [3 sets of 35 with 25-lb weights], the biceps [3 sets of 30 with 30-lb weights], the triceps [3 sets of 30 with 30-lb weights], and the abs [crunches -- 3 sets of 35 on a steep grade for more range of motion]) five times per week
15 minutes of "cool-down cardio" (3 sets of 30 punches with 5 pound weights, 3 sets of 50 jumpropes, and 3 sets of 45 jumping jacks) five times per week

RIGHT NOW
1390 calories per day
No more than 200 grams of carbs
At least 60 grams of protein
At least 18 grams of fiber
At least 8 cups of water
No red meat
No "white foods" -- white bread, white flour
Whole grain only
No processed foods

20 minutes of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred five times per week
Heavy weight-lifting three times per week

The key is to not "phone it in" -- that is, don't let your body get used to the exercises you do. Keep your body in shock; mix up your exercises. Also, push yourself to your limits. Don't stop when you're tired. Also, I keep my stomach sucked in and abs tight during my workouts. A sweatbelt helps me do this wonderfully. I suck in my stomach, put on my sweatbelt, and it holds my stomach in and makes me keep my ab muscles tight.

As far as diet goes, buy everything as fresh as possible. I haven't had canned food (except for spaghetti sauce ) in weeks. I buy fresh fruits and vegetables, and I try to get the healthiest meat and pastas possible -- minimally processed, minimal hormones, etc.

Don't forget that IT TAKES TIME. And don't waste hours phoning in seven billion crunches...it's not going to work. Work your ENTIRE body, and work it to its limit. Keep it in shock.

Best of luck. :flowerforyou:

DanielleRN8

The 30 Day Shred worked amazingly for me!

Sweet_Potato

I went to a seminar recently where the instructor maintained that the belly is where toxins accumulate (also on the upper arms and thighs for women), so you need to do a detox program in addition to diet and exercise. I need to do some research on my own before I will agree with everything he said, but it does make sense. I've been around 110 pounds my entire adult life, but no matter how much I exercise I can't get rid of flab in those areas.