I need help!!

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estelle74uk
estelle74uk Posts: 465 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, just need some advice on what to do now.

Im eating well, and have been training well. Just need to lose the last few pounds, in obviously the last place for me which is bum and thighs. My top half is completely fine, I am as musclular as I want to be so would the best thing to do is a whole load of cardio?

I have been doing weights and bodyweight exercises for years and still have no joy, just recently I seem to have gotten a wider bum, whether thats the muscle pushing my bum out even more and it looks fatter I dont know, but i dont want that.

Shall i opt for more cardio?

At present I have runners knee, so cant do much, so it will have to be the stationery bike for now, doing sprints, interval, and long distance.

Thanks for any help

Rach

Replies

  • Dammitviv
    Dammitviv Posts: 117
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    Proper stretching can help to enlognate muscles, making them appear leaner and less bulky, perhaps give pilates or yoga a try?
  • shawnclarinet
    shawnclarinet Posts: 5 Member
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    I agree - try Pilates. See if you can rent some videos first, though, because some are really lame. My favorite is the Beginning Mat Workout with Ana Caban. It's great if you are new to Pilates. I used that and the Intermediate Mat workout with much success. Just so you know, I am NOT flexible at all, so I found yoga difficult, but really enjoyed these Pilates workouts.
    Good luck!
  • vickiele1
    vickiele1 Posts: 394 Member
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    I've been told repeatedly that the body will "lose fat" where ever it is - targeted exercises can help tighten and strengthen muscle groups, but the fat will be lost as aerobic exercises increase. So, given that you have indicated you have "runners knee" (which I am guessing means that you have torn, stretched, or damaged some part of your knee) you would need a cardio/aerobic exercise that has less impact to the knees - this could includ: treadmill walking at a fast pace (I suggest treadmill because the treadmill has built in cushioning, thereby reducing the impact to the knees and you can control the speed at which you walk as well as being able to regulate the incline); recumbent bike that you can adjust the resistance and the speed of the bike; or possibly get knee braces (the hinged variety with open patella and open popliteal to help protect your knees from the impact of running and then just slow your running down to a jog - enough where your heart rate is elevated and you are burning calories, but not impacting your knees as much.

    I am no expert, so these are all just things I have experienced or have knowledge of through reading and research. It would be a good idea to maybe visit your medical specialist to see what he/she recommends too.

    Vickie
  • estelle74uk
    estelle74uk Posts: 465 Member
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    Ok thanks everyone. I might have a look into yoga again, i did enjoy doing that before.

    I have had to put my gym membership on hold for the mo, because at one point every bit of cardio equipment was giving my knee pain, even just walking at the mo can be a bit painful if I put my foot down too hard.

    Im going to try the recumbent bike at home for a while and see how that goes. Squats and lunges are out of the question too so might just try a few other body weight exercises ie pull ups, push ups

    Its just really frustrating that my bum and legs never ever seem to want to slim down like my top half. Part of me thinks that it could be my varicous veins that are the problem?! My legs always seem to fill up by the end of the day, so maybe it could be that where my vales are not working properly because of the v veins, fluid is leaking which is giving me that look of water retention all of the time. Because my bottom half looks totally different from my top half!

    Depressing!!

    xx
  • kennedar
    kennedar Posts: 306 Member
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    What about swimming or water aerobics? There would be no impact to the knee and its a great workout.
  • estelle74uk
    estelle74uk Posts: 465 Member
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    What about swimming or water aerobics? There would be no impact to the knee and its a great workout.

    To be honest I am not a strong swimmer, never have been, also I have hair extensions so that wouldnt go down well!!

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