tummy help?

I would suggest pushing yourself harder.

Instead of just doing crunches, try lifting your knees to meet your elbows while you're doing them.

Lay on your back, put your feet up straight above you, hands palm-down at your sides, and lift your hips off the ground.

Maybe invest in some ab-work DVDs....

From what I understand, you can never completely undo what babies (especially 9!!!) do to your stomach, but you should be able to build some muscle and tone the area.

Good luck!

I'm a certified personal trainer, pre- and post-partum specialization. Here's the thing. As the PP said, there's nothing shy of surgery you can do to completely eliminate what the expansion and contraction of 9 pregnancies does to you skin and also your abdominal muscles (thanks to genes, some people have an easier time with the muscle part, but it's reasonable to see less tone after multiple pregnancies). Doing crunches focuses dominantly on your rectus abdominis (the "six pack" muscles) which is fine, but especially where you're feeling a lack of strength and after bringing your nine beautiful babies into the world, you need to focus at least as much on your core. I would suggest finding a mat pilates series you enjoy (I love Windsor Pilates because they are concise) and doing that several times a week to augment your core strength. And don't forget cardio!! You cannot unearth muscle with muscle work (aside from the indirect fact that gaining muscle means you burn more base calories) so you have to do cardio to shed the fat.

It's challenging to adjust to the phenomenon that begins at 30 for most people, where ever ydecade marks a notable decrease in metabolism and an increase in the speed at which muscles will atrophy (shrink and lose power and tone). But you can make positive changes that will help your strength and your sense of fitness.

Best! :flowerforyou:

I definetly recommend you get a weighted hoop. (like a hula hoop) This is the best exercise for my abs that I have ever done. Id start with a 2-3 lbs hoop. It will be sore for the first few days but it gets so easy after that. I have worked up to a 6 lb hoop and my stomach is almost as flat as when I was in high school and I have two kids. I got mine on craigslist. I have an Acu-hoop. The site is
www.sports-hoop.com but there are all different sites where you can get customized oned for less. I like the Au-hoop because it is padded and actually "massages" as you use it. They are guaranteed to take of two inches a month if you use it just 5 minutes a day three times a week!!! Good Luck

i love my video i got from ****s sporting goods its anna vcabanna pila. video with these rubber bands helped my belly alot..

lol Im the same way. There are also instructions online as to how to make your own hoop. You use soft tubing and fill it with sand. Google it and Im sure youll find it.:happy:

Greetings Ladies! That hula hoop sounds fun! I agree with the advice to incorporate the knees into your crunches.

Bellydance tones the muscles and the skin...when I 1st started dancing I had a saggy lower ab but not anymore...the results come pretty quickly as well.

Here's one of the exercises we do to warm up for bellyrolls:

Stand with feet shoulder width apart...bend at waist - back paralel to the floor gazing forward a bit or with back and neck in alignment (it gives you a nice stretch in your hamstrings as well)...pull your belly in tight as you can for at least 10 seconds...release for a couple of seconds and repeat...it is especially beneficial in you break up your abs into 3 sections, upper, middle and lower...concentrate the pull on one area at a time for at least 10 seconds and release for a couple of seconds...repeat.

I like to work reps: upper, release, middle, release, lower, release...repeat for as many sets as you like...when I first started doing these I had to help my lower right ab to contract...when I squeezed in I had to use my hand to push the loose skin to the muscle...I didn't have to do that for very long...it is a very effective exercise...I'm a Grandmother and still feel comfortable in a bikini...believe me, it works!

You'll find what works for you...accept yourself as you are right now and know that you can do the work to reach your goals!

I need help in this area as well. I am a thick and solid girl, but my stomach is the one thing about my body that I feel the most uncomfortable about...unless I am wearing my Spanx. I haven't had any children, but I want to get in shape before that happens...

My mom was in a similar spot. After 5 pregnancies, all c-sections, including a set of twins, she had very little stomach muscle left. She literally had a spot where her vertical and horizontal scars crossed and she could poke her finger through the muscle there. Long story short, it took her about 3 straight years of working very hard to gain muscle tone back. She said it just took a lot of work. I think she's been using a bench that allows her to begin with her head below her stomach to work both the back and the abs. But all the ab-work in the world will only tone the muscle you have there. Cardio is the only way to get rid of the fat, and that is lost all-over the body.

Personally I've had great results with pilates, but I haven't had any children yet, so I can't attest to that. Good luck!