In need of good toning up tips!
candicestarnes
Posts: 1 Member
i have 2 kids, one just being 5 weeks old. So needless to say I need some workout tips that will help me see results. Not going to lie the eating part is what I will struggle with the most, but needing something to burn calories is helpful!!
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Replies
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I've recently started toning exercises so have a few that I do;
ABS
1. Crunches - I find these are better than sit ups as it's easier to get the form right, also it's better if you place the palms of your feet together and do a kinda frog leg thing rather than having your knees up, I've been told it works the core more
2. Crunches with leg raised - so lie on your back and put your legs straight in the air and try and reach for your toes - this works the lower abs
3. Leg raises - make a diamond with your hands and place them under the base of your back for support the lift your legs off the ground and slowly lower, before raising again, don't let your feet touch the ground during the lower and if you want to make it harder, engage your upper abs by raising your shoulders off the ground as if you're doing a crunch.
4. Plank - great for arms and core and the side plank is even harder! Try to hold for as long as you can
5. Obliques - Lay down and place your feet on the floor with your knees up, as if going for a sit up, raise your shoulder off the ground slightly and then try and reach for your ankles - alternating your arms so you're kinda swaying side to side
LEGS
1. Squats - make sure that your back is stright and you really get down into the squat, aim to push into your heels and you should feel the muscles working. Make it harder by doing a raised squat - place each foot separately on a raised surface and do the squats - can also do it holding a weight
2. Walking lunges - your knees don't have to touch the floor but your back has to be straight and really engaged core, can also do this with weights to make it harder
3. Step-up - find a step and alternate stepping - so right foot up, left foot up, right foot down, left foot down, the LEFT foot up, right food up etc.
ARMS
1. Press ups - if you can't do a full press up try it on your knees, cross your feet and raise them off the ground slightly then try to get your chest as close to the floor as you can, but without letting it touch the floor
2. Burpees - jump energetically into the air - then crouch with your hands on the floor and jump your legs behind you before bringing them in again
3. Tricep dip - find a bench of some kind and grip the edge of the bench with your hands, place your feet out in front slightly then lower and raise your weight.
These are only basic moves but they really do work and you can feel them working. If you don't have any gym weights just anything will do that you know the weight of, for example do the exercises holding a full bottle of water in each hand, just make sure the weights are equal.
I tend to do all the exercises for legs first, then have a 2 min break and do the same leg exercises again, then go onto arms (do the same thing, arms, 2min break, arms again) and then finally core. As you improve you should be able to gradually increase the amount of exercises you do each time and these exercises are great especially if you're busy with a 5 week old (Congratulations by the way
) because you don't need to go to the gym, they can all be done in the comfort of your own home.
Just make sure to warm up before and stretch out properly before and after, try not to over do it by pushing too far to prevent injury
Also adding cardio into this is great too, so swimming is low impact on joints and great working all parts of the body, there's walking or even running. 20 mins a day would be enough, walking to the shops instead of driving, or even taking your children to the park and running round with them (if they're old enough that is
)
Hope this helps!
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eat in a calorie deficit
get a food scale
log everything
get on a structured lifting program like strong lifts, starting strength, new rules of lifting for woman, etc0 -
eat in a calorie deficit
get a food scale
log everything
get on a structured lifting program like strong lifts, starting strength, new rules of lifting for woman, etc
I don’t know what toning exercises are. I’d to this ^^^. Lifting heavy is a great way to preserve muscle mass while losing weight and get stronger.0 -
The question was toning up tips??? Toning up tips are going to be where you 1) lift heavy things and lift often or 2) steady state cardio (such as walking, biking, running, treadmill, etc.. to burn calories 3) @ana gave you some exercises to do but these will not burn a whole lot of calories (you may get a bit stronger, and fitter along the way) as a matter of fact hardly none and you want to do an effort for weight loss.. do cardio (vigorus and lift heavy things)... Find you a program or even body weight exercises, convict conditioning, etc.. I sense that you cannot join a gym with a new born... do some research and pick out something you can do while the baby is sleeping, etc..
The big thing you said was the "eating part" was where you struggle. Join the club.. I will state this, your weight loss starts in the kitchen and this will be part that comes into play 90% of the time.. You cannot exercise your weight off per se especially if you do not get the eating right first...
Just some random thoughts... been there and done that... Best of luck to you.. 0 -
You can't out-exercise a poor diet. Get the eating under control. That's where the weight loss will come from.
Fitness comes from exercise. I agree with ndj1979 - get into a lifting program.0 -
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To me, toning is one of those fitness industry terms that's vague and means different things to different people. Because of this, it causes arguments, disagreements, misunderstandings, etc. I suppose most people mean they want to look leaner and more muscular which usually means building muscle and losing fat but, for some people, just losing fat may be enough to get the results they want.
The reason I'm bringing this up is not for nothing and it's not just to be pedantic but because I believe that in order to get the results you want you need to be very clear about what it is you're trying to do- so starting with a term that has a fuzzy meaning is a bad place to start.
Regardless of one's opinion of CrossFit, this article illustrates pretty well what I mean. I don't agree, however, that you need a Paleo or Zone diet, but the point holds that your eating will be a major component of this and eating a proper macro balance and the right number of calories for your goals and activity level is essential.
http://crossfitimpulse.com/lies-damned-lies-and-muscle-tone/0 -
If your goal is to lose the baby weight, you have to do some cardio, it's the only thing that will burn calories. But even more important is what you put in your mouth. Set a goal for how much you want to lose each week, plug it in to MFP and it will give you your daily calorie goal to lose that amount. Then add exercise to boost your metabolism and burn even more calories and boost your weight loss.0
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karensuegill wrote: »If your goal is to lose the baby weight, you have to do some cardio, it's the only thing that will burn calories. But even more important is what you put in your mouth. Set a goal for how much you want to lose each week, plug it in to MFP and it will give you your daily calorie goal to lose that amount. Then add exercise to boost your metabolism and burn even more calories and boost your weight loss.
Cardio is absolutely not the only thing that burns calories.0 -
karensuegill wrote: »If your goal is to lose the baby weight, you have to do some cardio, it's the only thing that will burn calories. But even more important is what you put in your mouth. Set a goal for how much you want to lose each week, plug it in to MFP and it will give you your daily calorie goal to lose that amount. Then add exercise to boost your metabolism and burn even more calories and boost your weight loss.
False. So very false.0 -
karensuegill wrote: »If your goal is to lose the baby weight, you have to do some cardio, it's the only thing that will burn calories. But even more important is what you put in your mouth. Set a goal for how much you want to lose each week, plug it in to MFP and it will give you your daily calorie goal to lose that amount. Then add exercise to boost your metabolism and burn even more calories and boost your weight loss.
dead wrong..
you can do zero cardio, eat in a deficit, and you will lose fat….0 -
"toning" is nothing to do with exercise.... It's all diet. Eat in a deficit, lose fat and "oh look, muscles!". Exercise of course helps, and picking up and putting down heavy things repeatedly will help retain muscle mass as you diet0
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.
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There are many ways to get to the finish line.. Is there shorter way to get there, maybe. But the OP wants to do some exercises in her home and get the eating down to a science. I think encouraging her to do what ever she can when ever she can (with a new born in the house) should be first and foremost..
OP and by the way, congratulations on the birth of your child.
All the things said are right, lifting heavy, cardio, eating right and at a deficit.. all will get your there, you just have to find your path and create a plan and get to it...
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Congratulations on your new arrival. As you're still in the immediate post-natal phase, you should get your abdominal separation checked by a doctor/physio/maternal health nurse before trying ab exercises. If you've got a separation, crunches and leg raises won't help it heal; you're better off focusing on exercises that don't involve curling up, like planks and opposite arm/leg extensions. Something else to consider is the state of your pelvic floor; if it's not great, you'll want to work on that before you start doing any high impact cardio. Swimming might be a better option than running, for example. Lots of walking with pram/baby carrier is a great option in the early days. If you're breast feeding, consult a dietician to determine just how may calories you need as going too low can effect your supply.0
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Jillian Michaels workouts were amazing for me as far as looking more toned. I was counting calories on here too but I was very impressed with the results (I started with 30 day shred).0
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So much of the T word lately. Makes me cringe! You got some good advice OP. Mostly the stuff about eating in a deficit and getting on a lifting program.
Here's this too. Understanding your goals will help you be more successful.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/toning/0 -
Jillian Michaels workouts were amazing for me as far as looking more toned. I was counting calories on here too but I was very impressed with the results (I started with 30 day shred).
I totally agree. OP is a new mom, likely sleep deprived and undergoing big body shifts now. She doesn't have the time or energy to go out and start some new routine. Keeping it short, simple and effective will keep you motivated, OP!
Try some good home DVDs. I have done lots over the years and find Jillian to be really great, too. I have Jillian's Ripped in 30. It is a series of 30 min workouts that you can squeeze in when you have time. You can keep challenged by adding heavier hand weights or getting some ankle weights (when possible).
For those who mentioned cutting calories, be careful! If you are breastfeeding, you should consult a nutritionist or breastfeeding expert about a calorie deficit. One step at a time. Breastfeeding is not a good time to cut calories unless you are truly obese and not just wanting to drop the baby bulge.0 -
karensuegill wrote: »If your goal is to lose the baby weight, you have to do some cardio, it's the only thing that will burn calories. But even more important is what you put in your mouth. Set a goal for how much you want to lose each week, plug it in to MFP and it will give you your daily calorie goal to lose that amount. Then add exercise to boost your metabolism and burn even more calories and boost your weight loss.
Nope. Being alive burns calories. Breathing burns calories. Breastfeeding burns tons of calories!!0 -
Agree to both 100%
Do this and I promise you will see results...
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I've recently started toning exercises so have a few that I do;
ABS
1. Crunches - I find these are better than sit ups as it's easier to get the form right, also it's better if you place the palms of your feet together and do a kinda frog leg thing rather than having your knees up, I've been told it works the core more
2. Crunches with leg raised - so lie on your back and put your legs straight in the air and try and reach for your toes - this works the lower abs
3. Leg raises - make a diamond with your hands and place them under the base of your back for support the lift your legs off the ground and slowly lower, before raising again, don't let your feet touch the ground during the lower and if you want to make it harder, engage your upper abs by raising your shoulders off the ground as if you're doing a crunch.
4. Plank - great for arms and core and the side plank is even harder! Try to hold for as long as you can
5. Obliques - Lay down and place your feet on the floor with your knees up, as if going for a sit up, raise your shoulder off the ground slightly and then try and reach for your ankles - alternating your arms so you're kinda swaying side to side
No, no no!
Do not do ab exercises like this 5 weeks postpartum. Until you abdominal muscles have fully healed and are no longer separated things like crunches can do a lot of damage. Never start ab exercises until cleared by your OB or midwife, and then you need to start slowly.0
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