I Need to Lose Inches of My Waist- NOT Weight... -Need a Healthy Goal

I noticed a huge difference in my belly after doing zumba (and it's fun, too). I really didn't think that post baby belly was going to go away no matter what I did, but it's noticably tighter. Still not perfect, because I still like to eat chocolate and bread and other fatty things and that's probably not gonna change! Now I did have a little weight to lose with it, but I can tell a difference in the tone of my belly. Hope you like it if you give it a try!

Women in the USMC have a bit of a problem... the height weight allowances are more strict than the Met Ballet. It's a problem because muscle density creates extra weight. One of the "cheats" to bypass the weight standards was waist measurement (the other was body fat %). It's a lot easier to have a tape measure around your waist then to jump in a tank of water while everyone snickers up their sleeves at you. Hence... most women marines become good friends with broomsticks.

A person actually has TWO sets of abdominal muscles (okay, my fellow geeks, yes 3 if we want to count smooth muscle, lay off, I'm not counting it). Interior abdominals and exterior abdominals. The ones most people think of with abs are you exterior ones. The sexy six pack ones. These are not the muscles we're going to be working with. ((Crunches, pushups, pullups work those)).

Take a broomstick (sans the bristly bit, they twist off or you can buy a dedicated broomstick from a hardware store). Broomstick in hand go get one of your favorite movies and pop it into the DVD player (I know... hard work). Push play. Stand back far enough that your mum won't say you're damaging your eyes / at least far enough back that if you tried to kick the TV you'd miss.

Put the broomstick over your shoulders behind your head. Drape your arms over it (like you're about to be fetching water). Stand with your feet far enough apart that you won't fall over, and twist. Back and forth. While watching your show. Don't put a lot of effort into it, and don't spin so far you get dizzy. Just twist back and forth. Work your way up to several thousand a day (aka the whole durn movie).

In the weightlifting world and dieting world "twists" got bunked over a decade or more ago. Because they do NOT make your exterior abs pretty. They do absolutely NOTHING for them. They also don't help significantly with weightloss. What they DO do is tighten the INTERIOR abs that hold your organs in place. Which has a rather remarkable effect : you lose INCHES off of your waist. Most people lose 6-9 inches over apx 6 months.

WHY THE BROOMSTICK IS IMPORTANT: If you don't use a broomstick a few things happen. Worst, you're using the wrong muscles. You end up using your back and exterior abs and shoulder muscles (to keep your arms up). One also gets dizzy/sweaty, so one doesn't do the several hundred per day... but more importantly... wrong muscles!. If you want your interior abs to tighten up, do it the "easy" way by throwing the broomstick over your shoulders, standing up straight (hard not to do when a piece of birch pokes you if you slouch), and relaxedly twist back and forth and back and forth. Minimum about 1000. Aka an hour (don't count unless you're OCD and enjoy that sorta thing, just know it's about 1000 per hour).

DO NOT expect to lose inches per week, like pounds per week (heck, I can lose 12lbs per day if I'm willing to screw over my metabolism and body... super unhealthy). One can lose an inch or more per week, especially in the beginning when those muscles haven't been used in ages and ages. But it's quite rare. ALSO the better shape you're in, the less results you will see. But in general (purely from observation... nothing scientific) an inch or two per month max expectation.

ALSO... to help the process along... sit up straight. Pull old world charm out and NEVER lean against anything. Not the back of a chair, couch, wall. Actually forcing your stomach and back to work when you're not does wonders for over all skeletal placement & small muscle strength. All of which = a tighter / more fit "core". Not sexy muscles, but sexy silhouette.

The other thing you HAVE to understand when it comes to ab exercises is that FORM AND TECHNIQUE ARE EVERYTHING!! You can spend 30 minutes a DAY doing crunches continually WRONG and get no where or you can spend 10 minutes doing them correctly and get results. You HAVE to learn to "pull from the base of your sternum" NOT with you head, neck and shoulders.
Shoulders and elbows should always be OPEN, not being able to see elbows in peripherial vision; elbows should be LAST OFF, FIRST ON, the head should NEVER come out of alignment from the shoulders. In other words, the ears and shoulders should ALWAYS stay in line w/ each other. This makes ALL the difference in the world.

In addition, you need to change the ab exercises, the ANGLES and intensity of the exercise by adding unstable surfaces - Bosu or ball, small hand weights, extensing the arms (lengthening levers), etc. If you understand the anatomy of the abs, you'll get this. Check out a muscular anatomy chart and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

I'm a personal trainer and fomer Ms. USA bodybuilding champion. I am and ALWAYS HAVE BEEN ...fascinated with the human body. The one thing I DO know is that I GET anatomy and how it's structured and how it works AND how it compensates so you end up with no results, and many times ALSO in pain or discomfort. (I'm also a certified posture alignment and pain management specialist, too)

There is no such thing as spot reduction but you DO have a predisposed way in which your body gains/holds and/or gets rid of excess body fat. THAT is genetics and THAT you can't change. You also cannot change your body "type"....ectomorph, endormorph, etc. If everything else is "just like you want it", then focus on fine tuning your ab work and maybe even try and emphasize some other areas that might detract from your mid-section.

I have the perfect body type for a body builder, barefoot skiier (WHAT a rush!), and gymnast. When I began the process of bodybuilding, I already HAD plenty of size and strength in my legs from all the dance, cheerleading, gymnastics, etc. I spent six weeks working on nothing but upper body when I started. As a result, I had amazing symetry. Didn't feel like the emphasis was always on my legs any more when people saw me. I had developed my upper body to "catch up" with my lower extremeties.

If your hips are slender, might want to think about doing some leg and glute exercises to develop them........squats, lunges, etc. In the process you DO use abdominal muscles if you're doing them correctly.

Anyway, hope this helps.

I strongly suggest abdominal Pilates. It will REALLY tighten you up and enhance your core strength. Kettle Bell workouts are also fantastic for strengthening your core and sucking in the gut. I know you don't want to change the way you eat, but even from a non-weight loss perspective, refined sugars, carbs, sodas -both diet and regular, and alcohol can keep your middle puffy! Make sure you're drinking a LOT of water every day. You don't have to lose weight, but you may be surprised at how much your waistline shrinks by laying off that stuff.

A friend of mine is a personal trainer and swears by using a wrap around your mid-section to work the abs under your 'six pack." I can't remember the proper term for them but in combination with certain exercises with the wrap, a mutual friend lost 3 inches from her waist. (She is also petite and didn't need to lose any weight, just couldn't get rid of that extra stuff after having 4 kids.)

The PT says it's because when you have kids, your inner abs spread apart during pregancy and a lot of times they won't come back together like they are supposed to. The wrap helps hold them in place and the exercises help strengthen them so they stay there.

I had never heard any of this but fully trust both people know what they are talking about!

Here's a link to her blog: http://exerciseandpregnancy.blogspot.com/

Unless you just have stretched out meat on your belly, crunches would be your best bet on getting the muscle tone back. There are also some good abdominal yoga stretches that will strengthen that area too. If its fat sitting there you need some cardio to get it off. If you seriously exercise you should be in good shape in two weeks.... if its possilbe. If you lost the elasticity of your skin in that area you wont be able to get it skinny ever.
Have you considered wearing hiphuggers rather than high wasted jeans, they are a lot more flattering.

If you are doing crunches every day, cut back and switch to every other day or every 3 days.

Give Kettlebells a try, you will be amazed! The swings will shrink your tummy. I purchased mine at Target and not sure they still carry them, but Dick's had them too. The videos by Sarah Lurie (Go Fit) are wonderful!

www.soyouwanttocleanse.com
release toxins, weight might be necessary to remove the toxins, however you will gain the weight back in lean muscle if your body needs it.

B.
Family Success Coach

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you may also want to try a wrap, sometimes they work sometimes they do not but it can help get the inches off while you also work out (cardio and abdominal) to keep them off ... just a suggestion.