Answers from experienced people only please...?

Question

After have a child, what exercises can you do to flatten you stomach? What's the best exercises for your tummy? Please help!

Answer 1

Sit ups and crunches. Try to do 300 a day if at all possible.

Coach

Answer 2

First before you can excercise and see a difference...you have to be normal weight (not even 10 pounds overweight) Once you loose your baby weight and started a routine excercise program (denise austin 3 days a week for 30 minutes a day) then you jump on your crunches. Don;t go buy a expensive excercise machine...i promise you that the old fashion crunches on the floor work just as well. This is something you have to work for though. It wont come overnight. In 2 weeks you will see a difference if you do it 3 ]days a week. You have to work yourself up though. Start at 50 crunches and add 30 everyday you do it. It gets harder but thats where the muscles come in.

Answer 3

You might think about trying this book called "The Movie Star Diet" by Steve Simmons. It helped me lose thirty pounds in 2 1/2 months when I didn't think anything would work. My goal to begin with was only 20 lbs! It has a really easy plan to follow and an excellent workout as well.

Answer 4

the best exercises are crunches, but in order for them to work for you, you must have a low saturated-fat healthy diet! i'll give you sites that u can visit for more info. Oh and also drinking 24 oz of low fat milk a day can help loose some weight too!

Answer 5

Put the baby on your stomach and lift them up and down. It's exercise and mommy/baby quality time all in one!

Answer 6

i feel for you i just had my baby 6 weeks ago, go walking with your baby, keep your stomach muscles tight while you walk. or what i do in hold her with me sitting on the floor, her on my legs/thighs, her head by my knees and lean back. it's like a sitting up, harder & better crunch.

Answer 7

Hi, Do you want to lose weight & tone up or build strength & muscle mass or do you just need to gain weight? I can help you! I am a personal trainer, bodybuilder & life coach with 25 years experience. Please contact me at [e-mail] Thanks.

neXgen bodysculpting

Answer 8

Worried about your appearance ? Your problem is largely temporary - if you avoid excessive weight gain , wear a properly fitted bra, even during sleep, and start these toning exercises before you leave the hospital . Add a new exercise each day. Do each one 4 times - twice each day ( morning and evening ) for a month or more.

DAY - ONE

Breathe deeply, expanding your abdomen. Hiss as you slowly exhale, then forcibly draw in your abdominal muscles.




DAY - TWO

Lying on your back with your legs slightly parted , place your arms at right angles to your body and slowly raise them, keeping your elbows stiff. When your hands touch, lower your arms gradually.




DAY - THREE

Lying with your arms at your sides , draw your knees up slightly, arch your back




DAY - FOUR

Lying with your knees and hips flexed , tilt your pelvis inward and tightly contract your buttocks as you lift your head.



DAY - FIVE

Lying with your legs straight, raise your head and left knee slightly, then reach for ( but do not touch ) your left knee with your right hand. Repeat, using your right knee and left hand.




DAY - SIX

Lying on your back, toes pointed and knees straight, raise one leg and then the other as high as possible, using your abdominal muscles but not your hands to lower your legs slowly.




DAY - SEVEN

Lying on your back, toes pointed and knees straight, raise one leg and then the other as high as possible , using your abdominal muscles but not your hands to lower your legs slowly.




DAY - EIGHT

Leaning on your elbows and knees, keep forearms and lower legs together. Hump your back upwards, strongly contracting your buttocks and drawing in your abdomen. Then relax and breathe deeply.




DAY - NINE

Same as 7 th day, but lift both legs at once.




DAY - TEN

Lying on your back with your arms clasped behind your head, sit up and lie back slowly. At first, you may have to hook your left feet under furniture.

Answer 9

I can answer this question for you. My wife has had two children, gained a LOT of weight with both, and is currently in the best shape of her life (our youngest is 3).

First, you need to know something about exercise and calories. Consider the following:

1) Spot-reducing really isn't possible unless you opt for surgery.
2) If you do sit-ups at the rate of 1 per second for 30 minutes (1800 sit-ups) then you'll burn 140 calories (this is approximately the amount of calories in 1 can of Coke or 1/2 of a chocolate donut).

In other words, sit-ups aren't going to do the trick since it takes a reduction of calories or a combination of reduced calories and higher energy expenditure (burning calories) to lose weight. If you burn or restrict your diet by 3500 calories you'll lose 1 pound.

However, stomach exercises ARE important. You can visit http://www.netfit.co.uk/abdominals-web-site.htm to see some of the best exercises. By the way, I'm not affiliated with this site, it's just got some good exercises presented.

I've been helping people stay healthy for a more than 20 years, I teach ongoing nutrition, cooking, and health classes and I can tell you that losing weight requires a combination of both exercise and caloric restriction but with a proper nutrition balance. Believe me when I tell you that you don't necessarily want to lose weight 'fast.' What you should be looking for is steady, functional fat loss (i.e., weight that stays off once it is gone). The same goes for getting a flattened stomach. You've got to do exercises that work not only on the abdomen but your back, shoulders, etc. One of the best books on the market, in my opinion, is
"Body Sculpting Bodyweight Exercises for Women by Matt Furey and Eddie Baran." You can get it on Amazon.com or your local bookstore (probably).

Once you read what I'll write below, if you have any specific questions I'll try to answer them either on the FAQ side of my personal website or on my blog -- I won't use your name in either case if you don't want me to. You might also want to visit the FAQ section because it may have some helpful hints for you. It's located at: http://www.betterlifetoday.com/faqblt.ht...

If you want to lose weight in a healthy manner, keep the following in mind:

1) Check with your physician to be certain that you are physically able to reduce your calories and increase your exercise habits safely.

2) Make certain that the calories you are eating are as balanced as possible. When I say 'balanced' I don't mean that they have to all equal the same number of calories. Instead, finding out how much protein, carbs, and fats your body needs on a daily basis (this will vary depending on your metabolic type but a decent example is the 40-40-20 plan -- 40% of calories from protein, 40% from unrefined carbs, and 20% from fats and oils) can really help keep your energy levels high all day long.

The #1 reason my clients tell me that they've stopped dieting or exercising in the past is because of low energy ebbs. Splitting the amount of calories you can have per day into 5 - 6 smaller meals will help tremendously (this keeps your body fueled and ready to go and you also know that your next meal is only a couple of hours away).

Knowing what your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is will certainly help you determine how to be calorie conscious. Again, you can find out about BMR and RMR on my site -- it's just too much information to post here. Also remember that you may or may not need supplements to help things along.

3) While exercising (before, during, and after) be sure to consume enough water. The key is not to be 'thirsty' (overtly) during this time of exercise.

4) Adding weight bearing exercise (i.e., lifting weights) will help to tone your body and the thermogenic (fat burning) effect will last long after you've stopped working out -- even if your workout is simply walking).

5) Remember that you'll probably hit plateaus (times when you'll stop losing weight) several times during your weight loss progress. This is completely normal and is only temporary but it can last for a couple of weeks at a time. It is very important to remember that even if your scale isn't showing progress, your entire body is being positively effected by your efforts.

6) Measure different parts of your body (neck, upper arms, lower arms, chest, abs, waist, belly, butt, thighs, etc.) and do it accurately. Write these measurements down and check them once every 2 weeks. This will help you remember that your body is 'reducing' all over -- not just in one particular area. If you're weight training you may actually notice a slight increase in some areas of your body (don't worry -- if you're a woman you won't start looking like a bodybuilder).

Again, there's no such thing as 'spot-reducing' (for things like 'belly fat' or 'thigh fat' etc) unless you're talking about surgery. Fat is burned off of the body from all over the body. The reason it seems as though some people can 'spot-reduce' is because, in general, the ankles, thighs, arms, and neck (and obviously the head) don't have as much fat accumulated around them. The reason is simple physics -- your chest to abdomen area (including your back) is a MUCH broader space for fat to be stored. So, it's obvious that this area will also lose a greater amount (but not percentage -- at least in the beginning) of fat.

7) Keep focused on your end goal and concentrate on losing maybe 1 pound a week -- sometimes you'll lose more, sometimes less. As long as it's an average, it's okay. In general, if you'll cut back 250 calories a day and burn 250 calories a day (total: 500) then you'll lose 1 pound a week. Doing this will also help you keep your skin tone whereas losing 60 pounds through dieting along (caloric restriction) could result in sagging (still, a little extra skin is better than cardiac problems).

8) Lastly, remember that you're doing a WONDERFUL thing for your body.

I've worked with hundreds of people in the past 20 years (mostly women) who have lost (individually) HUNDREDS of pounds safely. Better still, they've kept it off -- Kay lost over 350 pounds and has been at her goal weight for 7 years now.

As for what to take (if anything), that depends entirely on what your body needs. Anyone who suggests that you take something that 'works for everyone' is either confused or deluded. For example, if you had a twin brother or sister your bodies could react completely different to certain supplements or foods on a metabolic level. If you want to learn more about what you might want to take and how to calculate your BMR, you can visit my site (below). You can also write me at: [e-mail] and we can talk about what you might want to try if you actually need supplements.

Any questions, don't hesitate to write and ask.

Lonnie Honeycutt, C.N.C.
Your Health Is My Concern
http://www.betterlifetoday.com