I have had my kids and now I have a ring of "blubber" ?

Question

I work out everyday and eat right. Cardio, Yoga, Pilate's, dumbbells, step, medicine ball, and balance ball at my disposal. I have no idea to get rid of my 4th kid as I call it. Its in my lower back above my hip-bones. You know where hip hugger jeans fit, it's the roll in the back that hangs over. I need some good effective exercises that target tone that area. Please help! Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Target exercises, unless you're talking about muscle training, does not work. Your body randomly decides where it will remove the fat. You can't target areas to lose fat, and you might as well believe in voodoo. What I would suggest is keep on doing cardio and keep trying to lose body fat. Also maybe do some crunches so when your body finally decides to remove the fat from that area you will have some nice toned muscles to show under it.

Answer 2

Do a more intense cardio workout, or a longer one. I read in a magazine that, instead of targeting a muscle area for fat, that you just do more cardio to burn the fat. Or for targted muscle just bend down and touch your hand to the opposite foot and then come back up and then do it with the other hand.

Answer 3

There is no way to target any part of your body for reduction. What you need a program of sensible diet and exercise that will help your weight loss.

Here's what to eat:

1. Lots of vegetables and fruits

2. Increase healthy protein intake. This is how you build lean muscle tissue, which in turn speeds up your metabolism. Examples are fish, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, beans, and soy products.

3. Fiber-Rich foods. They will fill up and they make they are satisfying. In this category are: peas, beans, bran cereals, potato skins, nuts and seeds, oatmeal, bulger wheat, 100% whole wheat baked goods, fruits and vegetables.

4. Minerals. Calcium and other minerals are you "secret weapons" against body fat. They are found in low-fat dairy products, small or canned fish, soy tofu, green vegetables, nuts, seeds, bran cereals, and calcium fortified orange juice, and avoid processed, salt-loaded foods.

5. Eat fish and beneficial fats. Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acid in some fish, oils and nuts is a good fat. Eat moderate amounts of salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines and other oily fish. Soybeans, nuts, pumpkin seed are also excellent sources for Omega-3.

6. Reduce harmful fats - saturated and trans fats. These are not only high in calories; they are also loaded with harmful fatty acids that cause disease.

7. Always eat an adequate breakfast for several reasons: it will speed up your metabolism earlier in the day and when you skip breakfast, it makes it harder to control your appetite later in the day.

8. Cut back or eliminate alcohol. It is high in non-filling calories. Ideal consumption is one glass of beer or wine a day.

9. Stay away from junk carbohydrates - sugar and white flour are diet killers in all but the smallest amounts.

10. Gradually reduce your calorie intake because extreme and sudden dieting causes your body to conserve, not burn calories, and it slows fat loss.

11. Snack instead of eating large meals - larger, higher calorie meals tend to be stored as fat, instead of burned for energy. Ideally, you should eat five or six smaller, nutritious snacks each day instead of large meals.

12. Move! You must exercise to build lean tissue that burns fat. As little as two to three hours per week of brisk walking at minimum, and you will notice a major impact on your weight loss.

13. Reduce stress. It produces adverse fat-producing chemistry in your body. Try warm baths, meditation, deep breathing, stretching, massage, prayer and rest.

14. Get outside into the sunshine at lest 20 minutes per day - the vitamin D you get from sunshine works with calcium for health and body fat control.