what excersises would drop 4 inches off my waistline the quickest?

Question

I am obese and have started a good balanced diet that has helped me loose 15 pounds so far, but I am not really excersising and want to start. My first goal is to drop 4 inches off my waist by Easter and was wondering what the best excersises for that would be, my figure is rather hour glass shaped and I can already see a curve at my waist so I am rather excited about that :) I have no real disabilities other than my cardio endurance is weak i.e. I can't really walk more than 10 minutes right now, but I love toning and need good toning excersises.

Answer 1

I will give you some pointers and a brief reason why I say what I say. Targeted fat loss (losing inches in one area only) is a myth. Your body will shed fat more or less uniformly all over. With that being said, stay away from fad diets. They will cause you more health issues in the long run. Stick with the balanced diet. Eat more whole foods and less processed foods.

1. Resistance exercises build muscle as well as bone density (especially important for ALL women - as older women hit Menopause, bond density starts to fall more quickly). You should do these a minimum of 2 - 3 days per week. These are good for toning and sculpting your body and also good for losing inches. Here is the 1-2 punch: Resistance exercises themselves burn calories. Having more muscle mass (which these exercises can give you), helps increase your metabolism. This will cause you to burn more calories, even when resting.

2. Increase your metabolism. Eat breakfast ever morning and include some source of protein and a little unsaturated fat. Why? Skipping meals makes your body think that you are starving because there isn't enough food. Your body, for self-preservation, slows down its metabolism and stores more fat. Eating breakfast jump-starts your metabolism and will help you to burn more calories during the rest of the day.

3. Start to emphasize more on aerobic exercise. For aerobic exercise to have any significant impact on your health, you need a MINIMUM of 20 minutes per day, 3 - 5 days per week. Work up to this gradually. I cannot tell you off the cuff what your target heart rate should be. Your target exercising heart rate depends on your age and your resting heart rate. I can calculate it, with the right information. That's for cardio. A side effect of improving your cardio-vascular health is you become smarter (regardless of whether your IQ is in the double digits or genius range). Simply: Increased blood and oxygen flow to the brain! Work up to this gradually.

4. Take suggestions from other responders as to what kind of exercise to do. I personally like the treadmill, riding a bicycle, some stretching, and weight lifting. Similar results can be obtained swimming, power walking, doing pilates/yoga, using exercise rubber bands, holding up a broom handle while winding your hips, and almost any other form of exercise. Just make sure you balance cardio (aerobics) with resistance (toning) and that you work all major muscle groups. Find a combination of exercises which you like and are effective.

5. Don't do resistance exercises (weight lifting, etc.) on two consecutive days. If you don't start to "feel the burn" you might not be working out hard enough (don't overdo it either!). Your muscles will need time to recover and grow. If you must do resistance exercises two days in a row, alternate muscles. For example, on one day work your upper body, the next day your lower body.

6. Free and cheap resources... Your city or town's recreation center should have a gym and game rooms where you can exercise for an annual membership to rival the monthly membership of commercial gyms. I'm not sure what the availability of trainers are in city facilities. Ask around the office, school, etc. to see if anyone is a member of the Red Cross or is otherwise certified in First Aid. They can teach you to take your own pulse. You can also find out your resting pulse rate at Walmart or any major store which has a pharmacy. They usually have an automated blood pressure machine in a corner of the pharmacy - which will also tell you your pulse rate. Take deep breaths and relax before starting the machine and remain relaxed while it works.

7. Don't use your bathroom scale too much! Muscle is heavier than fat, so once you get into an exercise routine, you may gain a couple pounds before you start to drop. Check how loose your clothes fit (or trips to the boutique to buy new clothes) and use that as your measure of success.

Sorry my answer is so long. I wanted to give you a brief explanation why, instead of just telling you: hey! do this. If you know why, you will understand your body better and will be more likely to make more correct decisions (you've made some right decisions already). Hurray!

Answer 2

To whittle you waist away: Take a broom. Make a fist holding the broom handle in your fist. Your palms should be pointing upwards. While holding the broom in this manner begin to move your hips from the waist down only in a circular motion. First one way and then another. Try not to move the upper part of your body at all. This exercise is easy, inexpensive and very effective.

Answer 3

Sit-ups!

My sister-in-law was also huge and when she began exercising and dieting, she began doing something like 100 sit-ups a day, and now does about 400 sit-ups a day.

It was truly amazing to see how fast she lost the weight around her stomach and now she has a stunning 6 pack that is beautifully, toned.

Answer 4

good old fashioned sit ups.