It’s never too late to give yourself the body you want.
- Perfect form is everything when you are lifting weights.
It is imperative that you use the correct muscle for each effort. That is why you want to start with some input from a trainer or a video. - Focus your workout on the core.
A lot of women don’t realize that it’s the stomach that holds up the back and the shoulders, keeping you from getting that pesky little hump on your back. - Use a pull-up or chin bar.
This is something very simple that will catapult your progress into an immediate and noticible change. You can either do this at the gym, or rig it at home. Using a pull-up, or chin bar, begin to try pulling your own body weight up to the bar. When I first started doing this, only one was possible. I can now (very proudly) do ten, 18 months later. The payoff is that my arms, my torso and my back have all tightened up in the most dramatic way. - Walk.
Walking either on a treadmill or outdoors improves hand-eye coordination, improves circulation, and will give you a good night’s sleep, while burning calories and improving your posture and balance. - Try to work the upper and lower body exclusively every other day.
- Use visualization to enhance your results.
Many successful professional athletes use visualization to improve and perfect their form and their game and I have used it in my meditation very effectively for years. Instead of focusing on the number of inches or pounds, picture yourself as the person you want to be, whether you are functioning at peak performance at the gym or delivering a speech or lecture, socializing with your friends or just being content with your life. Finding the visual for a few quiet moments every day has been proven to be one of the quickest ways to bring yourself into that reality. - Incorporate stretching into your workout.
One other suggestion to keep your muscles long and lean is to incorporate stretching into your workout. What I try to do is stretch the muscle I’m working between sets. An appropriate book will help you find alternatives for whatever muscle you are working and if it’s just the torso, give yourself perfect upright posture and then bend as far as you can from the waist, your arms reaching up and out. - Don’t forget to drink lots and lots of water!
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good advice. I will try the pull up, i have not been able to do many on that gadget at the gym and feel a bit embarrassed. I want my upper back to be long and lean since my core is pretty good. But i am not happy w/my back. I do not want a wider back, but all of the opposite a slimmer back. I am starting w/my personal trainer on Monday again and feel that since she waa a body builder she goes for a lot of weight but i do not want to look like a body builder, just want LONG, NARROW AND LEAN. any suggestions?
Hi Lynette! Don’t be embarrassed about whatever you are doing at the gym. Everyone has a different agenda. As I stated, I could only do ONE pull-up when I started. I only gave myself the goal of ONE MORE at a time and I gradually worked up to ten repititions. I never got more result for my back than I have with the pull-ups. That little extra fold on the sides of my back about half way to the waist was so pesky and I couldn’t get it off until I started the pull-ups. You will immediately see that it engages the whole torso AND the arms. I had seen something on the Internet by a guy who was suggesting that there are only three excercises necessary for the perfect torso. 1. The “Captain’s Chair” ( a chair-like apparatus with no seat, but arm rests. You grab the ends to stabilize and then lift your knees to your chest.) When I started, I could do only five. Now I can do 35 (more than most men!) 2. Bicycles (laying on your back, lifting from the waist and with hands behind your head, touching elbow to opposite knee. This can also be done in a standing position) 3. The chin-up bar. The man is a genius! At almost 68, I have the best, tightest back of anyone I know. AND the flattest stomach of my life. For my money, the best way to long lean muscle is stretching between sets of lifting. Stretch the muscle you are using to lift. After pull-ups, bend from the waist and stretch. Hold it there for 30 seconds. It will stay long and lean. The amount of weight you use should be a challenge, but not overwhelming. There is no benefit to pushing yourself to pain or injury. Being a little sore the next day is different than causing problems that require medical input. One more thing….don’t be intimidated by your trainer. You can lead her to the result you want by telling her which areas you want to focus on and the results you expect. It’s her job to provide the proper effort to meet your expectations. Let me know how this works out for you and good luck.
i am excited, i really need to work on my back i will tell her about the exercise and expect her to drill me on it. I do not know about the chair-like apparatus, have not seen it at my gym.
I was always told CARDIO is the only way to get rid of the fat anywhere. I did spinning today, tomorrow zumba. Momday weights (legs), tuesday and wednesday day off, thursday weights again (arms). Last week i started on monday-walking on air machine, then on tuesday we did treatmill and following one of the blogger’s advice to raise it every 10 mins or so 3 notches. We ended up pretty sweaty.
A good sweaty workout feels good, no?? One thing I have failed to mention is that the consistency of your weekly workout is crucial to your success. You have a good schedule planned, so following it will make a difference in the immediacy of your results. Cardio has lots of benefits, and I always try to incorporate some cardio in every workout. The one thing that will really help rid your body of fat is simply change the way you are eating. Some people find it easier to do if you keep a food journal. Let us know how you are progressing, Lynnette, and good luck!
i found the “chair” with no seat. Will try that as well. My problem with food is that i like carbs, pasta, bread, etc. Brown carbs are ok although i prefer the white. I do not like animal products. i eat a little bit of turkey but i really do prefer carbs and that converts itself into sugar/fat. i know all that but …. I blame it on my grandmama’ who fed me rice and beans since infancy,and a salad. Meat was hardly eaten, if anything it was chicken, the ones grown in the backyard who could just walk away if they wanted to and probably some did. We did not live next to the ocean so fish was not eaten except bacalao, which is a dry/salty fish which is soaked in water the night before. She would make it in a sauce or just shreaded with olive oil, avocado, onions, and maybe olives. So my eating habits have become a problem for my personal trainer who wants this scenario:
I like fruit too. She says fruit has too much sugar. I am 59, i want to be thinner but i am not a model nor do i want to be. I figure if i have 20 years left i want to enjoy my life and eating the things i love is part of that enjoyment. I keep a food journal, usually that lasts 2 days. I even made one up which is perfect and it is pasted on my computer favorites, but when i get busy, the journal never gets done. I count points from weight watchers.
hi Lynnette! I have found over the years that when it comes to food….”different strokes for different folks” seems to be the rule. In my own attempt to simplify the mysteries of how food works, I’ve come to one or two rules that I follow, keeping it simple and uncomplicated as possible. If you accept the notion that your stomach is only the size of your fist when it is empty, it can guide you to limit your intake at any meal to that amount of food. I only eat fruit for breakfast…it’s healthy, provides ruffage and vitamins, gives energy for the workout, and how fat can you get on a little fruit? I try to keep the portions small, but eat some grilled fish and vegetables OR salad for dinner. Lunch is often on the fly, but a protein bar is perfect to keep up the energy. I gave up my ice cream at night eight pounds ago, if you get my drift. A little cold jello for night snacks fits the bill perfectly: light, cool and fruity. I would never consider putting bulk like a protein drink in my stomach before bed. A turkey sandwich, followed by a lunch? Followed by another turkey sandwich????? See what I mean? That probably works for her…I’d be 150 lbs in no time!
her meaning of a sandwich is 2 thin slices of whole wheat bread and 1 slice of turkey. Then you cut that in half. the 1/2 a turkey sandwich is at 10, lunch at 1:30. She means little meals to get your metabolism going at all times. I never have the protein shake, although it is supposed to be sugar free, there has to be sugar in the powder because the hot flashes are big… sugar triggers hot flashes on me.
I am loving this discussion and the great advice and ideas being exchanged. Sugar triggers hot flashes for me too and has been my motivation to work on eliminating it from my diet…at least the obvious white sugar and high fructose corn syrup. My sister in law brought me a gift this weekend…a digital scale for weighing out food so that I can be more mindful around portion size. I used to pride myself on the fact that I could eat a lot…the only accomplishment is the larger butt I’m now carrying around.
My quest is to shave off about 8 pounds and to get rid of white food and processed sugar. There is a list somewhere(I think I saw it in Dr. Mercola’s newsletter) about the 87 problems caused in our bodies when we consume sugar….from kidney disease to compromised immune systems. These conversations create awareness and help us all to be more mindful about what we’re eating. I am working on giving up sugar…it’s a long slow process for me and the change has to be gradual because sugar has been my comfort for many years. I am working on turning to exercise, yoga, meditation and healthy relationships (meaning having healthy boundaries) to feel great. So far for the most part I am enjoying success….one day at a time!
I like your screen name, “empowerchicks”! There are some good things we eat that turn to sugar in the body, too. I was unaware of hot flashes being triggered by sugar and that tells me a lot, as I have been thinking I’m having the longest menopause in history. Very interesting information. As for portion size, it’s a good place to begin. When you are out in the world and don’t have your scale on the table, just clench your fist and that will give you an idea of the amount of food that should be on your plate or in your stomach. Good luck to you!
I have been lifting weights for years and it really does make all the difference in how my body looks. If I am short on time and have to choose between aerobics and weights I always go for the weights.
Me, too, Jan! I didn’t start until I was 57 years old and my only regret is that I didn’t do it earlier in my life. No loss! It’s never too late to look the way you want to and I swear it’s the quickest most direct route to tight and toned arms, torso, legs and best of all A ROUND BUTT at 68. There is a god!
Judy, I love your hair cut!
Thank you, Mrs. B! That photo is now three years old and the hair, which has a life of its own anyway, is doing something else altogether. It just doesn’t behave the way it used to, or even worse, the way I WANT it to!
Your 8 points are inspiring and rock solid. I shall use them after I finish recuperation from next week’s surgery, tho’ I imagine I can do limited stretching exercises at an earlier point.
My motivator is “Map My Walk.” Had thought it was only for mapping walks in one’s local area. To my great joy, I found one can log many types of walks and exercise workouts, also log a food/nutrient diary (and that’s just on the FREE part of the website). http://www.mapmywalk.com/