So I'm noticing I'm a lot smaller in my upper body than in my middle/lower body. What kind of workout can I do to help get my shape balanced out?? Or maybe I'm just being picky. I want to get rid of my stomach and booty and I want my legs to lose weight too!!! Does that make any sense???

It makes perfect sense Ash.

I'm weird shaped. Smaller up top, still a little round in my tummy area, my butt and thighs are small, so naked, I look mis-shapen. With clothes, it's not as noticeable.

What I've started doing to help shrink my lower tummy is back to doing ab/core workouts with Hip Hop Abs, and I've noticed a huge difference just in 2 weeks. I also do this weird, stand up crunch thing, and it really works. I squat with my back flat against the wall, then I put my arms at a 90 degree angle, and do a crunch while standing up, and I tilt my pelvis up to isolate those lower ab muscles. It's pulling my tummy up and in. For my inner thighs (which are plenty flabby), I'm doing leg lifts (standing and laying on the floor), and laying on my back with my legs in the air simulating riding a bike with ankle weights. I use a chair for balance for squats. For my calves, and hamstrings, I've got this little piece of wood (2x4) that I put the ball of my foot on board, and let my heel hang off the end. Then, I kind of stand-up tippy toe up and down, holding and flexing my butt, calves, and thigh muscles for 5-8 seconds when I'm perched on my toes/ball of my foot. It burns like crazy, but I'm getting definition in my legs, and my butt, finally. You can use stairs, or steps to do this as well. I never let my heel hit the floor.

Sorry for the ramble.

Running! My sister has always been thin but with a little meat on her legs and and butt. She started running and I've never seen here so lean! That is what I plan on doing. Here is a great plan. They even have a great download for itunes to help you get running. It called Couch to 5K. Here is link. You can do a search on your itunes and the download will come up.

Cool Running :: The Couch-to-5K Running Plan

I wasn't sure if I'd ever even out (I too lost up top first), but seems the closer I get to goal the better it has gotten. I'm now deflated both up top and down low:-) I'm trying to add strength training in to help work with the flabby deflation, but I've also heard that running is one of the best ways to slim down (I'm just petrified of it personally). I've always wondered though if spot training was actually possible...there seems to be some controversy over it. Good luck!

Spot Reduction Myth

Contrary to what the infomercials suggest there is no such thing as spot reduction. Fat is lost throughout the body in a pattern dependent upon genetics, sex (hormones), and age. Overall body fat must be reduced to lose fat in any particular area. Although fat is lost or gained throughout the body it seems the first area to get fat, or the last area to become lean, is the midsection (in men and some women, especially after menopause) and hips and thighs (in women and few men). Sit-ups, crunches, leg-hip raises, leg raises, hip adduction, hip abduction, etc. will only exercise the muscles under the fat.

Wow, thanks y'all!!! I am trying 30 day shred, but I'm just so WEAK!!! I've done it twice this week, and my regular aerobics routine twice. Until this week I hadn't exercised until this week, so I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself for not being able to handle the strength stuff. I will have to keep working on it.

for lower body - tummy - pushups and abdominals are a great form of exercise. plus it's really important to take care of your calorie intake.

for upper body, lifting some small weights will help shape your back and shoulders. :biggrin0:

Wow, thanks y'all!!! I am trying 30 day shred, but I'm just so WEAK!!! I've done it twice this week, and my regular aerobics routine twice. Until this week I hadn't exercised until this week, so I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself for not being able to handle the strength stuff. I will have to keep working on it.

Uhhh, that didn't make much sense, did it! I was typing on my blackberry, so what I meant to say was until this week I hadn't exercised since Thanksgiving!!!! I feel great...I have gotten in 4 workouts this week so far!

My waist has come down dramatically compaired to my hips thighs. I seem to be loosing inches from the top down. I am still riding my bike like a crazy woman. I have started the weight training for upper body. Hope my skin catches up with the weight loss soon. Wow, am I ever flabby. Yuck. Look good in clothes though, lololol

Because of my knees I cannot do the running or leg exercises. I wish I could. I would rather do some stuff outdoors, I am in an area that is perfect for it. I am going to try to find a way to ride outside, maybe find a rental place. There is a 15+mile bike trail from Huntinton Beach to Yorba Linda, so, maybe I could get some outside exercize in that won't hurt the knees and will help the thighs.

Pilates is good. I started it - a combined class with deep stretching too - about a year and a half ago and now I'm losing weight it's fun to see the muscles I've already built coming out. That said, I tried running today and it was fun, so I'll be adding that to my schedule. I've also lost weight on top first, but I think it's just the way it goes naturally. Looking forward to seeing how I end up...

I know exactly what you mean, Ash. I too have shrank more up top. My legs are fine, but my stomach and hips are the last to go. I'm at 163 lbs, 5'6 and in a size 12 pants but can wear a small top. It's all the stomach!

Hang in there with the 30 day shred. I've added Jillian 3 days a week and in the last 2 weeks I've only lost 3 pounds but my pants are feeling very loose in the waist.

Would love to start running but terrified of injurying my knee(s). They've popped since I was a kid.

Yeah, my knees bother me after jogging. In fact, I jogged Monday and was miserable all day Tuesday and made me not want to exercise. They feel better today. I hope I am not doing any damage to them, but I burn so many more calories when I add some jogging to my walks.

I have to second the running.

I think what exercise suits you does depend a lot on body type. I'm tall and fairly fine boned, but definitely pear shaped - classic pear really with small bust, small shoulders, no fat on arms/back, flat stomach, but curvier aroumd the bottom and thighs.

I know what all the experts say about strength training and with my bootcamp twice a week, I do get what I need in terms of building strength, but I am NEVER going ot have a body that is hard, muscles up well etc. I lost all my weight with long slow cardio and the long, slower runs STILL result in the body I want, which is to make the best of my own body type.

I think its all definitely related, and different health problems and metabolic issues go along with different body shapes. In my experience, pear shaped women do do well with running - they may not have a lot of speed, but they have endurance and they have a good stock of that slow burning fat on their hips and thighs to fuel those activities.

But I found my figure problems didnt diminish much until I got quite skinny. Stopping at a BMI of 25 would have left me with a fat bum and big thighs.

I have to second the running.

I think what exercise suits you does depend a lot on body type. I'm tall and fairly fine boned, but definitely pear shaped - classic pear really with small bust, small shoulders, no fat on arms/back, flat stomach, but curvier aroumd the bottom and thighs.

I know what all the experts say about strength training and with my bootcamp twice a week, I do get what I need in terms of building strength, but I am NEVER going ot have a body that is hard, muscles up well etc. I lost all my weight with long slow cardio and the long, slower runs STILL result in the body I want, which is to make the best of my own body type.

I think its all definitely related, and different health problems and metabolic issues go along with different body shapes. In my experience, pear shaped women do do well with running - they may not have a lot of speed, but they have endurance and they have a good stock of that slow burning fat on their hips and thighs to fuel those activities.

But I found my figure problems didnt diminish much until I got quite skinny. Stopping at a BMI of 25 would have left me with a fat bum and big thighs.

Could you give an example of what you mean by long, slow cardo and runs? Does that mean you exercised for a longer period of time?

I'm going to do a jog today if I can get home before dark.

Well, not insane amounts of time, generally an hour or less. I generally will do between 6 and 10kms - 40 minutes to an hour at a moderate pace.

I just mean really that a lot of cardio is what really worked for me, I've never seen much result from weight training. But for my body, cardio really strips the fat.

I might try a little jogging in the spring (well when the snow stops) and see if it's less painful now that I'm lighter? I really think it's great exercise, but I don't want to lose too much in my thighs and butt...I've always liked thickness and curves, just really want to tone the flabbiness up down there.

Okay, just my experience as a yo-yo dieter: when in the past I've lost weight quickly, it would all come off in one area, then slowly my body would "redistribute" things more evenly. Or not. My weight seems to always funnel into my bra which somebody is probably going to slap me for whining about, but seriously, a 36FF is no joyride when they're real. I used to catch glimpses of myself in store windows and stuff, not realize it was me, and think "Good GOD, how can that woman stand upright??"

The point being: everybody's body has a natural shape to which it will stubbornly return. This is rarely the shape first achieved with rapid loss. Keep working out, don't sweat it, and your body will find its balance.