Exercise

Lightweights:

I would love your advice on exercise...cardio versus strength training, frequency, duration.  I get so bored with weight lifting and have been adding resistance to the elliptical crossramp and the rowing machines.  I am trying to do whatever I can to aid in the weight loss and hopefully minimize the flabbiness from all the weight I am hopefully going to lose.   I'm getting married in late June and really hope not to have scary flabby arms.  Any recommendations would be appreciated. 

Thanks!

Suzanne

 

Cardio burns a lot of calories and is good for your heart.

Weight training and HIIT is good for fat burning

Pilates and yoga are good for flexibility, balance and strengthening your core all of which are important for injury prevention and also being strong in real life.

This is why it's good to mix up your exercise and cross train. Cross training also helps with boredom. So does figuring out what kind of exerciser you are and picking stuff that is geared to what makes you happy. In my case, that means GROUP ACTIVITIES! Booyah! Going to the gyms and working out on machines just kills me. I even do my strength training in groups! But everyone is different. Some people love solitary exercise.

No exercise tightens up skin though. The only thing that tightens up your skin is time and plastic surgery. Muscles can fill it out a bit (as can fat) and muscles are prettier than fat (IMO anyway) but there is a limit. If your arms are full of empty fat cells then only PS is going to fix it. In my case, a combination of muscles and bounce back took care of my arms and I'm actually pretty happy with them right now.

Thanks so much for all the information. 

Jillian Michaels has great arm workouts. I do pushups, chair dips, arm curls w/5-10 pound weights 3 reps of 12. Overhead arm curls. Basically anything you can find in the exercise magazines. I still have a little skin flapping but my arms look great in certain poses. .

I started working on my arms pre-op.

First let me say I am 64 and I do have skin issues but my skin isn't going to just bounce back anymore. 

I do a class called Muscle Pump 2x a week.  It is lifting to music, light weights, lots of reps.  Like 5 minutes of squats, 4 of bicepts,etc.  I love it.  Definately gets my heart going and is good muscle building too.  I wasn't able to do much during the losing phase and definately lost muscle.  I had to start building it back but am pretty darn strong now and can use the same weight for the class as most of the younger women.  I also do a toning Zumba (zumba with 1lb weights) and a water Zumba each week.  Plus all my farm and pony stuff. 

The key as far as I know is to find what you like doing and the time of day that works for you.