Thread: i am shaped like a barrel HELP!!

Can anyone help?? i carry most my weight around my middle, i have to buy clothes a size bigger as my tummy is soo bigI am very unfit after 2 years of ill health and the weight went straight to my lower tummy and bottom. What would be the best gentle exercises to do for this area pease I have started to walk and have gone from only doing 10 mins to 30 mins!! i also have started to go swimming (well i look like i'm drowning, sharon davis i am not ) Thanks xx

I would say keep up what you are doing and maybe start doing some sit ups. Start easy, do ten a day this week, wont take you more than five minutes, and gradually increase. Also something like a yoga or pilates class will strengthen your core (waist/torso) muscles and improve the lumps. Good luck!

You've done the right thing starting off small and working up slowly. Have you tried interval training? You walk at a normal pace for a minute and then faster for 10 seconds then normal again for a minute and so on, you can build up to walking faster and faster for longer and then if you're feeling really adventurous you can try jogging and then eventually running. Take it easy though and build up really slowly but keep pushing yourself to get better and faster, this method burns fat very effectively!

jogging?? running???? i can just about walk!! lol thanks for the tips my sister and i will have a go at the interval training and hubby has found my old ab roller in the loft so i am doing that in the morning too.

Originally Posted by littleankles

jogging?? running???? i can just about walk!! lol thanks for the tips my sister and i will have a go at the interval training and hubby has found my old ab roller in the loft so i am doing that in the morning too.

Little ankles, I have arthritis in my knee and am all belly and belly and bum and belly. A very good start for you would be walking and here is a dvd I use regularly. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-Mile-Wa...5839539&sr=1-6 Here she is on youtube YouTube - leslie sansone On some of her dvds she has women who are still big who have lost over 7 stone already walking with her. I'm not keen on American exercise gurus but Leslie I can take in bucketfuls, she is very very good.

Thank you Faustina i have just ordered the dvd xx

i have knee problems, im awaiting blood results, i had a lot taken..its hard to exercise with knee problems as the last thing we want to be doing is pounding down on it.... good link faustina

hi little ankles, in my opinion the last thing you want to be doing is running and jogging..im absolutely sure that walking has been proven to be so much better and more effective than running... when you run you are putting a lot of pressure on your cardio system not to mention your legs.i know people who are size 10s and dont run because of the impact running has on their legs, ankles and shins...

i would definitely say to start small and build yourself, walking briskly to just raise the heart beat to a comfortable point for you.. you're more likely to continue with it if you dont flog yourself out at the start

good luck!

Running is not an effective way to lose fat, and it will do very little to take away fat from the mid-section.

The best option would be to look at your diet. Processed sugars, trans-fats and alcohol are the worst offenders, which lead to what's known as 'central obesity' - weight collected around the midline.

If continued this can eventually lead to pre-diabetes, so cleaning up your diet of those unhealthy things is the best start.

As for exercise, keep walking, and perhaps start looking to incorporate some bodyweight resistance exercises. These exercises will increase your metabolic rate and make your body burn more calories every day, even when you've finished exercising.

PM me if you'd like any more personalised help.

Good luck,

Justin

i would highly recommend pilates, works on your core so all those pesky muscles that are (in my case for definate!) hiding behind a nice cushioning of flubber!

Thanks everyone for all the replies, i could not send a pm justin cos i am new to this forum stufff lol what are weight resistance excersises??

Bodyweight exercises would include squats, press ups, planks, lunges, step ups etc.

You can also use dumbbells, kettlebells or resistance bands.

If you use any of these exercises start lightly with only a few repetitions of each exercise but gradually build up. These exercises will not only burn fat calories but will also tone the muscles and make them stronger, which cardio exercise alone cannot do.