Flabby Body

I have had amazing "arm de-flabbing" luck with push ups, but you have to do it with your hands very close together to make it work. My spouse taught me this. He was the "one arm push-up" king in high school. He said that the placement of the hands determines the exact muscles used. Make your first fingers and thumbs into a diamond shape in front of you. I guarantee you'll see some improvement.

You also need to know that when I started, I couldn't do TWO push-ups. I can now do 20 on a normal day and sometimes I do two sets! It took several months, and maybe every week, I would try to add two.

J. Kries' Pilates series is really good. Also, Callanetics is an older tape/DVD (from the 80s) but very, very effective, if you can find it.

I went from a size 18 to a size 8 in 2 years and had bat wings for underarms. Strength training is the only way to firm it up.

Good luck!!

Hi S.,

Sounds like your doing great with the walking and eating healthy but I would recommend strength training. I'm a certified personal trainer and a mom of 4. I also own and instruct StrollerFit classes and have a lot of moms who feel the same way about their bodies after having kids. If you've never strength trained before I would recommend starting with resistance bands which are pretty inexpensive and trying those out until your ready to move to weights. If you are a member of Netflix or Blockbuster online there are many dvd's you can try out to see what you like. If you're in good health I would recommend cardio 4-6 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes (this can be broken up through out the day) and strength training at least 2-3 times a week. If you need any help or advice please feel free to email me and I'll help any way I can.

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Hi S.,

You know what the best exercise for you? The one you will actually do! It is very difficult, or at least I wasn't motivated and discipline to get out when the kids were little, but I would walk. Put your daughter in her stroller and start walking, at a good pace. At least with it getting warm, it's more motivating to do that!
I would also be willing to help you look at your diet and to see if you can make healthier food choices. I am not a dietician, but am a nurse and this has become my passion.

Just email me privately if you're interested and Good Luck!

In good health.

Lori K
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I have the same problem....However, I have discoved a book called "Body for Life" by Dr. Pamla Peeke....There is a DVD for it as well. If you get the DVD you won't need the book, it goes over the same things, and the workouts are only 10 - 20 minutes long. Great for the full time mom....Good Luck!!