Spot Toning

With some work every other day, the following exercises will begin to get you results as early as only a few weeks. Before you begin, make sure you start off with gentle stretching exercises for about 5 minutes (you don’t need to use any weights at this stage) - reaching up to the sky, pulling one arm at a time completely over to the other side,  reaching backwards behind you, bending to touch your toes, etc.

Once you have warmed up, you can begin using weights for resistance training. You don’t need to purchase any special kinds of weights - simply using cans of soda, water bottles, canned food or anything else that you can grasp comfortably but firmly will do. The weight range of whatever you use should be around 1lb-10lb. Make sure that you pick weights that are somewhat challenging but not so heavy that they force you to struggle.

With your weights, perform 10-12 repetitions (reps) of the following exercises. The overall workout should last around 8-10 minutes.

Exercise A - Chest & Shoulder Lifts

Lie on your back. With the weights in your hands facing upwards, your arms stretched out to your sides. Bend your elbows a little and lift your arms up over your chest, until hands almost come in contact with each other. Go back to the beginning position. Repeat.

Exercise B - Chest and Shoulder Half Circles

Lie on your back. With the weights in your hands facing upwards, stretch your arms up over your head. Stop & hold briefly. Then take them from above your head down to your hips in a half circle motion, going by your sides. Stop & hold briefly. Take the weights back to the beginning position. Repeat.

Exercise C - Chest and Back Support

With your legs straight out in front of you, sit with good posture, your back straight and supported against a couch, wall or chair. Start by holding the weights at your chest, elbows out parallel with the your legs. Push the weights out straight in front of you. Next, pull them back. Repeat.

Exercise D - Shoulder and Upper Arm Raises

With your feet shoulder width apart, stand. Raise your arms straight up over your head with the weights in hand, and turn your palms so they are facing behind you. Gently lower your arms forward and downward at the same time, without bending or locking at the elbows. Stop at shoulder-level. Return to the starting position. Repeat.

Exercise E - Back and Shoulders “Tensers”

With your feet shoulder width apart, stand. Lower your arms to your sides. Hold the weights with your hands facing outwards. Slowly tense your shoulder and upper back muscles (up and down motion). Repeat.

Exercise F - Arms, Back and Shoulders Chin-Ups

With feet spaced a little apart, stand up. Hold the weights with your arms straight down in front of you (the weights should just about touch). With your elbows bent, bring the weights towards your chin as your elbows go out to the sides. Take the weights back out to beginning position. Repeat.

Exercise G - Arms, Back and Shoulders Bends

With your feet a little apart, stand up. Hold the weights palm-side out, bending over like you’re touching your toes. Then without rising, bring your arms out to your sides, parallel with the floor. Remember when keeping the elbows straight not to lock them. Gently ease back into the beginning position. Repeat.

Exercise H - Arms and Chest Push-Ups

With knees and toes on the floor, place your palms on the floor, hands should-width apart. Do old-fashioned push-ups, making sure to keep your back straight and never reaching all the way down to the floor so you come in contact with it.

Exercise I - Arm Curls

Sit with your back straight and supported. With your arms hanging down by your sides, hold the weights with your palms facing out or up. Gently curl your arms up towards shoulders. Uncurl. Note: be sure to keep your back straight, and don’t move the rest of your body - just the arms. Repeat.

Exercise J - Forearm Tilts

Sit or stand. With the weights in hand, work one arm at a time: Reach out with your arm straight ahead, but not locking the elbow. When your arm is out at its farthest point, stop. Move your wrist up and down a few times while holding the weight. Stop. Switch palm side so that you work out both upward and downward (over and under) wrist motions. Return to the starting position. Work the other arm / wrist in same manner.

As with all exercise, one of the most difficult parts of this workout is a common problem many face: staying motivated. Tips that can help you to stay motivated include using different weights from time to time, varying your routine, changing the intensify of your workout, doing your workout in a different location, doing your workout to music, rewarding yourself afterwards with something healthy like your favorite beverage, and journaling to regularly monitor your progress and record how great you feel after each session.

If you want to concentrate on toning your arms, these supplemental exercises should help. As with your usual workout, adjust them as needed for intensity, repetition, etc. Even if you don’t want to work on toning your arms, you can use them to vary your daily program to add variety.

Flabby Upper Arms

There are three helpful arm exercises for flabby upper arms. Do about a dozen pushups, your favorite style (be sure to keep your back straight). Do some reverse crab walking with a dozen or so reverse push-ups. Finally, do some shadowboxing with light weights in hand. Punch 20 each of hooks, undercuts and crossovers.

Flabby Lower Arms

There are a couple things to help with flabby lower arms. The first are “dips”. Sit on the edge of hard surface, your palms on each side of your hips and with your fingers hanging over the edge. Walk your feet out enough to get your hips off the surface you are sitting on. Bend your knees & lower yourself until your elbows are at 90 degrees with your upper arms parallel to the floor. Raise and lower yourself with your arms about a dozen times. Repeat two sets. Experienced people stretch their legs out straight.

Another helpful exercise is called kickbacks. With a small weight, reach over at the waist with hand on a surface with back flat. With weight in other hand, bring bent elbow up to side for start position. With elbow at side, reach back until elbow is straight, then lower and repeat a dozen times. Repeat two more sets. Experienced people may increase weights.

Carpal Tunnel

Use light weights or wrist weights as part of your resistance work to help wrists, but be sure not to grip them too tightly. Other exercises that work well are wrist curls, gently squeezing a rubber ball and swimming.

If you want to increase or alter your workout for the chest area, try these two exercises. Both are variations of the push-up.

Modified Push-Ups

Start in an upright position with your arms shoulder-width apart, your elbows bent a little and your knees (also bent) on the floor. The aim is to keep your head, neck and back all in a straight line throughout this chest exercise. Move your body down towards the floor, slowly and steady. Stop when your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Rise back to the starting position, slowly and steady again. Make sure not to lock your elbows.

Alternative Push-Ups

Start in an upright position with your arms shoulder-width apart, your elbows bent a little and your feet together. The aim again is to keep your head, neck and back in a straight line throughout this exercise. Move your body down towards the floor, slowly and steady. Stop when your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Rise back to the start position, slowly and steady. Make sure not to lock your elbows. To add resistance, have someone gently rest their feet on your back, or add a small weight, while you perform this exercise.

If you want to work more on your upper torso and upper back, try these additional exercises.

With your feet shoulder-width apart, stand with your arms down in front of you, crossed at the wrists. Pull your arms up and back so that your upper arm becomes parallel with floor, keeping your shoulders in line with your torso the entire exercise. Return to the start position, slowly & steady.

The simple shrug can also be used as an exercise. With light-weights in your hands, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands at your sides. Raise your shoulders up in shrug. Hold. Slowly lower shoulders to start position.

Most women are concerned with reshaping their newly formed `pooch’ after delivery. You know the sagging area of skin that used to resemble your stomach?

The good news is you can restore your abdomen to its pre-pregnancy luster, or at least a semblance thereof. It will take a lot of hard work however on your part.

Before you start exercising your abdomen however, it is important that you check for a separation or gap in your stomach muscles. Some women develop a gap in their stomach muscles as a result of the expansion that occurs during pregnancy and labor. It can take anywhere from four to eight weeks for this gap to close.

If you attempt to perform strenuous abdominal exercises prior to this, you may permanently injure your abdomen. So be sure to check before you engage in any stomach exercises.

Here’s how:

• Life flat on your back.
• Bend your knees.
• Place the fingers of your left hand palm facing you above your belly button.
• Upon exhaling, lift your head and shoulders off the floor while sliding your right hand up your thigh toward your knee.

Feel your abdominal muscles tighten. As you do so, check for a gap between the edges of the muscle. If you have a gap that is more than two or three finger widths, you should perform only moderate exercise.

The gap will eventually narrow to one inch or so, and at this point you can typically safely perform crunches with no adverse effects. If you are having difficulty assessing whether or not your abdomen has a gap, ask your healthcare provider to point it out to you. This is actually a physical condition referred to as diastasis recti (but no need to get technical here!).

Below you’ll find some of the best exercises for restoring shape and flexibility to your stomach muscles:

Leg Slide – This exercise can generally be started during the first month post partum. You can do it while sitting on the floor watching your baby.

• Lie on your back with knees bent.
• Tighten your stomach muscles while pressing the small of your back against the floor, exhaling as you do so.
• Slide both your legs apart, so that they are moving away from your body. At the same time, keep your back flat on the floor.
• Return your legs to the start position when your back starts to arch.
• Repeat 5-10 times.

It is important that you pay close attention to your breathing during the leg slide, and tighten your stomach muscles before your slide your legs away from your body. Also pay attention to be sure the small of your back is pressed against the ground.

Pelvic Tilt – This is a great exercise for toning and strengthening the stomach, and can be started shortly after delivery.

• Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Inhale while allowing your abdomen to expand.
• Upon exhaling lift your tailbone toward your belly button, while keeping your hips on the floor.
• At the very top of the tilt squeeze and tighten your buttocks for five seconds, then slowly release.
• Repeat.

Standing Pelvic Tilts – A variation of the traditional pelvic tilt, you can accomplish this exercise anywhere even on the go!

• Stand with your knees bend and legs hip-width apart.
• Place your hands on your upper thighs while resting your upper body weight on your arms.
• Stick your buttocks out just enough to flatten your back.
• Inhale, and then as you exhale pull your pubic bone toward your navel, pointing the tailbone downward.
• Repeat to a flat back position.

Head Lifts – Consider this exercise a sort of `mini’ crunch that you can try if your abdomen is still healing from the trauma of birth.

• Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Be sure your back is pressed to the floor.
• Lift your head off the floor and bring your chin toward your chest.
• Hold this position and then return to start.

Seated Lat Rows – This exercise actually works to tone the upper arms and back. It is important that you establish balance in your exercise routine. By working out your back muscles in particular, you’ll provide extra support for your abdomen. For this exercise you’ll need either two light dumbbells or milk containers filled with water.

• Sit on the edge of a chair.
• Bend knees and keep feet flat on floor.
• Place dumbbells or milk cartons by your feet.
• Bend forward and bring your chest to your thighs, while keeping your back flat.
• Hold one milk carton or dumbbell in each hand, allowing arms to hang down with palms facing one another.
• Bend your elbows and bring them up toward your shoulders.
• Straighten arms, repeat 5-10 times.

Push Ups – Push ups can be done at any time, even during the first couple of weeks if you are feeling strong enough. Push ups are a great way to help strengthen your upper body, which will need to be strong to carry baby around.

By Beverley Brooke Visit http://www.pregnancy-weight-loss.com to ensure a healthy pregnancy and for more on postpartum exercise