HY 03/07: Fighting Flab | Lehigh Valley Hospital

Tips for toning those soft areas

As Seen on TV…

If it works for Suzanne Somers’ thighs, it must work for everyone’s, right? It’s easy to get caught up in infomercials for the latest exercise gadget. These products can help you get started on a fitness program, says exercise physiologist Joanne Koury. But they typically target just one body area, and since you can’t change the resistance, they’re effective only for a short time before your body adapts. Exercise bands are a more versatile and flexible choice.

For months we’ve been able to hide it under sweaters. But with bathing suit season approaching, it’s time to tackle the flab—those layers of fat cells that pad our midsections, thighs and underarms.

Are some people more prone to flab? “Genetics determines your body type and metabolism, and this can factor into a tendency to gain weight,” says Joanne Koury, exercise physiologist at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “Lifestyle also plays a major role. For example, a sit-down job can lead to excess weight in the dreaded zones of the abdomen and hips.” Despite what some products claim, Koury says, there’s no quick and easy way to fight flab—but you can get rid of it.

How? It takes a combination of good nutrition, workouts that increase your heart rate, and strength training, Koury says. “You’ll feel better in a bathing suit and improve your overall physical health,” she says. Exercise reduces the risk for heart disease and diabetes and boosts your metabolism so you burn more calories (and shrink those fat cells).

An exercise physiologist can evaluate your lifestyle, activity level and eating habits, and recommend how to target flabby areas. But you also can make progress on your own. The following exercises from Koury’s colleague, exercise physiologist Eric Witzel, target common problem areas.

With each exercise, try two sets of 12 repetitions on each side. As you get stronger, increase the weight or number of repetitions.

Want to Know More about how to perform these and other flab-fighting exercises, as well as other ways to have a great workout? Click on the links in the column on the right side of this page.

Abdominals
Lie on the floor with your feet on a chair, knees bent at a 90-degree angle. With hands behind your head, raise your shoulders 4-5 inches off the floor, then back down. Keep your lower back pressed to the floor.

Hips, Thighs and Glutes
Stand with your left leg about 2 feet in front of your right. Keeping the front foot flat on the floor, raise the back foot heel. Slowly lower back knee to about an inch above the floor, then back up. Keep your back straight. Repeat in opposite stance. For more resistance, add hand weights.

Back
Place your left hand and left knee on a bench or low table, keeping your back flat. While holding a dumbbell (start with 3 pounds and build up gradually), fully extend your right arm toward the floor. Keeping arm close to body, pull the weight upward until it reaches your chest. Repeat with left arm.

Underarms (triceps)
Fasten an exercise band (available at sporting goods stores) to the top of a door. Hold the handles with your hands out at chest level. Tuck elbows close to body and pull the band toward your hips, fully extending your arms.