exercise that will make you look more feminine?

[Iztlacihuatl]

Hey guys so as a guy and a girl I want to get in shape and lose in the process at least 5 pounds.

Do you recommend any exercise for my workout that could do the following:

Improve my health in overall.
Straighten or define my muscles but not making them bigger!
Make my body look more feminine

Or what are your experiences doing this? I wanna get my body back to its former glory but I really don't wanna end up being all bulky and looking like a freak when I CD.

[Anneliese]

The breaststroke...no kidding...

[Iztlacihuatl]

The breaststroke...no kidding...

Swimming in overall is an excellent sport because it uses all your muscles, but wouldn't it make my chest and shoulders bigger?

[JenniferR771]

Its so easy you can do it in your sleep. Just set your alarm for 30 minutes later and skip breakfast. And don't believe that crap about breakfast being the most important meal of the day. Add regular exercise--anything that raises the knees to the chest tightens the stomach muscles.

[juno]

I suggested weighted hula-hooping yesterday. The thred got moved to the Lounge by the Admin here, then got deleted by the Admin there for being female-specific. Maybe this sort of thing should be in the Beauty Club section?

I haven't tried the weighted Hula-hoop yet -- called by the catch-phrase "Hooping". I think it will help tone the belly, which can be a big problem area. It should also help develop more natural hip action. Plus, it just seems feminine, and therefore fun.

J.

[sherri]

Mix:


weights -- light weight, lots of reps, targeting the areas you want to trim and define.
floor exercises -- crunches, leg lifts, lunges, etc.
and aerobics -- fast walking, jogging, biking, swimming, whatever you enjoy.

To lose weight, you need to work out 60 to 90 minutes at least 3 times a week. 5 is better, but your body needs at least 1 day of rest a week. I do upper body and aerobics on MWF, and lower body and aerobics on TT, then reverse that the following week. I go for an easy walk or bike ride on Saturday and rest on Sunday.

Grab extras every chance you get -- take the stairs instead of the elevator, don't park close to store doors, mow the lawn, yada yada. Take vitamins to keep your metabolism up. Eat several small meals a day instead of 2 big ones. Strict diet, but give yourself a treat (preferably a lean steak or chop) each week.

2 pounds a week or 10 pounds a month is considered to be a healthy rate of weight loss.

[Stephanie Miller]

Are you kidding me? You have to ask? The best workout I’ve found is a good sale!
You’re running through the store – leg muscles
Up and down on tip toes looking over everyone’s shoulders – calf muscles
Scanning the racks – eyes muscles as well as neck
Pick up clothes, put clothes down – arms
Swatting the gal next to you as she grabs for “your” bargain – stretching the back
Push & pull if she actually has a hold of said “bargain” – upper arms and hands
Dropping clothes and picking back up – leg stretch
Let’s not forget the card swiping - wrists
Explaining to wife all the money you spent – tightening buttocks

And there you have it girlfriend OVERALL body toning with a prize at the end!

[mykhelee]

lots of crunches, side twists and bends. stairs.
To tone without bulking, use low weight high reps.

[kellycan27]

I run.. 5 miles a day. do toning exercise, ( no weight lifting) and work the abs and obliques. I watch what I eat, and I drink tons of water. I was 145 and now I am 122

[Chris7ina]

I have focused on mainly aerobics. For the past few months I've been doing Zumba. Definitely has changed my body.

[Iztlacihuatl]

I have focused on mainly aerobics. For the past few months I've been doing Zumba. Definitely has changed my body.

What is sumba and how has it changed your body?

[Iztlacihuatl]

I run.. 5 miles a day. do toning exercise, ( no weight lifting) and work the abs and obliques. I watch what I eat, and I drink tons of water. I was 145 and now I am 122

WOW 5 miles a day you are my hero! I use to run 2 miles a day with my GF before but we stopped once school got harder and my extracurricular activities got in the way.

ABS and Obliques do you have any particular form of exercise for them?

And wow from 145 to 122 thats amazing. I actually weight 145 right now I wanted to drop my weight to at least 140 or 135. I think my boy side can't really afford to loose more weight but my girl side will be happy if I maintain that weight and don't get to 145 again.

[NathalieX66]

Pilates?

[Schatten Lupus]

Aerobics, bike riding, and swimming are good.

[TerryTerri]

Pilates and Yoga!!

[Loni]

the best exercise is swimming laps, followed by road biking.
but any exercise is boring, you must find one or the other that you enjoy, this way you will keep up with it for the rest of your life.
going to the gym is a bust. get out into the fresh air and with a good pair of shoes start walking a bit fast. get your hart rate up and hold it about 70-80% of your max...do a speed that you can hold for hours, not get blown out on. NO jogging it kills your knees and shins.:eek:. then start to do hills up and down.
this will not build mussel other than in your legs, and hart/lungs. and imagine all the great places you can go and see while doing this.
before my accident (hurt my back) i was doing a easy 15 - 20 mile walk. three - four times a week. at least one day a good 50 miles on the bike. (including hills).

.

[charlotte_sp]

Some of this has already been said, but anyways:


Improve my health in overall.

Anything that gets your heart rate up and doesn't overwork any muscles for 60+ minutes every day will do the trick (e.g. running, jump rope, etc.)


Straighten or define my muscles but not making them bigger!

As far as toning muscles goes, you want to do a lot of reps with weights that are pretty light.
If your muscles are already kind of large, definition might not be what you want though.


Make my body look more feminine

If your problem is fat around the stomach and love handles, then any cardio will help.
Unfortunately, it's moving that fat to the right places that makes you look feminine XD
As far as I know, there's no exercise that'll do that.

[tammygirl79]

Crunches, crunches, and more crunches!!! I also have had great luck with walking & bike riding. Walking and bike riding both tone & tighten your muscles, but without making them bigger.

[Jane G]

Swimming is great. I've been an exersise junky nearly as long as Ive been a CD. I realised, in my late twenties, that things were starting to wear out, lower back and knees, so stopped gym, running & cycling, which I used to love, vertualy overnight and started swimming. Can't recomment it enough. Can get boring but a simple antidote there is o swim in the sea or surf.

[Kate Simmons]

Get out on the dance floor and swing that booty if you are able to. It not only keeps you slim but builds up your endurance at the same time.:)

[Dee2U]

Everyone who spoke up for aerobic exercise, crunches and not too much upper body toning are on the right track. Ask not only what will make you look[B] more feminine but will also make you [B]feel and move in a more feminine manner and then it is definitely dance like aerobics, like Jazzercise or Zumba. Lots of fun and very good for the gracefulness of movement, balance etc...Dee

[vetobob9]

Know matter what exercise you do, your muscles will bulk up. I would not worry too much because when genetic women work on their muscles, they bulk up also. They also tend to lose their breasts if they do too much strength training because the body absorbs the fat in the breast. In the end, women who work out a lot start getting a manly appearance.

[kayegirl]

Get outr there and do some dancing. I do both Salsa and Ceroc (a form of modern jive), and both are great for physical exercise, and equally mentally relaxing. BTW I do ceroc as a male but salsa en femme, brilliant.

[donnatracey]

Know matter what exercise you do, your muscles will bulk up. I would not worry too much because when genetic women work on their muscles, they bulk up also. They also tend to lose their breasts if they do too much strength training because the body absorbs the fat in the breast. In the end, women who work out a lot start getting a manly appearance.

Sorry but I hate to disagree. I ran for many years and NEVER "bulked up". I now walk 5-6 miles/day 4-5 days a week and guess what? Outside of great looking legs my muscles are not "bulky"....:D Now lifting weights, that might do it....but my attempts at lifting made no discernible difference for me.

[Tanya83]

Work those hips and gluts. Use the abduction machine. Or you could do it lying on the floor with some ankle weights.

[daviolin]

I bought a Cindy Crawford exercies video at a garage sale for 25 cents. Its pretty good if you do it regulary. I use it mainly in the winter months. My favorite buzz word for keeping in shape is " MODERATION" Just use common sence and don't over indulge with the bad things. Like food and drink and smoking. :2c:

[eluuzion]

I can tell you two things that will work. Martial Arts & Tennis.

I started both when I was 8 years old. I have continued both my entire life. You do not see many overweight tennis players or those into martial arts, do you? Generally speaking, you won't find a lot of muscle bound people either.

Martial arts is a long term process, and can be rather expensive and time consuming initially. Tennis can happen today. It is fun and there are tons of people at every level of the game at parks in every city.

One of the quickest ways to stop people from asking when your baby is due, is to start hitting balls against a backboard. Even if you hit them over the wall, you get exercise retrieving the balls, lol. The "twisting" motion required to hit a ball is exactly what puts your waist in shape.

I put a backboard on my downstairs patio (plywood cover with cheap outdoor carpet) two years ago. I hit balls against it for at least an hour/day. I can still wear the shirts I wore in high school. (I bet I could wear my sister's dresses she had in high school too, lol)

I have never been on a diet. But loosing weight seems easy. Just go to the dentist and have all of you teeth pulled. There...all better...:love:

[Deidra Cowen]

Know matter what exercise you do, your muscles will bulk up. I would not worry too much because when genetic women work on their muscles, they bulk up also. They also tend to lose their breasts if they do too much strength training because the body absorbs the fat in the breast. In the end, women who work out a lot start getting a manly appearance.

I personally disagree. I swam about a mile a night 3 nights a week. Then did nordic ski/stair master type of machines another 3 nights a week. Also tummy crunches.

I never bulked up and really got smooth looking if ya know what I mean. I really think swimming is good for CDs. But thats my opinion.