how to tone via exercise

[Midnight12]

specifically how to shrink my behind...this is somewhat awkward to ask if not embarrassing for several reasons.

Let me put it this way. There are tips in magazines and all over the place. They are for people who are already "of the ideal weight/body type" and this is to tone or shape up after having gained a few pounds...yeah well thats fine and great for everyone else. but after much issue, I'll skip the personal reasons beyond trying to start a work out routine and just not until now
I got to the point where I may have a back shelf behind me if not worse

How can I even START to lose some of that? yes i have a caboose...please keep the joking to a minimum as I don't want the caboose anymore and want to get back to wearing my old pants.

What exercises can I even try to do to start off on and work up to the more strenuous ones. I already have a two part routine going on, work out the upper part (arms, chest muscles and torso) then legs and stomach and lower torso to try and either lose the pouch from c-section or at least tighten it some.

[BookstoreEscapee]

If you don't do some form of cardio, you should work that in also. Start with simply walking; it's the easiest thing to work into your day, since all you need is a decent pair of shoes and some comfortable clothes (and you can get it in anywhere, even if you can't block out an extra hour every day to work out...park at the far end of the lot, take 10 minutes to do a lap or two around the block, whenever). Keep to flat surfaces to start, and when you're ready to make it a little harder, add some hills or trails, mix in some running, or biking, swimming, or a recreational team sport, or whatever floats your boat.

I've seen several people here recommend SparkPeople.
Self Magazine has tons of workout slide shows and videos, lots of which require few or no extra accessories. You can even build your own workout video so you can focus on what you want.

And just because the models they use are already of the "ideal" shape/size, does not mean that you can't do those things, too. The person who just has a few "holiday pounds" or whatever to lose is doing the same things as the person with more; it just takes them less time. Sure the plan may say "4 weeks to slim" but there's no rule that says you can't follow it (assuming it's a healthy plan to begin with) for 8 weeks, or 12, or a year and a half. If you have the right attitude (changing your lifestyle rather than just doing this for a few weeks until you lose the weight and decide you can stop), a healthy, concrete plan can be a great way to jump-start better habits that you can continue for much longer.

You can't lose weight in just one area, but you can certainly build up your muscles, which will help you burn more fat (muscle uses more energy just to maintain itself) and also look smaller, since muscle is denser than fat (which means if you build muscle you may gain some weight even while you lose inches in the process, so it's better to focus on how you look and feel and how your clothes fit, and not just the number on the scale).

If you can afford it, you might check into local gyms and see if you can do just a session or a few with a trainer (or look for an independent one) who can help you get started on the right track and make sure you know how to do the moves correctly. It could be a good investment, and once you have a plan in place, you can continue it on your own.

[Green_Fairy]

BE has some excellent advice. walking is fantastic for toning behinds. a way to step it up (once you're ready), add some lunges. walk a few steps, do a lunge on each side. walk a few steps, lunge on each side. they tend to really burn if you do too many all at once, so only do about 10 on each side a day for a bit, then up it to 15.
good luck!
oh, and lean protein's good, too. diet is super important to any exercise regimen.

[Midnight12]

thank you! right now its tricky getting out as the cold weather has hit us hard. been trying and TRYING to get hubs to walk with me as the part of town i live in has no sidewalks and even in daylight I don't want to walk out with daughter alone.

Until then been adding extra sets to my lower body work out, will add lunges to it as i can only walk around the house so many times.

Have added the next set of ten to my workouts (started at ten, up to 20, soon to be at 30, or 3 sets of 10)
and i have hit the first plateau? as was advised and stepping it up.
been trying to change the diet for the household. kind of difficult as most of it is cajun based. not bad, just alot of rice, dirty rice, or some spicy things and or gumbo on cold days. after a while its almost a starch over load

wanted to ad
affording a gym isn't the issue so much as being able to get out is. alot of people don't know I cannot legally drive. many reasons. the main one being that my left eye is slowly losing vision and I cannot see well at night.
Don't plan on stopping, just disappointed that I let myself get this bad to the point looking in the mirror is discouraging. Its been very difficult as when I get into a depression funk I don't want to do anything and that includes keeping to my work out routine. In the middle of finding a new pill that works as the last one worked to an extent yet kept me zonked mentally.
so have been having to fight with myself to GET UP and DO my daily maintenance (ie take my vitamins, work out) or do anything. last two days were horrible

[BookstoreEscapee]

Is there a high school nearby with a track? They're usually open to the public; check with the school to be sure.

Do you have any steps in your house? Even just a couple steps can give you a great lower body workout (though it can get a bit boring). Or you can pick up a step at Target or wherever. Search online for step workouts. If you have a flight or two of stairs you can run up and down; take them two at a time is even better.

Squats are good for your butt, too.

[Seshat]

There are two types of muscle cell. (Okay, there's lots of types, but for this purpose, there's two.)

The bulkier type is the 'jerk' cell. That's the one the bodybuilders work on developing.

The leaner type is the 'sustain' cell. That's what you want to develop.

To build jerk cells, you do a few, very heavy repetitions. To build sustain cells, you do lots of light repetitions (and do them as slowly as you comfortably can).

Walking, running, skipping, swimming, all of that sort of thing is lots of light repetition, and will build sustain cells.
In doing weights, step-ups, push-ups and squats, use low weights and aim to eventually do two or three sets of fifteen repetitions. Eventually. You'll probably start with one set of five, or even one set of two!

Start your push-ups against a wall. Start your squats against a wall, too, and only squat down as low as is comfortable.
For weights, start with nothing and just do the movement. When you can do that fifteen times, slowly, without feeling effort, add a can of soup in each hand.

When the push-ups against a wall are easy, do them against the kitchen bench. When that's too easy, do them against something stable and lower - a chair, perhaps. And finally, the floor.

With the step-ups and squats, as they get easier, add the soup cans. And with both those and the weights exercises, upgrade to heavier cans, litre bottles of water, or whatever you can find. Or buy weights, I guess.

Just remember, for leanness, you want to aim towards doing 3 sets of fifteen reps* of each of your counted exercises, or to do lots of walking, jogging, swimming, etc. Or both. Many repeated or sustained movements, not a few movements with heavy weights.

* Or something like that. 2 sets of 12 if you're not into the same level of fitness as my best friend, for instance.

[ArcticChicken]

I got the exercise routine I'm doing from Spark People. I haven't been in shape since middle school, and I found something I can do there.

[Mishi]

I've been exercising for toning too and those weird butt+thigh shaping shoes have made a HUGE difference to my joints and muscles. I haven't gone for a walk in a while, but just wearing them when I go shopping or out somewhere is what has worked for me. Think butt going from flat and square post-pregnancy back to nice, round and perky (better than pre-pregnancy). Pretty calves and a flattened lower stomach too. I have the Mitre Tonewalkers, they cost $50 over here and they look like chunky, plain black/white skate shoes. Super-comfy too, my feet and ankles don't hurt after wearing them all day.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I've been contemplating the Reebok toning shoes, they look like they have two little balance balls on the bottom. Otherwise they look more like normal sneakers than most of the others I've seen. My mom has a pair of Sketchers..she likes them a alot.

[Green_Fairy]

okay, i just had to post this as soon as i saw it

linky!

[Midnight12]

BookStoreEscapee : there is an elementary school behind my house...about a few blocks. i can walk/run their grounds or around it.

will check the local wally world or targe' heh for the step things (considering buying the shake weight to get rid of my mommy flab arms bleh) as we only have ONE step and its the step up to the door...thats it heh
as referenced in a thread in fratching i have to watch it with the floor in certain parts of the house mainly the den as the floor is rotting. (the plan to fix it is under way)
and currently testing rooms to see where i can do work out safely. (no one's weight has anything to do with it, the floor has been rotting for years since 2005)

Seshat : oh yeah, I remember that in the many gym classes, to bulk up use heavier weights less reps, to tone or slim down more reps less weight. but did not know about the slow part.
Working up to running, can walk fast or kind of job but still embarrassed about bouncing everywhere (adjusting to new sports bra...curse you over endowments!)

With the movement I do Wii Just Dance and Just Dance 2 as the second one has a sweat program that you can do so many points per week which amounts to so many songs a day to meet your requirement. already up to the medium part of it. as there are a variety of songs from easy to expert based on movement and how much you would "sweat"

swimming not so much for personal reasons. have written this down thank you!

Mishi : not sure about Mitre but I think rebook has those or something similar

Green Fairy : oh but thats too fun! (is showing that to my buddies on the lifestyle site)

thank you everyone! since this week is slow I am looking at refining (changing for the better) my work out routine!

Its so cute when I start Just Dance, daughter has to get involved to as her playpen is within view of the tv in the mornings she LOVES some of the songs on the game

[BookstoreEscapee]

Its so cute when I start Just Dance, daughter has to get involved to as her playpen is within view of the tv in the mornings she LOVES some of the songs on the game

Awww! That's great...you'll be a good role model for her

[Midnight12]

she likes monster mash and the one or two foreign songs they put on there now.
heh
i try to be a good role model...or at least not show her the bad parts

[Seshat]

I'd be wary of 'toning' shoes or anything that changes your walk/jog pattern, unless I had a podiatrist or physiotherapist check it out.

Mostly because a funny walk/jog/run movement will affect your feet, ankles, knees, hips and spine. That's an awful lot to risk.

That said, I know nothing about them. Maybe they're just fine. I honestly don't know. My educated-instinct just says 'be careful'.

[blas]

A lot of people I work with have the Shape-Ups, and they said the first few days they wore them, it was terrible, but they also didn't follow the right guidelines, with those shoes you are supposed to ease your way into them, not attempt to wear them for 8-12 straight hours right off the shelf.

I wish you luck in your butt mission. I power walk on the treadmill, sometimes I put the incline up, I go weeeeeeee on the eliptical, I use the arc-trainer, the stair stepper, the thingy like the stair stepper........and my butt just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. But at least it stays round, which is important.