[slimmermesoon]

Which exercise is best for that yucky roll at the bottom or my bra? Also, to get rid of the flab at the back of my arms. I'm 49 years old and don't want to look like a weight lifter but also not like a bumpy lumpy mess. Thanks for any help.

[nelie]

Well I'm not sure what you mean 'look like a weight lifter' as people who lift weights come in all different shapes and sizes. If you are worried about looking overly muscular, the only way that would happen is if you took supplements to help you, spent hours in the gym lifting and reduced your body fat to incredibly low levels... but then even if you did that, you could just stop lifting weights and the muscle would disappear fairly quickly.

You can't tell your body where to take the fat off your body but what you can do is burn the fat through a mixture of cardio and weights. The weights will help you become strong and increase your metabolism. It'll also help you shape somewhat how you look but you still need to burn the fat off your body.

So if someone was just starting out, my advice is to start walking if you aren't already and then look into resistance bands.

[slimmermesoon]

Thank you so much for your help. I didn't mean to insult anyone. I just was making a point that it wasn't my goal to actually get muscled up just to stop jiggling. I still have quite a bit of weight to go. I currently ride an exercise bicycle about 4 to 5 miles twice a day. When the weather gets warmer I'll start to walk also. I will check on resistance bands today while I'm out. Thank you again.

[nelie]

Originally Posted by slimmermesoon

Thank you so much for your help. I didn't mean to insult anyone. I just was making a point that it wasn't my goal to actually get muscled up just to stop jiggling. I still have quite a bit of weight to go. I currently ride an exercise bicycle about 4 to 5 miles twice a day. When the weather gets warmer I'll start to walk also. I will check on resistance bands today while I'm out. Thank you again.

Muscle is definitely a good thing though and everyone should work to build muscle. It makes you stronger and also burns fat. Riding a bike is good but you may want to look at HIIT (High Interval Intensity Training) as it can help make your workouts more efficient. Also your body can definitely get used to an exercise if that is the only exercise you are doing.

[BlueToBlue]

There's no single exercise that is "best." Different kinds of exercise accomplish differnent things. Cardio is good for cardio-vascular endurance and burning fat, but strength training is good for building strength and getting that toned and firm look that it sounds like you are after. So you want to be doing both. And, as Nelie says, muscle burns more calories than fat, even when you are just sitting on the sofa, so building muscle also helps with burning fat.

If you do the same thing every day, your body becomes more efficient at it and it isn't as effective. So the best exercise is, well, everything. Your exercise routine should include as much variety as you can manage. Some strength training, some biking, some walking, other cardio (such as swimming, hiking, running, dancing, kick-boxing, other cardio machines if they are available to you, jumping rope, etc.--there are lots of things you can do). And sports, like tennis, are good too. And yoga and pilates. Variety also helps keep you from getting bored and prevents over-use injuries.

[sacha]

Congrats on riding 4-5 miles per day! You won't look like a bodybuilder, trust me. I've been trying to build muscle for 4 years and you couldn't tell me from the average "toned" looking girl. It's just an urban myth.

I think the fat loss you desire comes from diet. Physique is 80-90% diet(depending on who you ask) and 10-20% exercise. What do you eat?