Waist matters & frustration - some venting

[Catrin]

Don't we all! Who votes to clone Knott?

I am sure we all would! She would be the wealthiest in her chosen profession in the country

[NoNo]

Quick Test: do your back, hips, or shoulders ever hurt? Shoulders/neck always hurt, it's just a matter of how much. The tightness causes a lot of migraines. Lower back occasionally feels like something is bulging or out-of-whack. Hips don't seem to give me too much trouble.

If you "fix your posture" so it is perfect, does it look different than how you normally stand? Does it feel like too much work? Definitely. I think my posture is better when I stand as opposed to when I sit. Then it's just horrible.

Do you have a belly "pooch" that disappears when you "suck it in"? That's not normal? Funny, it always seemed like I would get smaller only from my chest to my belly button and below that always bulges.

Do you have the beginnings of a dowager's hump or old lady hump? I don't think so.

Do you lock your knees when you stand still? Not sure.

Do you have stress incontinence? Peeing a bit when you laugh, sneeze, cough, jump, run, or really gotta go? No.

(not kidding at all)

Hmmm, I think I failed that test

[lattae]

Knott.... is there a good book that you recommend for core exercises? I have been reading your posts over the years and appreciate all your advise that you've shared with us. I guess the planks, side and forward, bird dog poses are good ones to try and do often??? I have been getting 'thick in the middle' I want to blame it on menopause but guess I need to work on the core on a regular basis.

[KnottedYet]

The BEST exercise I know is to have someone coach you into good posture and then stay in good posture.

No kidding.

I've always been fascinated by posture and how people hold themselves, but my personal "ah HAH!" moment was when I was working with a Pilates instructor to design a bridge class for back patients who were transitioning from PT to Pilates. She taught me things about my own posture that were amazing.

If you can get a really good Pilates instructor for some one-on-one (or an Alexander Technique instructor, or a Yoga instructor, boxing coach, dance teacher, whomever) and have them go over your posture, it is so valuable. Those outside eyes see the things you can't feel, and can coach you to arrange your body into subtle corrections that you never knew were there.

If they give you a blank look and say "well, I can give you some exercises" then they are probably not high caliber. Someone who really knows their chosen discipline (whatever it is) will be able to create hours of work and sweat and tears for you out of just standing still.

And that's a core workout!

[KnottedYet]

Exercises (in my little universe, of which I am the center) are to perk up your muscles and make you aware of them. And hopefully you will then utilize them more every moment of your day.

You can go to the best exercise class in town, but if you climb into your car afterwards and slouch down in the seat for the drive home, stand with locked knees and dropped chest while you cook dinner, then slump in front of your computer for a few hours, then sag in the couch to watch a movie before bed.... well, what have you changed?

My favorite exercises for core and posture are the prone and side planks. They are just "good posture" turned on its face or side. If I take a picture of someone and cut away all the background, I shouldn't be able to tell if they are standing up, in a prone plank, or in a side plank. It should all be the same neutral spine and good posture. Switching the orientation of the body to gravity mixes things up a little and makes posture spicy! (painful, hot, and sweaty)

[MommyBird]

I am an apple too. Well, my husband says I am more of a zucchini.
I do not have diabetes but I have HBP and high cholesterol.
My LDL is high and my HDL is extremely low.
MY HBP is stable now but I have had periods where I have had to take the max of 4 separate drugs just to keep it at the stage 1 level. I have been in hypertensive crisis twice and show eye damage.
The positive is that tests detect no plaque buildup or heart damage. My Dr.s give credit to my diet and exercise.

Plus there are some positives to the apple physique.
Pears constantly ask me how to get rid of saddle bags because I do not have them.
I also do not have cellulite. My husband has more dimples than I do.
And I recently heard that apples are more intelligent than pears!

I also love Pilates mat work. It is a miracle for your back and even though it may not give you a waist, it will improve your shape as it strengthens your core.

[ny biker]

I just wanna say, if you're 20% body fat then you have less fat than I do, and I'm pretty thin. And although your waist/hip ratio might be higher than you want and higher than ideal, I'm sure you've lost fat and inches around your waist as you've lost all that weight. And that's a very good thing. It fis still an improvement for your overall health.

[Selkie]

.
And I recently heard that apples are more intelligent than pears!

.

Where did you hear this?

I'm sure you didn't mean to offend the pears among us, but IMHO, there are a lot of very intelligent pears posting on this forum.

FWIW, I'm neither a pear nor an apple. And I readily admit that "groups" claiming to more intelligent/better than other "groups" is a real hot button issue for me.

People come in all shapes and sizes, and let's face it, other people usually don't pay attention or even care about another person's shape. They are more interested in whether a person is kind, interesting to speak with, a good friend, etc.

[Catrin]

I just wanna say, if you're 20% body fat then you have less fat than I do, and I'm pretty thin. And although your waist/hip ratio might be higher than you want and higher than ideal, I'm sure you've lost fat and inches around your waist as you've lost all that weight. And that's a very good thing. It fis still an improvement for your overall health.

Indeed, and I know that...it is just that all of that 20% body fat seems to be at my waist and it just gets frustrating. I am still happy with my progress though!

[NoNo]

I feel your pain Catrin. All of my weight is in my stomach and hips. It's not that bad when I'm standing, but when I sit, it's like my body sucks all the fat straight to my stomach. It's maddening.

Yesterday I spent a good 5 hours in the car and the bulk of the time I focused on sucking in my stomach and engaging my abs. It's definitely easier with the upper abs than the lower. My stomach is actually a little sore today, so I guess I was doing something! I will continue to try to focus on my posture and try to get in more mat work.

[ny biker]

Indeed, and I know that...it is just that all of that 20% body fat seems to be at my waist and it just gets frustrating. I am still happy with my progress though!

And I would like to take the fat from my thighs and put it in my ridiculously small boobs....

[redrhodie]

And I would like to take the fat from my thighs and put it in my ridiculously small boobs....

When I used to teach an adult metal-smithing class in NY, one of my students came in late, and asked if she looked different, which she did. I asked what she had done, and she said "I had the fat sucked out of my azz and put into my lips."

[Catrin]

I feel your pain Catrin. All of my weight is in my stomach and hips. It's not that bad when I'm standing, but when I sit, it's like my body sucks all the fat straight to my stomach. It's maddening.
... I will continue to try to focus on my posture and try to get in more mat work.

Thanks to Knotted I am starting to think about my posture. It will be difficult to break bad habits of many years, but what she said made a lot of sense

I have always had small hips - back in my largest of days there was quite often a 2-3 size difference between hips and what most would consider my waist It is still hard for me to see myself as the size I actually am - I can feel that stomach and I suspect that I see myself as still being on the obese side. I can't argue with the size of the clothes that fit though, so that is helping.

And I would like to take the fat from my thighs and put it in my ridiculously small boobs....

You can have some of mine - have always wanted smaller boobs

[tctrek]

Great thread! I'm an apple too -- all my weight is in my torso, but I have normal/thin arms, legs and no butt.

I have hypothyroidism,HBP and am post-menopausal. Still I keep fighting the battle of the bulge. I'm not losing the war, but I'm not winning either. I eat right, exercise and just try like heck not to gain any weight. But I am 28% body fat and I feel it.

The posture tips are good.. gets us all to thinking! Thanks, Knot!!

[KnottedYet]

I feel your pain Catrin. All of my weight is in my stomach and hips. It's not that bad when I'm standing, but when I sit, it's like my body sucks all the fat straight to my stomach.....

....It's definitely easier with the upper abs than the lower.

Lift your boobs.
Pull in your lower belly.

If you get a belly sitting, but not standing, then you are very likely dropping into a slouch and turning off your lower abs as soon as you plop into a seat. The chest drops, the neck cranes forward, and the abdominal contents land in the lap. They have nowhere else to go but OUT when your ribcage slops down onto the abdominal cavity.

To let the guts out of the way, your body has to turn OFF the lower abs. It will be very hard to pull the lower abs back into work while the guts are flopped out and begging for mercy to get away from the ribcage. It's also very hard to breathe until the ribcage is back up. The body has a strategy of dumping the abdominal contents into your lap to make room in your squashed torso for your lungs to expand.

So, first lift the ribcage back into it's rightful place (lift the boobs), *then* pull the lower belly in.