Hi gang,

I have THUNDER THIGHS and want to make them smaller! I have always been "big boned", but I had been very toned before (was a dancer/swimmer) so it looked fine. Then I slowly gained about 70lbs and they got flabby on top of being already big.

I am limited with what exercises I can do b/c i was in a very serious car accident just over 4 years ago, BUT, I do get about 30min of cardio/4x week in (twist stepper and walking). I can't have anything with major impact because of my back/hip injuries. I will continue the cardio - maybe even up it to 5x/week, but I need some exercises to help tone my thighs - i know lunges, squats, and plies, but what else can i do? I do not go to a gym, so has to be things I can do at home.

I'd LOVE to start swimming again or aqua-fit, but i am DEAD EMBARASSED to throw a suit on!

If it helps at all, I have 3 levels of resistance bands that I can use (if neccessary).

I am hoping to shrink them somewhat over the next three months (leave for Las Vegas with the girls then - who are all SUPER THIN)! If I could out a bathing suit on and not hurl when i look in the mirror, i'd be so happy! i don't expect to look and the mirror and do the happy dance, i understand 3 months is relatively a short time frame, but as i said, to at least put a bathing suit on and not feel so overwhelmed would be a start. I have great friends, and they have been 100000000000% supportive in my weight loss efforts thus far, and would NOT say a peep even if i cannot lose/shrink anymore weight/inches by our trip, but it would be nice for them to say a "peep" if it was a peep like "**** you look good"! LOL!

Any suggestions would be awesome!

Thanks bunches!

~flova~

Hey flova!

My name is Laura. And i have some great exercise tips for you, since I am a personal trainer. First let me tell you something. When you start using weights you build some muscle under the fat, so it may seem like your thighs are getting bigger at first. Dont worry, it does take about two weeks for the fat to start going away. So for your thighs there are many things you can do. First lie down on the ground, on your back.


1. Pilates circles = 1min each leg. 1 leg at a time. lift your right leg in the air. first start with small circles, clockwise for one min, then switch to counter clockwise for a min. Then increase the size of the circle, 1 min clock wise and 1 min counter clockwise. Then repeat on the other side.

2. Balance balls squeezes = get a jenny craig balance ball, while still on the ground. Put it in between your thighs and squeeze small pulses for 2 mins, then with no break do long squeezes, so squeeze and hold for 1 mississippi, 2 mississippi and release, do this for another 2 mins, then relax and repeat.

3. leg lifts = still on the ground, turn towards your right side but dont go on yoour right side.have your right leg out to the right a little bit. then place a weight an inch above your knee, or anything that has weight, like a can of soup, a shampoo bottle, hold on to the weight and push down a little bit, the more you push, the more resistance you have. then just lift your leg up. and repeat on the other side.

if you get ankle weights, it might be easier, and I would recommend 5lbs or heavier.

Hope I was some help,
Laura:)

Flova -

You can bet you won't be the only one that's not in perfect shape at the pool, so stop worrying what other people think or how they'll react and start doing what you want to do.

I know just how you feel - I felt like a big pimple on somebody's nose the first time I went into our gym. At first glance, everyone was beautiful, buff, and busy. I was the only fat lady in the gym wearing workout clothes from the discount store. But I wanted to feel better worse than I wanted to leave - and that's saying A LOT.

Go get that bathing suit and get yourself into the water. Buy one of those wraps that go around your suit like a skirt and wear it poolside. Then you'll only need to "disrobe" your legs for the few minutes it takes you to put it by the side of the pool and drop into the water. Swimming is perfect for your need of low impact and feels wonderful. Get a kickboard and start paddling back and forth once you're too tired to swim. I have Fibromyalgia and love the exercise I get in the water.

Hi flova,

I don't know if anyone has talked about this here before or not but I'm 1 month into the program and I've never been very active my whole life and I have thunder thighs too . But I started using the bar method videos at home and after joining JC and in one month I have lost 5 lbs and 6 inches over all. I guess that's not much but I haven't been doing it very reularly but my clothes fit better and my thighs do appear smaller than what they were last month. It's a low impact exercise with much emphasis on correct posture but I assure you that you'll be sweating a couple of minutes into these exercises. The instructor Burr Fontaine is spot on with her cues and she knows to keep you motivated. You will really feel the burn the next day so I usually do this every other day (give my muscles some tiem to heal). On days when I'm not doing the bar method, I walk on my treadmill for 30 minutes or so to get some cardio in as the bar method is not a cardio exercise. It's been working for me so far. I hope this helps. You can buy the dvds from amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Method-Body-2-Pack-D...8082&sr=8-3

I've also read good reviews about callanetics dvds and fluidity dvds. For fluidity - you have to go to their website - www.fluidity.com but you will also need to purchase their bar which is pretty expensive. Callanetics can also be found on amazon. It's of a much older format but it is also said to bring fast results and is low-impact. I don't have those dvds but would love to rent them to see what they have to offer. The common thing about all these exercises is that they claim to make you appear lean by elongating your muscles and improving your posture. They also help develop your core strength. Best of luck flova!

Thank you to everyone for the loads of tips/advice, etc...!!

Laura,

I was wondering if you had some suggestions for me. I have a back injury. I have 2 discs that are missing in my lower back as well as scoliosis. Is there anything i can do that will not cause me any pain in my lower back? My Dr recommended yoga and I have tried it, but the next day I am so sore that I can barely move. Any help or suggestions that you have would be grealt appreciated.

Geess, backs are sort of funny things, i'm not a Dr. so I don't want to tell you something that might make you feel worse. But from what i understand, back pain gets worse before it gets better. It's sort of funny that you asked me about this because, no joke, about 5 days ago, i pulled a muscle in my back working out and i'm in a lot of pain myself. What I was told to do was some simple back exercises, i'll tell you some of them, but at anytime you feel it becoming painful. . .please stop.... first lye on your back, bring your knees into your body and roll back and forth. . .this will stretch and loosen your back. ... Then filp over onto your stomach.. . there are a few things to do. . .
1. swimmers, 1 leg at a time. . .kick your legs like your swimming, slowly.. . .
2. feet flat on the ground, hands under your chin, lift your chest off the ground. . .if you feel comfortable, lift up and look under your right arm pit, then back to the ground and to the left.
3. table top, so get on your hands and knees, . . .this is a stretch, act like there is a sting attached to your back, round your back up towards the ceiling and look at your belly buttom, then reverse, round your back the other way and look at the sky.
4. same table top position. . .lift your right arm out in front of you and stick your left leg behind you, hold and repeat on the other side. . .

I hope some of these help
let me know how your feeling
Laura

Hi Laura,

I have a similar problem, really all over and not just my thighs. One thing that i have been doing which has really gotten me results are these classes, maybe they offer them or something similar at your gym, called Body Works. You can do it at home though. Basically it's all those tried and true things like squats and lunges, etc, but with the addition of weights. This helps up your work load, especially as you lose weight. When you lose 10 lbs you are lunging or squating with 10 lbs less weight, so add that back by holding a 5lb or more weight in your hands. It will make each movement you do more productive. Also make sure to do plie squats and crossover lunges if you aren't already; they help work the outside and inside leg muscles.

Good luck!!

Bridget

I also have "Thunder Thighs" and am doing lots of cardio, squats, lunges, leg lifts and everything I can think of to help. I fell down a flight of stairs a few years ago and hurt my lower back. The bruised tailbone is never going to heal, so my physical therapists said, but there are ways to modify exercise to alleviate back pain. I got a balance ball and love to stretch my back over it. It is also great for sit ups because there's no pressure on the lower back. I have also found that wearing active wear without a waistband allows me to do situps on a very cushiony mat. Target makes a really cute skort (for at home wear due to the aforementioned thighs) that doesn't feel like someone is punching me in the back repeatedly. Best of luck to all of you!