Exercise of the Week: Thigh-Busting Barre Method Move, Plus My Mixed Fitness Progress

shesthedifferencemaker Thanks so much! I'm on Day 3 of low sugar, no carbs so we shall see how my tummy looks after a few weeks. It's the hardest thing to keep in shape, but I'm getting there. This encourages me as much as everyone else who follows along...

Mocha Z i've read that stretch marks can be caused by hormonal changes too so maybe that account for thin, never preggos who have them(off to Bing search)...

http://www.stretchmarks.org/causes.aspx

hmm, acc'd to it's not even from the skin 'stretching' at all but the hormonal shifts?

"...Hormones are the Cause

The true cause of stretch marks is hormones. That's right, hormonal influences are the cause. How can I support this fact? Well, when people gain weight, our hormones are produced and metabolized by fat cells. Hormones resemble fat and cholesterol, so when we gain and lose weight it affects the hormones in our body, and also the hormones in our skin.

Able to 'Create' Stretch Marks in the Lab

For example, we have been able to artificially create stretch marks on normal skin simply by applying strong topical corticosteroid creams. And this is without any weight loss or gain on the part of the test subject. The steroids are similar to the hormones in our bodies which cause stretch marks so by applying them to the skin, we are inducing a stretch mark. Proof positive that it's not the 'stretching' of the skin that's causing the stretch mark, as the skin isn't stretching.

Gaining Weight, Pregnancy Changes Hormones

So why do people who gain weight or are pregnant often get stretch marks? During the times we are growing, certainly when women are pregnant, when guys are lifting weights, or growth during puberty, its true that your skin is expanding as your body is expanding. But these life changes are accompanied by a serious change in our hormones and a change in the metabolism in our skin. It is this, not the 'stretching', that is the cause of stretch marks..."

ForestElfQueen Darn...in a few years, we could have popped a pill for that? Lol....if men had them as much as women, there would have been a pill invited before birth control. It makes sense because with any new change, I see a hormonal response from my body that acts like it is at war with itself. Thanks....now I know why the Saran, Crisco, Cocoa Butter and every other greasy substance just wasn't going to work, lol.

ForestElfQueen *invented*

Mocha Z I can't figure the whole stretch mark thing either. My mother's stomach looks like a road map, and only had half the kids I have. I used stretch mark cream from 4 months on, but would that have done it?

Toni_M Great idea, Toni! Yes, that's a definite "do" this week...

2Tru DO IT!!!.....it is sooo worth it. posture, balance, confidence.....do it!!!!

Karla

Just one correction. It's a myth that muscle weights more than fat. 5 pounds of muscle is just more condensed that 5 lbs of fat. But it's all the same on a scale. People also mistakenly believe that fat turns into muscle and vice versa which is also incorrect. These were little things I had to teach people when I was doing nutrition.

harleyq2 Thank you so much for the correction. BTW, are you a nutritionist?

Karla

Not anymore. The basic nutritional information hardly changes

Karla

Just one correction. It's a myth that muscle weights more than fat. 5 pounds of muscle is just more condensed/compact than 5 lbs of fat. But it's all the same on a scale. People also mistakenly believe that fat turns into muscle and vice versa which is also incorrect. These were little things I had to teach people when I was doing nutrition.

sparel With only cardio, you get a smaller version of your current self, with resistance training in there, Barre, Yoga, Pilates, or weight training, you get to affect the shape of your shape, and define your muscles. Really great to mix it up...

souleil I do a combo of cardio and weight training. Those 2 just makes me feel good. Yoga I tried I didn't like it Pilates I've tried and I didn't like it lol...my muscles are pretty define and toned because of the two i'm not a beginner when it comes to working out. I love jogging miles but because it's the winter and snow outside i'm doing p90x and insanity turbo jams/fire (well I have) I just love a challenge i'm very athletic. Yoga and Pilates born me I get real sleep lol

sparel I completely understand, I used to think yoga was just a bunch of meditating..but take the right class, Anusara is more my style, you should look into it, flipping challenging!! A good pilates mat class, not at a gym, but at a designated pilates studio, or apparatus pilates..insanely Cirque du Soleil hard...Just sayin' to give it another shot, you may be surprised. Also, some of the things we don't like that much are actually what we need (to slow down, go deeper). At the end of a hard yoga class you get a pose called shivasana, corpse pose, and you really need it then if you gave it all you've got ;)