has anyone else used they big blow up balls to try and get a flat stomoch?

[kerryk]

my stomoch is horrendus!!!!!!!!!!

i have had 2 children, both big bumps and have two and a half stone to lose.

youngest dd is 4 and it has never really took back any before dd2 shape, my weight has stayed more or less the same for the last few years but i have noticed the last few months that my stomoch seems to be getting worse.

does anyone have any experience of these balls being anygood for very flabby tums?

[kerryk]

god please ignore my spelling

[kerryk]

sounds a bit dirty

i have been told to do sit ups on it!

[Dragonbutter]

they are quite fun.
sit ups whilst sitting on it
also lying on your back, squeezing the ball between your knees and curling your lower half up, lifting the ball is good for lower abs.
or get into a press up position with your knees on the ball is quite good for core stability.

also worth doing some back extension exercises too if you're doing abs. lean onto the ball with your hip. hands behind head, arch you back into extension.

should keep you busy.
good luck.

[kerryk]

so you are a fan then dragonbutter!

fio, its supposed to give better results than using the sofa. or so my dh told me.

[Dragonbutter]

used to be.
don't look at my stomach now!

[zazen]

The question is have you a mummy tummy? Have you a seperation of muscles called an abdominal diastisis?
have a look here and this book is fab for getting your tum toned. good luck!
maternalfitness.com/fitness/mummy_tummy.html

[thequietone]

Hi Zazen,
I bought this book too. My diastasis has shrunk from 3 fingers to one. My stomach is still saggy as ever, but I'm managed to reduce the diastasis. What do you reckon I can do about abs now? I'm not sure how to proceed once the gap is small.

[zazen]

well - I had a huge diastisis as well, and now I find that just holding in my abs doing anything helps keep my tum toned - losing the weight around my tummy helps also - I just put on weight around my middle now.

Walking - with tummy held in in in works, as does swimming with tum in. I did a fab pilates class with a teacher who is a mum, really toned me up - but it was losing the weight which really shrunk my tum.

It's helped my back pain no end also.

[thequietone]

I've not really got much weight left to lose - maybe 5 lbs. I have got a bit lazy with holding in the muscles, though. Maybe I need to get back into doing that. I'm a gym ball, and wondered if starting abs on that might increase the diastasis again.

[SilverSixpence]

ive used the ball before, but that was before i was pg so no experience of sorting out my own mummy tummy the ball is supposed to b better because its an unstable surface so you use more muscles to keep yourself balanced on it. btw, if u look on youtube try 'stability ball workout' or something - will give you some ideas