Hi everyone,

My name is Helene and I am getting married June 24th and I am going away for my bachlorette party the first weekend of June. I am trying to look my ultimate best and I still have 6 lbs to go in less than 80 days.

Does anyone have any suggestions to keep me on track? I am also trying to get rid of this lovely gut and tone down my thighs and butt. Does anyone have any good toning exercises they can recommend.

It's tax season right now so I do work 2 jobs and trying to plan a wedding (in less than a year) doesn't give me too much time to get to the gym. I try and go 3 times a week but sometimes that is even pushing it. After April 15th I will have a lot more to spend but maybe there are simple exercises that I could do at home before bed if I can't make it to the gym.

Thanks for any help...I could really use it!

Hi Helene,

I'm Matt and a physical therapist. When I have patient's that are very busy and start to decrease their time in the gym for work I start to talk to them about their goals and how they are achieving those goals.

One way to keep on track is to schedule in your exercise like it is a doctor's appointment. In a way it helps you to avoid doctor's appointments so it is an appointment with yourself to keep you healthy.

Have you tried any pilates classes? That may help the problem areas you are talking about.

Congrats on your wedding and I hope all goes well. Also getting some motivators in here can help so you have people that are nagging you to get to the gym when you are busy.

Hi Matt -

Thanks for your response. I actually have been taking yoga classes every Saturday morning which not only helps me release the stress from the week but helps me with stretching and toning. I wish I had the time to do it more often.

I really do try and get to the gym with any free time that I might have but that time is very limited these days. I'll just continue what I am doing and try not to get discouraged and then once tax season is over I will be able to hit the gym at least 4 times a week consistently.

Thanks again for the advice.

Helene

Good luck and I hope you have a great wedding. Going anywhere fun for honeymoon?

Yeah - Hawaii

You "tone" by building muscle, which means in order to really firm up your butt and thighs, you need to hit the weights, or at least the weight machines (personally, I prefer free weights, but they can be tricky and intimidating.) Things like dumbbell lunges and squats are good for your lower body, and you can do them at home or at the gym.

Shape.com has a decent, fairly easy workout routine that they call "cellulite-busting strength moves" if you're looking for a place to get started. I like this workout because it has both gym and home options, so if you don't have time to go to the gym, you can do the same thing at home with absolutely minimal equipment (a set of 10 and 15 lb dumbbells) It also has pictures. Everyone loves pictures.

As for losing your gut specifically, there isn't a way to target fat loss to one general area. Your body prioritizes fat loss in whatever order it's genetically programmed to do, and unfortunately there's really nothing you can do about it. Just eat sensibly and exercise more so that you create a caloric deficit, and as your whole body shrinks, your stomach will too.

Thanks! I'll have to check out that site