How to Get a Long, Lean Body

While men may want to bulk up, the majority of women who work out are hoping for long lean limbs. So how do you avoid getting bulky? Here's a few tips.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Stretching band
• Body ball

1. Stretch every day. Wake up ten minutes earlier and stretch. The point of stretching is to loosen muscles, so you need to relax and breathe when you do it. Are you holding your breath and shaking because you're pushing so hard? It won't help you one iota. Instead, exhale as you push the stretch. In order for a stretch to be effective, you need to hold the position for at least 30 seconds. Stretch your back, your legs, your sides, and your arms. You'll be amazed how much better you feel about starting your day.

2. Try pilates. Pilates focuses on strengthening your "core," which you've no doubt heard all about. But what does that mean? Basically, it teaches your body to use your torso more than your limbs, when exercising. The result is flatter abs, smaller waist and a more muscular back. It also helps build and lengthen muscles in your limbs over time.

3. Do lots of reps in small amounts. You may not have a lot of time to exercise and it's tempting to do a few reps with a high-pound weight. That's exactly what strongmen and football players do. Why? Because it makes them BULKY. You don't want to do that. You want to train your muscles to be strong without overexerting them. Lots of reps of small amounts will build up muscle, but not to the point that so many new muscle cells grow, thus less bulk.

4. Run. Cardiovascular activity is so necessary for tone. Running, like swimming, can tone your entire body. Combine the breathing techniques you learned in pilates for a stomach workout.

Tips & Warnings

• Needless to say, diet plays a huge factor here. Slow down on processed carbs and high fat proteins. Stick to lean meats like chicken and fish, and veggies. Carboloading before a long run is great--but choose grains and whole wheats over more starchy carbs.
• You don't need to take a class to learn pilates. Buy a DVD and learn in the privacy of your own home on your own time.
• Consult a doctor before starting any exercise routine.

Resources

• But Pilates Equipment
• Slideshow on Stretches

[TigressCalliope]

on 12/30/2007 Hm... well, I can't say for sure, since I don't know your genetics, or your diet. I'm 33 now, and whereas I USED to be able to lose weight by either eating less OR exercising, I find now that I can only get in shape by doing both. Blech! Another thing may be eating late at night. When I'm feeling "paunchy" it's usually because I've been eating too many carbs, especially later in the evening. The best thing to do is to NOT eat in front of the TV, and no eating after 6 PM. (I do 8 PM, it fits my lifestyle better). Does that help at all? But if you are doing all that exercise, keep it up!! Once the weight falls off, you'll be toned! Also, one time, I had gained quite a bit of weight. I found that for about 2-3 months of exercising, I didn't notice a change. Then, shortly thereafter, I noticed it REALLY came off quite quickly. Don't be discouraged!! Keep it up! And let me know how it goes :)