Fitness treats

Hi Zahirah,

Donkey kicks, leg lifts and bridges are good exercises to isolate the glutes/butt muscles. However, doing these isolation exercises alone without doing any squats or lunges will not give you the best results.

Making yourself a workout routine is a bit like applying make-up:

- Exercises like squats and lunges are like foundation, concealer and unifying powder. These exercises are called compound exercises because they work different muscles at the same time. They are the “base” of your workout. It’s better to begin your workout with them when you’re still fresh.

- Isolation exercises (donkey kicks etc.) are like mascara, eyeshadow, eyeliner and lipstick. They’re the “finishing touches” that are going to help you look fabulous, but if you didn’t apply a good foundation before, you’re not going to look your best. 

The main difference between working out and applying make-up though is that you won’t notice a big difference immediately when you’re done with your workout. You may feel like your glutes are stronger after training for 2 weeks but it’s going to take an extra couple of weeks of hard work before other people notice the difference. 

Also, please take into account that increasing the resistance (using barbells, dumbbells or ankle weights) of all the glute exercises you perform is key to hit your glutes really hard. 

Since you’re at a normal weight for your height, you don’t need to focus on your weight to get a flat stomach. Just focus on being consistent, eating clean and getting your workouts done. 

Also, if weight-training is like make-up, cardio is a bit like a facial cleanser or an exfoliating cream. You can put the nicest make-up on, but if you don’t have clear skin, you’re not going to look your best. The same applies to cardio: you can weight-train but if you don’t do some cardio (or eat very clean) to help burn extra fat your glutes muscles won’t be able to “show-up” as much as you want when wearing a pair of jeans because they’ll be hidden under a layer of fat.

It’s totally normal and healthy for us women to have some fat on our butt, but getting rid of part of that fat will help your butt look tighter. 

I hope this helps a bit,

Elise

Thank you very much for your kind words! I sometimes experience self-doubt about my blog, mainly because English isn’t my first language. I’m just gonna copy-paste your message on my ‘blogging motivation board’ for the next time I need a little motivation!

Well, giving fitness advice on tumblr can be pretty tricky because there isn’t “one truth” or “one solution fits all”. Every fitspo guy/gal on tumblr has his/her own opinion and many things are subject of debate (like “can too much fruit make you fat?”, “is it good to do cardio on a empty stomach?”) 

Before answering someone, I try to take a look at the person’s tumblr blog to get an idea of what she’s about so that I can think about a suitable answer for her. (Btw, your blog is a rainbow of gorgeous photos of plants & veggies, love it!) I don’t want to appear like someone who “knows it all”, because I really, really don’t know it all! ^_^ 

Hi Elizabeth,

Since you’re only 14, already at a healthy weight, active and eating healthy, I wouldn’t recommend trying to become “very defined & toned” like the fitspo pictures you see on tumblr. 

The teenage body is very different from the adult body. You’re still growing, hormones are changing your body’s structure. Try to wait till your weight and height finally stabilize (around 17-18 years old). Focus on staying active, sleeping a lot and making the right food choices to finish developing the new release of “your body 2.0” the best you can. Once your body is ‘finished’, you’ll be free to try to look “super defined”.

But please don’t assume that female fitness models with defined arms and visible 6-pack look the way they look on their pictures all the time. It’s part of their job to look this way, so of course they do everything that is required to look the way their clients expect them to look for a photoshoot. But their level of training and dieting is beyond the typical “healthy eating” and is meant to be temporary to prepare themselves before a photoshoot or a fitness competition. 

Hi Lori!
First of all, you’re at a normal weight for your height.

If you want to lean out a bit, you could try to take an honest look at your current diet by writing down everything you eat for 4-5 days. We all have our weaknesses and I guess there must be a reason why you chose “chocolate-lover” as your user name on tumblr? :)

According to me, genetics have a lot to do with calf size. I know I usually gain weight in my thighs, butt and face but that my calves never get bigger. Try to identify your body type to make the most out of what you got. You can find a test here: http://fitnesstreats.tumblr.com/post/5142748582/body-type-questionnaire-the-4-body-types-show

Hi! My first reason for always wearing a sports bra when working out is that it is just way more comfortable. You can move and push yourself during your workouts without worrying about bra straps digging into your shoulders. 

Second reason is that the bouncing during exercise can damage the ligaments inside the breasts. “Running without any bra at all causes the average woman’s breasts to move up and down by 8.5 cm (3 inches). Wearing an ordinary bra reduces this by 32 per cent. A sports bra reduces this by at least another 20 per cent.”
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-35692/Why-need-sports-bra.html

Hi Elisabeth,

I took a look at the nutrition facts on their site. One bar seems quite small and weighs 37 grams but contains 12 grams of sugar. 

According to me, it’s okay to have one bar as a treat/dessert at the end of your lunch. However, despite their companies’ marketing efforts to make these bars look healthy claiming they’re full of fibers (Fiber one contains 5g of fiber, Nutri Grain 3g), these bars are not “healthy foods”.

For me, real healthy foods are unprocessed foods, foods that don’t come in a package with a very long ingredient list. And you can get 7g of fiber in 1/2 cup of beans! 

Hi Allie,

Sorry for my late answer! You eat healthy and you’re at a healthy weight. Here are a few suggestions to have your hips look the way you want:

- Focus on inches (measure your hips with a measuring tape) and not pounds. You can shrink and lose fat, but the scale will not reflect it if you also gained muscle. 

- Try to eat protein at every meal and not only for dinner or in small quantities with nuts and peanut butter. For example, some eggs along with your oatmeal for breakfast, chicken in your salad for lunch, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt along with your apple as a snack. 

- The cliff bar is not a super bad choice but it can contain up to 25g of sugar. You can totally have it as a reward after an intense workout but avoid eating it when you’re inactive, doing homework or sitting in front of a computer. 

- Do resistance training, not only cardio. Elevating your heart rate with cardio is good, but working your muscles (your glutes especially) with heavy resistance (weights, dumbbells) is key to help you shape your silhouette.

I hope this helps a bit,

Elise