Exercise of the Month - November

Pushup with dumbbell row:


Movement: Slowly lower yourself down for a pushup, keeping the core tight, at the top, shift your weight as you lift and pull the dumbbell off the floor in a single arm row & repeat to other side. This is a great total body exercise that will help build strength in your arms, chest, upper back & core + keep your heart rate up!. You can start off with 1 set of 10, building up to 2-3 sets of 25. Have fun!

Note: Keep your wrists straight & squeeze your abs & glutes tight to stabilize.

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Ask The Expert

Q: I have a question; I am a mother of 3 children. It has been years since my last child. I work out 5 days a week, running, cardio and weights. No matter what I do I still have a baby tummy. What can I do? I had a flat tummy up until my 3rd child.

A: A couple of things. What is your lifestyle like? If you are a stressed person there is a hormone called cortisol that is released in excess during stress & stored in the belly. It is also released from the intake of alcohol. So if you consume a lot of stress & alcohol, these can be reasons for holding onto belly fat, and if these are factors, I suggest making adjustments. Also, eating a lot of breads, pasta, refined sugars/grains, can cause inflammation in the cells which hold a lot of water, getting that "softness" in the belly area. Be sure to have plenty of fiber. For many of my clients whom are post pregnancy, having had 3, 4 & 5 children, I have them log, food & exercise, so I can evaluate. Then I vary their cardio vascular program with intensity /intervals/frequency which will help change their physiology to start burning more fat for longer periods. In addition, I have them build up to strength training using weights/resistance bands in the core area. This is very effective as building larger muscles can change the appearance of the muscle underneath the skin. Also there's a chance you can have "loose skin" from the pregnancy & that may not be something you will be able to change completely. If you are in the LA area, you can always reach me to schedule a consultation. I don't know what your skill level is so it's hard to give you specific exercises, but this should put you in the right direction.