Thread: Tips for Toning & Sculpting the Burlesque Bod!

Hey Guys and Girls,

Just looking for any advice, hints, tips or success stories that you wouldn't mind sharing with me.
I am reviewing and tweaking my current health and fitness regime so that I include a bit more toning and shaping exercise into my plan.

What exercises currently work for you? Particularly ones to focus on shoulders, back, abs and waist.

Any useful information would be greatly appreciated

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I am all about the pilates! Even just the matwork. It made a huge difference for me.

I can reccommend the excercise of lifting cake up to my mouth...

But seriously, I am a fat blob now, but I was super tiny when I was at uni... I did masses of swimming and did pole dancing. Pole dancing is the best all over workout ever!!

Originally Posted by Twiggy StarLust

Pole dancing is the best all over workout ever!!

I'll second that - the first I tried pole dancing I could barely walk for a couple of days afterwards! Weight training is good for building some muscle and stripping fat (which is what "toning" actually is) - don't fear the weights you won't turn into a body builder overnight! Some martial arts are also very good for full body fitness - look to anything sporty like boxing, judo or (if you can find it) capoeira.

I want to hijack this a little bit if you wont kick my ass hun! How do people fit exercise into their day? I really struggle to find the time- when do you exercise?

Originally Posted by Glorian Gray

I want to hijack this a little bit if you wont kick my ass hun! How do people fit exercise into their day? I really struggle to find the time- when do you exercise?

I've gone back to my aerial training scheduale this month (well last week) and it's taken a while to feel comfortable with it again. Generally:

Whilst making my first cuppa for the day!
Stretches and about 30 plies
Have hot water with lemon
Skip for twenty minutes to my awesome spotify 'morning' playlist
Put on kettle for 'real' cuppa
Do arm exercises eg weights, tricep dips against wall etc
Have coffee
Check emails on sofa with weights on ankles, do leg lifts & point exercises
Check voicemail whilst doing calve raises on the staircase
Stretch out.
Ruin it all by eating a greggs on route to the FK office oops...

oh I also do squats and calve raises whilst waiting for the bath to run, the train to arrive etc... yes I do look like an idiot

I'll second the use of weights - I'm slim so I don't want to lose weight but I do want to tone what I have and increase strength, as for my day job I lug a great big massage table around! So I do two toning classes back to back, which is 30mins of ab crunches and then 60mins on bums, back and arms. The weights I use are only 1.25kg per hand, so just over a bag of sugar - enough to feel resistance but not so much I'll damage myself or end up with Madonna arms! But I've really noticed a difference. I also do Zumba which is not just a good laugh but great for bum and waist
Being self employed it's hard to have a regime as it's not like finishing at the office at a set time to then go to the gym. But I pay a gym membership and book classes into my diary so they are already there, and also I know I'll get charged extra if I don't show up, that's incentive enough when you're generally skint! But being in a class is great motivation and I have a great instructor, and now I hate missing a session!
x

Oh great post I really hate going to the Gym but want to tone. doing whip as done wonders for my arms but now I need to sort the rest. i have bought a weighted hula hoop for my waist as I thought that would help with toning and improving my shimmies.
Hugs
Diva
x

I do yoga every morning (or try to) and toning bum exercises,lol.
Also I did a course of tribal fusion bellydance which is amazing for all you listed which you want to tone. It's difficult but you'll really feel it and over time will give you killer abs! X