Expert: Kim Farmer - 3/27/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
Kindly view my details below before i begin to explain my problem:
Age: 26 years
Gender: Female
Origin: Asian
Height: 5 feet 5 inches
Weight: 51 Kgs
Lifestyle: Sedentary: My routine --> I wake up at 7:45am Five days a week, go to work, mostly sit at my desk (bit of walking to different rooms), come back home and just move around in my house mostly. I am a patient of Hyperprolactinaemia but I am not on drugs anymore as the doctor thinks i dont need it for now. I have stamina issues and very easily get tired. On the average I take 5 hours of sleep on week days and 8-9 hours of sleep on weekends.

I have always wanted to work out but the following reasons have made it impractical for me.
1. I  have tried exercising couple of times in the past - without warming up (as I lacked awareness), so my muscles would ache all over and I would not be able to continue my exercising any furthur.

2. I dont have a decent gym where I live, which means I will have to do everything on my own. Unfortunately I dont have a lot of know-how in exercising.

3. I own an Orbitrek elliptical Cycle at home as well ( You can cycle in both standing and sitting position with vertical handles for support, has adjustable resistance)

I am pretty desperate and need help. I am getting married in 6 months now.. I really dont have too much time. I am particularly focussed on getting my tum all flat..the abs. I dont have a pot belly or anything but my tummy is anything but flat. This is the area where i mostly want to work out and achieve results in the time that I am left with.

I would really appreciate if you could help me a bit. I came across the following stretching and abs exercises on the net. I need someone to help me. Would apreciate your help in making an exercise plan for me!

Warm up: http://www.womensheart.org/content/Exercise/stretching_exercise.asp

Abs:  http://www.angelfire.com/fl/JackCraig/ABS.html  
Thanks in advance!

ANSWER: Hi Amna-
I commend you for what you have done so far!  I would be glad to make an exercise plan for you, but this is not the right forum for that.  On this website I can answer specific questions about exercise and/or nutrition but in order to create a plan, we would need to work together in a one-on-one capacity.  I do offer online personal training and phone coaching, and people have had very good success with it, particularly when we don't live near each other.  

In general terms, you should do cardiovascular activities (like your elliptical) almost every day if you have the energy and time for it.  This will help you rid excess fat around your abdominal area (and other parts of your body).  The abdominal exercises are good for strengthening your abdominal muscles (which is great!).  

Let me know if you would like to work a little more closely to help you get the results you are looking for.  We could lay out a plan for 6 months to help you as your wedding nears.

Thank you!

Kim Farmer
ACE-Certified Personal Trainer
ACE-Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
www.MileHighFitness.com
kfarmer@milehighfitness.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much Mr. Farmer! That was very kind of you. I do realize that making a plan is not very practical this way.

1.Can you please let me know the number of minutes I should use my elliptical cycle?
2.I have changed my exercising routine.. and added the following:
Warm up: http://exercise.about.com/cs/flexibility/l/blstretch.htm
then i only do a few of these, not all ... http://www.womensheart.org/content/Exercise/stretching_exercise.asp

3. Exercise: Presently , since i have only started, I am only doing any 1-2 out of Abs:  http://www.angelfire.com/fl/JackCraig/ABS.html  

In total I am working out bout 30-40 mins max.

Please, Can you just let me know how long is it suitable for me to work out with my weight and height each day?

Thanks again for all your help!

Answer
Hi Amna,
Thank you for following up with more specific questions.  Is it possible that you are same Amna that I will be calling on Monday?  Anyway, based on your weight and height, you are at a great weight!  However, assuming you have no medical conditions or injuries, the 30-40 minutes that you are taking to work out is good.  You didn't mention anything about wanting to lose or gain weight so doing about 20-30 minutes of cardio on your elliptical machine plus stretching and abdominal exercises should be ok. This may take you 45 minutes total.  You should also incorporate strength training into your routine for all of your other muscle groups though.  This will help preserve the tonality of your muscles and help you have a more fit, lean appearance.  I would be happy to help you with a more specific plan, feel free to contact me if you need more assistance.

Have a great week!

Kim Farmer
ACE-Certified Personal Trainer
ACE-Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
www.MileHighFitness.com