Bad Apple or Golden Delicious?
Yeah, I know, I was all happy the other day about myself and my life.
It's true I am feeling better. I got up before 6 today (which was a surprise, because I didn't realize that's how the clock was set) and got myself to the gym, where I did some happy crunches, tried some squats (don't get excited, it was with a wooden bar only, about 20), and slogged away on the exerbike for half an hour. It all felt just fine. (Except I miss my iPod.)
The big fret of my life with my body shape is, well, the shape. Not so much the weight--how it's distributed is the issue. See, I'm an apple. As opposed to being a pear. I got that shot of male hormones in the womb (a genetic trait that seems to have been passed from my mother's side of the family), which predisposes me to fun things like heart attack, stroke, diabetes, dementia, et cetera, ad nauseum.
It's one of the latest investigations to beat up angsty body-dysmorphic women like myself with. Growing up, I just thought I was heavy, and if I lost enough weight, I'd look like the other girls. I was relieved that I had breasts (growing up, it was all about the tits; sadly now for me, it is all about the ass). But now the apple vs. pear thing is one of the latest chew toys for the health media. If you google women apple shape (or similar words), you get a long list of "dreaded apple shape" "apple-shaped women at risk for (fill in the blank)" "weight distribution after menopause."
My appley-ness has been sort of coming to the fore (ha) as I have dropped so much weight. I am loving my arms. My legs are lean. But I haven't been lifting as I've been dieting, and I've lost muscle on the areas where it is most difficult for me to achieve it. So in other words, my poor butt is clinging to my hips with its last reserves.
I want to say, "Love me, love my #%&@#! excuse of a derriere," but I'd rather work on it instead.
So you weightlifters out there, any tips on squats? How can I do lunges so they won't kill my knees? Is there anything cardio I can do that will also help tone/build my glutes? Because I really don't want to wince and fight the urge to apologize when someone I love grabs a handful of my ass, ya know?
It's true I am feeling better. I got up before 6 today (which was a surprise, because I didn't realize that's how the clock was set) and got myself to the gym, where I did some happy crunches, tried some squats (don't get excited, it was with a wooden bar only, about 20), and slogged away on the exerbike for half an hour. It all felt just fine. (Except I miss my iPod.)
The big fret of my life with my body shape is, well, the shape. Not so much the weight--how it's distributed is the issue. See, I'm an apple. As opposed to being a pear. I got that shot of male hormones in the womb (a genetic trait that seems to have been passed from my mother's side of the family), which predisposes me to fun things like heart attack, stroke, diabetes, dementia, et cetera, ad nauseum.
It's one of the latest investigations to beat up angsty body-dysmorphic women like myself with. Growing up, I just thought I was heavy, and if I lost enough weight, I'd look like the other girls. I was relieved that I had breasts (growing up, it was all about the tits; sadly now for me, it is all about the ass). But now the apple vs. pear thing is one of the latest chew toys for the health media. If you google women apple shape (or similar words), you get a long list of "dreaded apple shape" "apple-shaped women at risk for (fill in the blank)" "weight distribution after menopause."
My appley-ness has been sort of coming to the fore (ha) as I have dropped so much weight. I am loving my arms. My legs are lean. But I haven't been lifting as I've been dieting, and I've lost muscle on the areas where it is most difficult for me to achieve it. So in other words, my poor butt is clinging to my hips with its last reserves.
I want to say, "Love me, love my #%&@#! excuse of a derriere," but I'd rather work on it instead.
So you weightlifters out there, any tips on squats? How can I do lunges so they won't kill my knees? Is there anything cardio I can do that will also help tone/build my glutes? Because I really don't want to wince and fight the urge to apologize when someone I love grabs a handful of my ass, ya know?