STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

CarrieS · Marc Jacobs

Need opinions of *tentative* diet/exercise plan...

janey831 · Kate Spade

hmmm anything is better than nothing....i feel you though, im 5'5 and 130 lbs, and i definitely feel squishy in a lot of places...i want to tone up the arms, legs, stomach area...gotta keep motivated...your plan sounds pretty good to me, but im not an excercise expert by any means at all.

Emilie · BCBG

I'd say that cardio is probably one of the best type of exercises to do. It will help you not necessarily lose wieght, but you will become smaller (because youre going to get toned up). Also, something that I've really started to love about cardio exercise (I jog), is so how amazing I feel mentally and emotionally after I do it. My head totally clears up, and I really am able to fully relax afterwards. Plus, some nights I get bored or lonely and alittle depressed, but when I exercise those nights-- even if it's just walking around my neighborhood for 20 minutes-- I always feel happier, and just overall good.

I'm sure you'll find that advantage from exercise, and you'll start to really want to do it most nights.

And definetly keep up with the yoga and toning exercises. I remember learning that everyone should have a balanced exercise routine that consists of cardio, strength training, and stretching. Each is equally important.

oliviacw · BCBG

A five mile walk once a week is a long walk, if you are not used to long walks. And the other exercises you are planning will not help with those muscles so much, so it might be hard.

What I would suggest instead is trying to increase your walking on a daily basis. I'm in the middle of a program to track and increase the number of steps you take per day. The goal is to get up to 10,000 steps per day (which is between 3 and 4 miles for most people). It's something you could easily do yourself.

All you have to do is get a pedometer, and wear it all day. You count your steps every day for a week to set your baseline, and average it across the whole week (because some days you will walk more than others). Then, the next week, you try to increase by 10% your average daily steps. So, if you started at 3000 steps per day, the next week you would try to get 3300 per day. (For some people it's just as easier to move up in larger bunches, like 500 or 1000, but that depends on your lifestyle and motivation).

It's really easy to start finding ways to walk a little further - park further away, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk all the away around the grocery store before you start shopping, etc. And you really do see cardiovascular benefits after a short time!