Victoria,
I have a couple of questions for you. First of all I want to thank you for your awesome approach to exercise and life. You are always so encouraging and positive which is extremely refreshing in these often-turbulent times.

I have an odd shape and I would like to try to change it. I am thin on the top and heavy on the bottom. I would like to be more proportioned and wear some of those great new skinny jeans I see in the fashion magazines.

My aunt told me to look around my family and see that everyone has that shape and I can never change it and that I should just accept being fat, it's in my genes.

I don't want to believe that I have to just accept it. I want to improve my shape, which I believe will help my health as well.

My questions are:

1. Can I change my body shape?

2. Do you have any exercises that can help me shape up my lower body without joining an expensive gym that I can't afford right now?


Valencia, What a beautiful name. It means strong and healthy.

Just from knowing that about your name, I am sure you can do whatever you put your mind to.

Thank you for writing me for some suggestions.

You never have to settle for anything unless you personally choose to.

No one holds the key to your possibility except you!

I am sure your aunt loves you and does not want you to be hurt or discouraged trying to break out of the family tribal mode of eating, living and thinking.

You see we tend to want to be around people who think and act like us. If someone tries to break away from the old standard, they are usually criticized and belittled. It makes the other people feel threatened and abandoned.

The good news is you can change without telling them, asking their opinions and definitely DO NOT look for their approval. They are not bad people. They are people who are comfortable in their thinking. We do not judge them, we just move forward with our own personal goals and dreams.

The answers to your questions are:

You may not be able to change your genes, but you can definitely change your body shape so that you can fit into those hot new skinny jeans!

Yes, I have the perfect exercise with some variations that can help you fit into those jeans girlfriend!

First of all you don't have to be like everybody else. You can be the you that you want to be. You can be lean, fit, healthy and you can be feminine.

You need to begin by looking at your diet and cleaning it up. If you don't know where to start then get my Quick Start Energy Program and begin there. Then you need to make sure you are drinking plenty of water to detox your body and get rid of water retention which helps increase overall circulation in your system.

The Perfect Lower Body Exercise

The Trouble Spot that you have is common to most women. I have created a 10-minute, Skinny Jean Tune-Up. It shapes the front and Sides and back of your thighs, lifts and tightens your butt and helps flatten your lower abs. It's like your thighs answer to the miracle bra!!

You can begin with one exercise because: All of these muscles in your lower body are connected. They work in unison at the biomechanical level, and more importantly to you, at the cosmetic and aesthetic level.

You can make improvements in the appearance of your lower body relatively fast once you understood that all of these muscles are very close together and function in such a way that if presented with the right exercise program, amazing things happen.

Not as a function of how much you beat yourself up, but rather as a function of simply being consistent with the proper home exercise routine.

You don't need any weights or have to go the gym to use special equipment, just dedication, consistency and following a low-glycemic diet.

The Skinny Jean Tune-Up Exercise

This exercise, which is from my Thin Thighs Program, will help tone the glutes. You will feel it in the hamstrings, thigh area, glutes, and the lower back. This exercise also works to tighten and flatten the abdomen, as well as strengthens the arms.

Wow isn't that great? Put on some fun music before you start so that you can follow a good rhythm and really get into it.

Pelvic Bridge Move With Variations

This is a move you will definitely want to do in private. Slowly place the body flat on the floor. Bend the knees, with feet flat on the floor. The Pelvic Tilt is a very small and subtle move that has different variations and degrees of intensity depending how high you lift your hips off the floor. The most basic pelvic lift involves lifting the glutes off the floor, and the lower back.

Then as you feel it in your glutes and abs, lift your hips up higher and you begin to tighten and tone your thighs more, which helps to streamline them.

Gently rock the pelvis forward and back, in a slow movement. The pelvic tilt can be felt in the hamstrings, the inner thighs and the glutes.

For a more advanced move, return to a relaxed position, with the knees still bent. Lift more of back off the floor, resting weight on upper back and shoulders. Lift the pelvis up towards the ceiling and down the floor.

Pressing your arms into the floor and flattening your abdomen as you lift. Repeat 20 to 30 times. Rest and bring your knees into your chest and hold them there for 15 to 30 seconds.

Over time work up to 3-5 sets of 20 to 50 repetitions.

A further variation on the pelvic lift is to work the outer thighs and hips when the lower body is in the up position. After performing the pelvic lift, remain in the position and open move knees out, and then in, 20 times. You will feel this move in the muscles near the pelvic bones, the hips, the glutes, the hamstrings, and the inner thighs.

When you have mastered this, you can add knee squeezes at the top. You do that by holding your hips off the floor and squeezing your knees together and then releasing for 20 repetitions.

You can do this entire series of the pelvic tilt 3-4 times per week for optimum results. Make sure you do your 30-60 minutes of fat burning cardio every week as well.

Valencia, You are all set to get tone up and tune up your lower body so that you can feel great about yourself and how you look in your new jeans. Shop around and find your perfect brand. Some are cut roomier than other and some have more spandex and that gives them more room to stretch,

Get on the program and you will change your shape pretty quick and no one in your family will recognize your lower body because you will have busted out of the gene pool!

No go out there and make a life-changing week!


Victoria
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Victoria,
I read the first two weeks of your newsletter - I already cleaned out all the the junk food a while ago ,and I go to a gym where I do cardio, eurodance, pilatis and cross training. But I m not moving to week three, until I think of something I need to do and work on it this week. I think your advice is absolutely beautiful- you aim at body and mind in sensitve, caring way. Thank you so much for this chock full of wonderful ideas. Hope to write you next week with my accomplishment,
~ Rifka

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