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Rejuvenate your body with personal trainer Kim Lyons
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Firm Up Loose Skin
Firm Up Loose Skin It's great when you manage to lose weight, but what about the folds of skin that leaves? Now you can regain a more youthful look. We all gain and lose some weight during our life, and one of the things that come with it is folds of skin that droop in places where we don't want them. Actually, there are no places we want them. There are benefits -- and drawbacks -- to creams, surgeries and diets. So what do we do? Now at last there is a clear understanding of how to get more of your youthful look back, drawing from advice by Tom Venuto (pictured above), Kim Lyons and other fitness experts. Almost every source you consult will tell you that our skin is very elastic when we are young, but becomes less resiliant as we get older. So these days, when we lose weight, the extra skin just seems to hang. After that simple beginning, experts tend to go in all directions. Advice from cosmetic surgeons tends to present surgery as the only real solution. Almost all other sources say surgery should be the last resort. The various creams being offered can assist with healing, but if that is the only thing you are doing, you are not likely to be satisfied. In all their discussions, most experts present tidbits about what is happening to your body, but for some reason tend to not make clear how you can get from droopy skin to youthful appearance. Let me try to make it more clear. Everything in the human body is either skin, bone, muscle, or other (heart, blood vessels and so on). Our bones and "other" parts are fairly well fixed in size, with any variations tending to come over a long period of time. The flexible parts are the muscle and skin, along with the fat stored among them. When we go on diets or lose weight for some other reason, we tend to lose fat but also some muscle tissue. That is why people with anorexia, who are far below their ideal weight, can look so unpleasantly gaunt. That loss of muscle mass is a problem. It also explains why we can lose weight and still have a fairly high percentage of body fat -- which contributes to those folds of skin hanging down. The solution is fairly clear. By keeping your muscle mass the same while you lose weight, it will help you avoid the drooping skin problem. Also, achieving the weight loss slowly will give your skin time to adjust. It needs this because our skin elasticity has slowed down a bit with age. For most of us, though, that is water over the dam. We already lost the weight, and have the skin folds, so now what? The answer is: it's a little more work now, but the principle is the same. You need to build up your muscle tissue while keeping your total weight the same as it is now. Since the total does not change, when your muscle fibers increase, your body fat decreases. The result is exactly what you are seeking. Muscle tissue is built up by exercising with small weights and taking appropriate supplements. It does not mean giant weights, steroids and herculean efforts, unless that sort of thing turns you on. Small weights, gradual and reasonable progress are fine. I will go into this more in a separate article. If you have trouble doing this sort of thing by yourself, then getting a personal trainer can get you there, if you can afford it. If not, then a simple gym membership -- at a place where someone on staff knows about body fat and muscle mass -- can do the trick. Go with whatever gets you there. Adding some muscle tissue under your skin and giving your elasticity time to work will not only take up folds -- it can return your shape to a more youthful figure.
Postscript: In addition to the essential process shown here, creams can also be helpful. And if the above does not achieve everything you want, then surgery may close that final gap. Even so, your health is probably better served by following the above steps in the future to avoid recurrence. Otherwise it is another slice and dice every ten years or so to keep the ongoing problem in check. For more information: The Guardian newspaper article on healthy skin healing. Natural Physiques article on loose skin blues. iFit&Healthy article on how to tighten loose skin. Body Fat Guidelines On average, women are allowed 6% more body fat than men. These guidelines are from the American Council on Exercise: For Women: 10-12% is essential fat. 14-20% for athletes. 21-24% for fitness. 25-31% is acceptable. 32-41% is overweight. 42%-plus is obese. For Men: 2-4 % is essential fat. 6-13% for athletes. 14-17% for fitness. 18-26% is acceptable. 27-37% is overweight. 38%-plus is obese. ________________________________________
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