Dear Jellybean,
I always admired the models I see in magazines, or on TV. How do they get a body like that?! Well, I don't want to be super skinny, but I want a nice body for summer. I want to loose weight, actually, not weight, but FAT, in two weeks. A want a healthy body. Areas I want to loose fat: arm, thighs, leg, FACE, abs, waist, hip, bum. Thank you very much (I know there's this page on myjellybean.com, but..are there other ways and techniques?)
Dear Writer,
Everyone wants that model body - but honestly, even the models don't have it! Many of the pictures you see in the media are fakes. Almost all fashion and entertainment magazines - including teen magazines - use computer programs to make their models' photos look "perfect."
This includes touching up models' skin flaws, making their hair look more shiny and - yes - "shaving off" or erasing curves to make their bodies look skinnier. Fashion mags use Photoshop to flatten tummies, make boobs look bigger, and basically create whatever body they want. So even models don’t look like the pictures of themselves in magazines.
Teens who go on crazy diets to look like their favorite skinny celebrities are actually on a "Mission Impossible", because they are trying to achieve a body type that doesn't exist. Don't get sucked into the craziness - it's great to work out and eat well, so you get your best personal body. But there is no way to get that "perfect" body you see on TV or in other media - because NOBODY really has it.
There are also no quick fixes. You want to lose fat and get in shape? Great! But can you do it in two weeks? Um, of course not. You can see SOME results in two weeks - but the only changes that will really last, are ones that come from slow, steady improvement. The best way to erase fat is by replacing it with muscle tone - which is what makes you look "tight" and slim - and building muscle takes an investment of time.
So if you really want to get YOUR personal best body, do it the right way. Start by giving your body the proper fuel it needs to build healthy muscles. Eat regular meals and snacks, and make nutritious choices. Try to make sure that your meals are made up of a variety of wholesome foods from the major food groups. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables (all kinds), whole grains (pastas, whole-wheat breads, cereals), lean protein (lean beef, turkey, chicken, fish, beans, almonds, tofu, light peanut butter) and low-fat dairy (skim milk, yogurt, frozen yogurt, skim cheeses). Eating "well" also means eating a minimum of fast foods, junk foods, sugary desserts, fried and breaded foods, gravies, creamy sauces, salad dressings, butter, and processed snacks.
For your workout, aerobics are key to burning fat. For general fitness, experts recommend at least 3 to 4 workouts a week, for at least 30 minutes each time. But to burn fat, you need more activity than that, about an hour of aerobics 3-4 times a week. Aerobic exercise is anything that gets your heart pumping faster and works out your muscles. This could include walking, jogging, swimming laps, martial arts, dance, low-impact aerobics (you can get DVDss from the library), Stairmaster, bicycling (stationary or outdoors), inline skating, and so on.
If your goal is to burn fat from many areas of your body, as you say, you'll want to pick an aerobics exercise that's considered a "full-body" workout. Dance, martial arts, and swimming are three of the best, just so you know.
In addition to the aerobics, you'll want to do toning exercises to firm up your body as you burn fat. Toning moves also help you look good quickly. Do them properly and regularly, and you should start to see the results pretty fast. The "power moves" are sit-ups, push-ups, and squats. Here are some links to specific workouts for different body parts, that will give you details on various toning moves for them:
