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Most of us experience such a tremendous sense of accomplishment when we’ve lost a good amount of weight. Losing weight isn’t easy, and it comes with a great deal of hard work, discipline, and willpower. From doing the right kind of exercise to maintaining a good diet, you have to stand firm by a lot of things if you want to see the kilos drop. There is another kind of weight loss too, the one where you lose weight after your pregnancy. This, too, can be a massive relief because many women gain weight during pregnancy and often worry about getting back in shape.
While weight loss is excellent, there’s something else that you have to deal with, especially if the weight loss was drastic: loose skin (1). While it can be worrisome, there is good news — with the right exercises, you can tighten and tone loose skin! Here’s a bunch of belly toning exercises to tighten skin after weight loss:
- Air Bike
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To do an air bike workout, you will have to first lie on your back. Make sure you are comfortable, bend your elbows, and place your hands behind your head. Slowly pull your knees towards you. This is the position in which you start. Then, with the help of your abdominal muscles, you will have to lift your shoulders from the ground gently. Do this slowly to avoid pulling any muscles. You can pick up speed later to increase the intensity of the workout. As you lift your shoulder from the ground, you will have to make your left knee meet your right elbow. It’s okay if they don’t touch; ideally, the elbow must touch the knee but take baby steps. Once you’ve done this, do the same with the other side — pull the right knee close to your left elbow. You will have to repeat this exercise: it is best to do ten repetitions in a set of three if you’re just starting.
- Legs Up Straight Arm Crunch
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The whole idea of doing this exercise is to target the upper hands and strengthen and tone them. Just like an air bike exercise, you will have to lie down flat on your back for the legs up straight arm crunch. Slowly pull up both your legs in the air to form a ninety-degree angle in such a way that it is perpendicular to the floor and your upper body. Now, stretch your arms towards the ceiling. After this, gently pull yourself up (your upper body, that is, your shoulders as well as your upper back) with your hands still pointed to the ceiling. Make sure you use your abdominal muscles to pull your upper body in line with your legs.
- The Side Bridge
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The side bridge exercise essentially focuses on your oblique muscles. With this exercise, your obliques will be toned and strengthened. To perform this exercise, you will have to lie on your side. First, start with one side; let’s say your left. You will have to rest all your weight on your forearm or elbow as you lie sideways. Make sure your legs, midsection, neck, and head are all aligned in a straight line. Hold this position for a few minutes. You can then do the same on the other side. In addition to tightening your oblique muscles, it can also help eliminate the “side fat” on your hips or the “love handles”. You may use dumbbells to increase the intensity of the exercise!
- Pelvic Thrusts
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If you’re looking to tighten the skin in your lower abs, then the pelvic thrust is a must! For this exercise, get into the same starting position as the legs up straight arm crunch. Your legs must be lifted from the ground upwards, at a ninety-degree angle, such that it is perpendicular to the floor and your upper body. Once this is done, you must gently lift your pelvis from the floor. Then, push it in the direction of your legs in such a way that your legs go upwards. Make sure that you use your pelvic muscles to do this. Gently lower the pelvis down, bring back your legs to be flat on the floor, and relax. Do repetitions of the pelvic thrust.
- Lying Leg Raise
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This is an easy yet powerful exercise that focuses on the lower abdominal muscles. If you have loose skin in this area, incorporate the lying leg raise into your workout regime. To do this exercise, first lay on your back comfortably. Gently lift both your legs in such a way that it is at a ninety-degree angle from the floor, perpendicular to the floor as well as your upper body. Gently bring your legs down, but don’t touch the floor completely: leave a gap of a few inches from the floor. After this, lift your legs back up to a ninety-degree angle. You will have to repeat this exercise.
In addition to performing the exercises mentioned above, there are other ways to tighten your skin too. You can ask your doctor for skin firming creams. Most of these creams contain retinoids, collagens, and elastin, all of which contribute to binding your skin tightly, so they look firm. You can also massage the area where you observe loose skin. When you massage this area, it improves blood flow and circulation, thereby helping tighten your skin and preventing sagging. There are a lot of surgical procedures that help get rid of loose skin, such as abdominoplasty and body contouring surgery (2), (3). However, surgery is an extreme measure that should be performed only if it puts you in the direction of good health. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below!
