I’m 5′1, thin (but not skinny) and curvy but not thick. A few months back i was at the 120’s in weight and now i’m currently at 109lbs I don’t need to lose weight but just the "weight" on my stomach. It’s flat but flubby. I’ve been goin to the gym this week, doing 2 different ellipticals and toning all over w. weights afterwards including ab workouts (which i love – crunches, leg lifts, bicycles)…my stomach looks too wide :/ I also eat oatmeal and protein every morning, i barely eat rice anymore; i work at a sushi place so every lunch i eat chicken or salmon or 2-3 pieces of tofu sushi and drink green tea throughout the day…body was feeling great and you can definitely see results. I didn’t work out for a 2 days bc i was packing for our vacation. I’m guessing my metabolism is fast bc on the 2 days i didn’t work out, my tummy flab came back. I’m on vacation now and i’m thinking of buying weights and a yoga mat. I have a dvd to workout my butt and abs, and weights for arms….not sure what to do for cardio….i’m staying at my grandma’s house – no gyms near by and it’s waaaaay too hot to run

what are workouts i can do?

Keep a journalIt helps to document what you eat. This way you can keep track and evaluate your eating habits at the end of each week. And if you’re a little more tech-savvy, then you could always maintain a weight-loss blog. Ask your dietician to look at your journal and suggest improvement points. I found it helpful to measure myself with a meter every morning. Every time I skipped dinner, my waist was a little bit smaller – and that’s what gave me the strength to get my appetite under control.

I am looking for an exercise mat. I have called a few places and no luck. I don’t want a yoga mat that rolls up. I want an exercise mat atleast 2 inches thick. The only way I can explain it is the kind you us in gym class. thanks

you can get a puzzle mat from most martial arts outlets, but they are expensive. You can get puzzle mats from home depot or target or lowes.

Does anyone else have this problem? I do exercises on hard floors, like sit-ups, bicycle kicks…basically anything that requires a lot of pressure and sitting on the area just above my butt, at the very bottom of my back. I get both instant pressure-pain and bruises in this area from just a normal set of these exercises.

I don’t know about other people, but my back feels really bony and exposed in that area (maybe thin skin..?) and it hurts to do even one of the types of exercises I mentioned. I’ve tried yoga mats and thick foam mats and in exercise classes I usually end up doubling or tripling the padding on my mat by folding it under my butt just to make it through the routine. But even using this strategy, its nearly unbearable. On carpet it feels much better but I can still feel a decent amount of uncomfortable pressure. Lately i feel like the princess and the pea. I know i could try exercise variations that don’t require laying on my back, but it would be nice not to have to deal with this forever.

Another note: does anyone know what i mean by "two symmetrically placed balls" in the lower back? if i feel around my lower back there is one bony little ball (or similarly rounded feeling object) on each side. each is fairly close to the center. these feel really exposed and pointy and could be part of the cause of uneven pressure i feel on my lower back.

Thanks for help!
Oh forgot to say that I am of normal weight (maybe on the skinny/bony side) on my back and upper waist, but mostly normal. I am also tall though…so maybe the fact that I weigh more in my legs because of length has something to do with the pressure…?

Hi Meg,

Lay-down exercises often put a lot of pressure on the back, particularly the lower back. You may need a mat with thick cushioning, much more than what you see with regular yoga mats. Here are links to two examples of heavily cushioned mats: The Mat (http://bit.ly/bDgoGN) and Manduka Mat (http://bit.ly/ck4DKO). If the proper mat with the proper amount of cushioning is not helping your discomfort, discuss options with a yoga instructor, or go to your doctor or physical therapist to discuss what the problem may be.

Laura
GEC Online Community
lululemon athletica

hi everyone,

i will be starting yoga classes soon … just wanted to know what would be your recommendations on a good starter mat

i bought both of them and want to return the one.. once i’ve made a decision.

this nike one, its 3mm.. it has nice straps. my dad had a nike yoga mat and it seems like they’ve skimped on the thickness as the old one was 4mm

http://runningfree.com/detail.aspx?ID=13744

or the lululemon ultra align mat

i like that the align mat is thicker .. but i dont know if that will mean its not as hard on my back. but i heard many reviews of it and its not as great — plus there are no straps i can see… which is an inconvenience.

any help would be great!

thanks!
-gee

lululemon

Does anyone else have this problem? I do exercises on hard floors, like sit-ups, bicycle kicks…basically anything that requires a lot of pressure and sitting on the area just above my butt, at the very bottom of my back. I get both instant pressure-pain and bruises in this area from just a normal set of these exercises.

I don’t know about other people, but my back feels really bony and exposed in that area (maybe thin skin..?) and it hurts to do even one of the types of exercises I mentioned. I’ve tried yoga mats and thick foam mats and in exercise classes I usually end up doubling or tripling the padding on my mat by folding it under my butt just to make it through the routine. But even using this strategy, its nearly unbearable. On carpet it feels much better but I can still feel a decent amount of uncomfortable pressure. Lately i feel like the princess and the pea. I know i could try exercise variations that don’t require laying on my back, but it would be nice not to have to deal with this forever.

Another note: does anyone know what i mean by "two symmetrically placed balls" in the lower back? if i feel around my lower back there is one bony little ball (or similarly rounded feeling object) on each side. each is fairly close to the center. these feel really exposed and pointy and could be part of the cause of uneven pressure i feel on my lower back.

Thanks for help!

For your first ? Try using an oversized exercise ball instead of a mat, it lifts you off the ground while still allowing you to do the same type of exercises.

For your 2nd ? the 2 balls in the lower lumbar region of your back are strained muscles that can be rubbed out gently. I know this because my fiance has the same problem and i asked her neurologist just this past afternoon.

Good luck and I hope you the best in your recovery.

I’d like to try yoga, but have REALLY wonky knees – can’t kneel. Hurts. Is there a surface, thicker & squishier than a "mat" that I could buy? Something with the consistency, maybe, of one of those anti-stress balls you can squeeze? Surely other people with bad knees can do yoga.

Hey there,

a basic yoga mat has a thickness of about 3mm, but there are other mats that have a bit more cushioning and are great for anyone with sensitive joints or injuries. The only thing to be conscious of is with an increase in cushioning there is a decrease in stability.
I would recommend going into your local studio and speaking with an instructor. They are very mindful of things like this and can suggest a great mat as well as what kind of yoga class would be best for you.
Hope that helps,
Jenna

GEC Online Community
lululemon athletica

I am thinking of learning yoga, for chakra opening.
Can opening and cleansing the chakras be done without yoga? I don’t want to run out and waste money on yoga, if I am not going to continue doing it. I’m not much into heavy workouts/ weights, and all that crap, because, truthfully,I hate to do it. I walk alot, but not in the excersize realm. I’m not lazy, just never liked to overly excersize.

Yoga seems like a great form to learn, no sweating, no heart rate and some meditations look really great. I like the stretching poses,too.

Any advice out there ??

Oh,and I have yoga clothes already.

thankx for all who take the time to answer

You certainly don’t need one, especially if you carpet is soft enough. I’d suggest trying it once without and seeing where you go from there.

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I have old made in the 70s cracked tile in my bedroom. I don’t have enough money to put thick fluffy carpet with cushioning in or I would. For now, I must settle for cheap solutions. I tried a thin cheap carpet, the kind that you buy already made, and I put a yoga mat on top of it. The floor exercises are still painful on my rear and back and not in the good kind of way that you’re supposed to feel. All other rooms are off limits to work out in. I already go to the gym and run but I still need to do some ball/floor reps in my room. Advice?

You could just buy some good carpet pad and cut it to fit under your yoga mat. Maybe even put 2 layers underneath. that might do the trick. It shouldn’t be too terribly expensive for just enough pad for that.

i can’t do sit-ups laying flat on a hard floor..i always so sit-ups but i have to use a "yoga mat" or something padded or on thick carpet
the reason i can’t do them on hard floor is because my spine bones hurts..it feels like it’s gonna break..
am i over-reacting, i mean does everyone feel this but just deal with it er is there something wrong with my back? ? : /…

thank you xoxoxo
ps. it’s not that i’m not used to them..i have been doing sit-ups for years now and have always had this problem.
also, i am doing them properly..trust..

am i stuck to having to deal with this or is there a solution? …

xoxoxo
to longlikke
that was very rude.

If you are a thin person, then for sure you are feeling the spinous processes of your vertebra. This is normal…it is not a deformity. It is best to do sit-ups on a padded surface so you don’t risk bruising them. If you are not a thin person, then it is still normal, you may just not feel them as bad.