Welcome to another issue of Carol’s Corner. Hope you’re all doing great today. Had another awesome day here at my daughters’s. We leave to go home tomorrow, late afternoon. My picture today is taken by my daughter’s staircase. She has it so nicely decorated with a beautiful lighted garland. This is just a very casual every day outfit. I got the sweater on sale for $10. Later today we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, which is becoming a tradition now when we come. We introduced them to it when they got one here in Pa. and now the grandkids like to go there, which is not a problem for me because I love the place, and as long as my weight is good I have the dinner I want. Here’s a picture of us outside the restaurant, minus hubby who took the pic.

Been trying to figure out what I was going to cover tonight . I’m sure you’ve heard this complaint many times over. I’ve lost all this weight but can’t get rid of this darn flab, and some, you just can’t, and age plays a big factor in this. I found an article from LIVESTRONG.COM entitled ” Exercises To Tone Your Body After Weight Loss” , which I shall use here tonight. Sometimes when you lose weight you gain loose skin. I’m willing to bet more times than not, especially with large amounts of weight and also those of us who are older. The problem areas are usually the face, neck, underarms, abdomen , and thighs. Some exercises can help to tighten these areas. Each exercise is designed to not only tighten the skin, but to tone and firm your muscles, which also reduces the appearance of loose sagging skin. So let’s start with the neck & chin. Loose skin on your neck can give the appearance of a double chin. Doing exercises which focus on this area of the body, tones and tightens muscles , which helps eliminate the appearance of sagging skin. Here’s one easy exercise for this area. Tilt your head back until you are looking directly at the ceiling. Don’t strain your neck. Open your mouth and close it, slowly touching your teeth together. You can feel a slight pull on your chin. Repeat this exercise 5-10 times a day for optimum results. Next let’s do something for the arms. As you lose weight , the skin under your arms looks loose and saggy. I am quite sure we all have this complaint. Overhead stretches help to tone this troublesome area. Simply sit comfortably with your back held straight. Hold one dumbbell in each hand, resting them down at your sides. You pick out whatever poundage is best for you. Raise your arms straight out in front of you with your palms facing inward. Slowly lift up the dumbbells straight up, so they are above your head. Bend your elbows ; your hands should be behind your ears. Hold for 5-10 seconds and lower your arms. Do 10-12 reps every other day. Next let’s move on to the abs. I’m sure everyone wants to know something to do for this one. Exercise such as crunches tighten and tone the muscles in your abdomen , to help trim unwanted skin. Perform a basic crunch while lying on your back , with knees bent at a ninety degree angle. Interlock your fingers and place them behind your head. Without bending your neck, slowly raise your head and upper back off the floor. Hold for five seconds and return to your starting position. Repeat 10-20 times. Also on some of Leslie’s video’s she has some excellent ab work. Lastly something for the legs. Excess skin may accumulate on your inner thighs. To address the saggy appearance, lay on your left side, with your left leg straight and your right leg bent at a ninety degree angle, and in front of your left leg. Prop yourself up with your elbow. Keeping your left leg straight, slowly raise it until you feel a slight pull on your inner thigh. Hold for five seconds and return to your starting position. Repeat 10 times and move to your left leg. As with any new exercise routine consult with your doctor. I actually usually don’t , but have to say this for legal reasons I’m sure. These exercises may be helpful , but need to be done in conjunction with a healthy diet, and daily physical activity , which increases your chances of maintaining your current muscle mass and current weight. Hope you found this to be helpful to incorporate into your current exercise regimen. Now thought I would include some more pictures from last night’s trip.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Please let me know how you are liking things here at Carol’s Corner, and anything you want to see me blog on. Your input is important to me and I can always use new ideas. Till next time, God Bless.