Ask the experts: How do I stop looking scrawny?

Lorna has been working hard in the gym, cutting back on the chips … but, instead of worshipping her hotness, her friends have told her she’s looking scrawny! You what?! Dump the rude mates we say. Luckily, gorgeous nutritionist and trainer Jenny C-B says lots more useful things, mainly about working out and eating well but still keeping curves.

Lovely Lorna, not at all scrawny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Jenny

Recently a few people have been telling me that I’m looking scrawny (cheeky buggers! L&L). While I don’t think this is the case, I am a bit more muscular than I’d like ­ I’m starting to get Madonna arms! The thing is, I love exercise. I swim four times a week, run 30-40 km, and use the gym for sprinting and toning. I also cycle to work a couple of times a week… OK so I do quite a bit of exercise, but I enjoy it and don’t want to stop. How can I carry on and still keep looking feminine and curvy?

Lorna

 

Hi Lorna,

Wow, congratulations on your commitment to exercise, you’re a bit of an inspiration! Yes, you do exercise a lot but you can definitely continue working out and reaching your goals while still looking lean and feminine.

My first piece of advice is make sure you’re eating enough

If you don’t have much body fat it can make your muscles ‘pop’ so make sure you refuel after every tough workout to preserve your lean muscle tissue and keep a feminine shape. By tough workouts I mean the ones that make you sweat, shake, and feel slightly sick ­ you know the ones! Something that provides you with a mix of carbs and protein is the best option, so a handful of nuts and some chicken or, for ease, a protein shake.

Make sure you’re getting enough good fats in your diet too – as well as nuts try adding some avocados, seeds and nut butters, cooking with olive oil, coconut oils and organic butter, and maybe even supplementing with a good quality fish oil. These good fats have the added bonus of doing wonders for the skin, hair and nails.

And always eat breakfast, even if you’re working out. You wouldn’t drive a car without any petrol and working out without any fuel in the tank can negatively affect your performance too. I advise my clients to spilt their usual breakfast in two, and eat half before they train, this way they have fuelled their workout without weighing themselves down.

Train smarter not harder

I would suggest that if you are running 30-40km a week you don’t need to do sprint training in the gym too, instead combine your sprint training in one of your 10km runs so that you’re still improving your performance, while not overdoing it. This will also give you extra time at the gym to add in some focused strength training. Strength training builds lean muscle tissue, which helps the body look and feel younger.

To avoid bulking up and getting those Madonna arms, make sure you stretch properly after each session. Stretching a muscle after you have worked it creates a long lean shape – think ballet dancer rather than body builder. You could even swap one of your sessions for a yoga class or a barre workout, which are fantastic for sculpting and creating a strong but feminine shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are interested in barrecore classes, personal training, or Bio Signature Modulation with Jenny email jenny@barrecore.co.uk

 

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