4 Ways I Tightened My Sagging Skin After 50
Do you have loose, sagging skin and don't know how to firm it up? Alicia Jones is an accredited health expert who specializes in helping women after 50 "reclaim great health, increase energy, and lose weight through fun fitness and nutrition strategies." In one of her viral YouTube videos, she discusses the number one way to firm up sagging skin. "Can you actually tighten loose skin? Well, if there's a way, in this video, I'm gonna show you how, and we're gonna do it in a way that I absolutely love by showing you an exact example," she says in the clip.
Sue, 60, Came to Her Hoping to Firm and Tone Her Body
Alicia uses one of her clients, Sue, as an example. "When Sue first came to me at 60, she wanted to feel healthy and strong and to firm and tone her body. Sue had always been really active. She played volleyball. She was in a bowling league in the summer. She went boating and hiking, and she was even on a baseball team," she says.
She Lost Weight Fast and Ended Up with Lots of Loose Skin
"But even though she was that active, she got diagnosed with diabetes. So a combination of her new medication and change in nutrition, Sue dropped weight fast, and she was left with a lot of loose skin in her arms and her chest and her stomach, and she really wanted to firm up," says Alicia. "That's when she came to me, and during our first assessment, I will never forget that she asked me the question that many of you asked me: Can you actually tighten loose skin?"
You Might Be Able to Tighten Loose Skin Without Surgery
"So let's get honest about it," she continues. "There are some ways that you might be able to tighten loose skin if you want to lose some weight, but you're not clinically obese. If you have lost weight suddenly, so there's a lot of weight really fast, or you lost weight through nutrition and through cardio alone, only one of those two ways, or maybe a combination of the two, then you may be able to tighten up loose skin," she says.
The Secret Tool? Weight Training
She then offers the secret solution to tightening up loose skin. "The power is in weight training. It's by doing weight training," she says.
You Have to Be Consistent
"Here's the thing, if you only lift weights every once in a while, or this is a tactic that you said you've been doing, but you haven't been consistent, that's where the issue lies. You've got to be consistent. You have to lift weights for a minimum of 12 weeks, if not longer in order to see those results," she says.
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Sue Firmed Her Arms and Tummy with Weights
"That was the exact plan for Sue. She had perfected cardio, but it was time to add a consistent weight training routine in order to firm her arms and tighten her tummy," she says. "One year later, on a new low dose of medication, she feels confident and excited to wear tank tops that show off her beautiful arms. She's got her body back, and she is so proud, not to mention her strength and her energy, so she feels in control of her body and in control of her health."
Tip 1: Start Slow
Alicia offers a few tips to get "fabulous" results. The first? "You've got to start slow. So in order for you to tighten loose skin, it actually is heavier weight training that you would need to do. And no, I promise you won't bulk up," she says.
Start with Lighter Weights and Slowly Go Heavier
"But here's the thing: If you are just starting out, you can't jump right into a heavyweight training routine. You've got to work on adaptation, which means you gotta take it slow and do lighter weights at first. And if you're brand new and just starting out, never fear, you will still get that firming and toning effect to doing lighter weights at first because your body needs to adapt to that. So your body reacts by firming and toning," she says.
Tip 2: Stick with the Same Workout
"Two, stick with the same workout. All too often, I see women jumping from one workout to the next workout to the next. The thing is, your body needs time to adapt in order to increase lean muscle," she continues.
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Do the Same Workout But Up the Weights
"More importantly, as I mentioned, when you want to tone and firm loose skin, then it is so important to be doing heavier weights. So instead of swapping out your workouts every single day or every few days, find a workout you love and focus on increasing the weight size. That way you are sure to be lifting a little bit heavier each and every time, which firms and tones the body weight," she suggests.
Tip 3: Create a Consistent Plan
"Number three, create a consistent plan," she says. "You don't need to commit to every single day of weight training. In fact, I don't recommend that at first, but you do need to focus on getting in the same amount of weight training each and every week."
Don't Over Commit
Also, don't over commit. "Don't give yourself five days a week. Just choose a number that you know you can do. If it was the busiest time of your life right now, how many days of the week could you really, honestly, truly, realistically commit to doing? If it's one day, great if it's two even better, but it doesn't really matter. The point is you've got to stay consistent," she says.
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Tip 4: Work Your Whole Body
"Point number four, you've gotta work out the whole body. So all too often I see women just working that one area that they wanna tone. They only do arm exercises. They only do crunches, hoping to get their abs tight or the skin on their tummy tight or on their arms tight, when in reality, that's not the way to do it," she says.
You Can't Spot Reduce
"You can't spot reduce. In order for you to really firm up and tone, you've got to work the whole body, especially if a part of the reason that you feel that you have loose skin is because you need to lose some weight," she says.
Whole Body Weight Training Revs Up Metabolism
"This is because whole body weight training revs up your metabolism. You burn fat even at rest throughout your whole body. The more lean muscle you create, the more you're going to be able to create a fat burning system and rev up your metabolic rate. And I promise you will not bulk up," she says.
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The Longer You Have Been Carrying Excess Weight, the Harder It Is To Tighten Loose Skin
She also points out that "the longer that you've been carrying excess weight, the harder it is to tighten loose skin. And that's because of the elastin and collagen fibers within the skin," she says. "They become damaged the longer they've been stretched out. So you'll want to start your weight training as soon as possible. So if you haven't started already, start now." And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 20 Superfoods for People Over 50.
