skin

Question
I haven't had a baby or lost a lot of weight. I've always been a petite person but i do have stretch marks on my butt. I've never been an active person. Any physical activity comes from normal walking throughout the day. The stretch marks might have come from my butt getting bigger. I don't know. I just wnat to know how i can make my skin tighter without gaining muscle since i don't want to get bigger. I like how small i am, i just want to tone my body.
-------------------------------------------
The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
hi, i'm 18 years old, 5 4 and i weigh 110. I never really excercised so i have stretch marks on my hips, closer to my butt and my skin is also very loose. It doesn't sag but since i don't have a lot of muscle and i have very 'jiggly' thighs and stomach, the skin around there is very stretchy. I wan't to start excercising and i was wondering if there were any excercises that tone skin in general. Do aerobics tighten skin? I've been drinking a lot of water lately (1.5 L a day) because i heard that that also helps skin get back its elasticity. Also, i want to tone my thighs, lose my belly fat and just tone my body. ANY help is greatly appreciated.
Lastly, i heard that uphill walking tones the front of the thighs and biking tones the back. Is that true?
thank you,
Jennifer
-----Answer-----
Dear Jennifer, You are not saying why you have stretch marks at 110 pounds. If you have just had a baby, or lost some weight, at your age, your skin can still shrink back. If you had lost a lot of weight, the skin still has the old fat cells under them, they are just flattened ready to pump back up if you start eating a gain, so you might always carry a little loose skin. The only way to get rid of that type of skin is by seeing a plastic surgeon. You can always firm the muscles below the skin to push up and flatten the skin. Lifting light weights, eating sufficient protein to rebuild the body is key. Aerobics do not tighten skin, only time and nutrition does. But your aerobics and your walking exercises are great for overall cardiac health. Laura Kraemer,Slimkids.com

Answer
Dear Jennifer, First nutrition is important, especially adequate protein. Second, if you do not want to firm up with weight lifting, then try increase your walking to at least 30 minutes per day. Light weights will not make you bigger, they will firm and tone the muscles, and by far weight lifting is the easiest way to get into shape. Laura Kraemer,Slimkids.com  

1. Prev:TARGETING SPECIFIC AREAS FOR WEIGHT LOSS
2. Next:Anorexia recovery