Hey Hayley,

I think a lot of fitness articles and gurus don't realize that some people like their round curvaceous hips, though they have now accepted ample bums. I am a petite woman with a true hourglass figure that has recently put on weight in my midsection due to my fibroids just being raging assholes and yeah 6 months of nesting as a newlywed. Well summer is fast approaching, I am vain as hell, have some slayage to execute at a wedding and want to ensure the routine I take up isn't going to attempt to whittle my lovely lady lumps. I would like to go back to my old body (think Fran from The Nanny waistline with more boobage, hips and ass) but am aware that the 16 beasts chilling within my abdomen may prevent a truly tight waist. As such I'm into toning, firming and lifting my other beloved assets. Any suggestions for the lady not looking to take 6 inches off her hips in 3 weeks?

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As I am not a medical doctor, I am not even going to touch the part about your fibroids and please, before you start exercising make sure you get clearance from your family doctor. I have a friend who just had major surgery removing her fibroids, which were causing her extreme pain and discomfort, so please consult medical advice before venturing into a workout routine.

However, I LOVE the fact that you love your lady lumps and the rest of this is for all you women who love your curves too. Trust me, what I wouldn’t pay for a few curves on my body (grass is always greener, isn’t it?). Here is the thing about the body – we all have a somatotype that we are born with.  Although most of us are a combination of two, we each have a body type that we are basically stuck with. Yes, we can make our bodies the best body we can, but someone who is tall and athletic like me is never going to rock a curvy body like JLO. It’s just not possible.

It seems as though you love your hips, thighs and boobs and worry about losing them if you work out too hard. And that is something I see a lot - women who drop their bust sizes within weeks of switching to a healthy diet and exercise routine.

What I would suggest for you is keep your cardio within a reasonable range, which means do not head out for multi-hour cardio sessions daily (not that you would anyway). Try 20 or 30 minutes of higher intensity interval work 4 times a week, which will keep you cardiovascular fit while at the same time toning and shaping the shape you already have. 

As for your strength training, lift a little bit heavier and focus on big movements, like squats, lunges, and step-ups. Use the TRX to train your upper body (one of my favourite pieces of equipment) and keep the load lighter while doing higher repetitions. Pull-ups, push-ups, biceps curls and triceps extensions are all great movements to do on the TRX.

Nutrition is key and you need to cut way back on sugar because frankly, it just isn’t good for us. Cut back on the alcohol too. Doing these two things will amaze you at how quickly your body will change as your body will more easily be able to break down and burn that fat you already have stored on your body.  You will keep your shape but you just won’t have that added fat hanging around anymore. However, you don’t want to restrict your diet too much, so replace the calories you are losing from the sugar and alcohol with real foods, including fat. Avocado, nuts, fish and coconut are all good items to add to your diet to ensure you keep your voluptuous figure strong and healthy.

Throwing in some yoga once a week is also beneficial. Not only will it help to strengthen your body, using its own weight as resistance, but improving your flexibility directly relates to an improvement in how you hold yourself. Even if you haven’t seen the scale move you will look better because you stand better. Also, the mental benefit one receives from a yoga class will trickle down into setting you up for a healthy day, and hopefully week.

Start moving, under the care of your family physician, and begin to fill your body with healthy foods while challenging it with full body movements. The honeymoon is over sweetheart!