* * * * *

Dear Lisa,
I do not know exactly how your legs got all that muscle.  If it is because you work them hard by climbing, running, biking and the like,  I can suggest that swimming may be a good way to satisfy your desire and need for exercise and at the same time build a smoother and more svelt muscle structure.  If God sent you here with those legs, swimming may not help as much.

Increasing the strength of your abdominal musculature will not make your mid-section "humongous", but quite the opposite.  Fat deposited on those muscles can make you tummy appear large.  While you are sitting down, reach down and grasp that roll of skin 3-4 inches on either side of your belly button. It should be about one inch thick.  For every one-forth inch of thickness beyond one inch, you are carrying 10 extra pounds.

Have a look at the exercises I suggested for abdominal muscle building.   (Questions #12 & #15.)

George L. Dixon, Jr., M.D.