Similar to a house, it is supported by its foundations, our abdominal muscles can be thought of as the foundation of our body, working within an vast network of ligaments to support the movement of the spine and back. If our stomach muscles are fit and toned, they provide the core strength our bodies rely on for overall health and wellness.
The body has two major types of muscles in the midsection. These are located at the front of the stomach, flexors help support the movement & bending of the spine and hip bones. The obliques go down the side of your stomach ( LOVE HANDLES ), these help to promote healthy posture when standing upright. Extensors are actually found in our back and gluteus area, but these rear muscles work closely with stomach muscles to promote healthy posture and efficient torso movement.
A very small amount people actually look forward to abdominal exercises. (no surprise) In fact, most of us view them as a dreaded exercise. Whether you like them or not, abdominal exercises are an integral component in maintaining physical fitness. Over time, unused stomach muscles will weaken and provide less support, requiring a disproportionate amount of work on the part of the spine and the back. An average person’s daily activities don’t demand nearly enough activity or motion of the midsection, making focused abdominal workouts a must.
In addition to the obvious aesthetic rewards of the sculpted, toned midriff to which we all want, the maintenance of the midsection can reap a host of health benefits:
(1) Strong stomach muscles help alleviate back pain and prevent future back injuries.
(2) A much healthier posture is achieved, making physical activities less taxing on the body.
(3) Cardiovascular workouts become much more efficient when the trunk of the body is in great working shape.
(4) For both men and women, studies have shown that the risk of heart disease decreases with a smaller waist size.
Women who are pregnant or might become pregnant, abdominal strength is even more important. Robust stomach muscles can help ease strain on the back as the pregnancy progresses, and can also facilitate an easier, more efficient labour and delivery. Women with good core strength are also more likely to return to their pre pregnancy state quicker than those with flaccid, unused stomach muscles.
Sadly, there is no magic formula when it comes to achieving sculpted abs. For best results, you should perform efficient stomach exercises about 3 to 4 times a week. An effective routine combines a variety of exercises that work all of the core muscles. Traditional sit ups work the upper abdominals, where pelvic tilts and leg raises manipulate the lower stomach muscles. Side twists and standing arm raises help to tone the obliques. When you pair regular workouts with a sensible, low-fat diet, you should begin to see and feel results within 14 days.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Eating And The Importance Of Portion Control
When it comes to achieving and maintaining a toned stomach and obliques, the key is not what you eat, but how much you eat. If you’re putting time in at the gym to complete an effective abdominal workout, then go home and eat until you are uncomfortably full, any positive impact from the exercises will be all but eliminated. Even if your food consists of nutritious, non-bloating foods, bear in mind too much of a good thing is bad for your midsection.
One of the most effective ways to reduce bloating and maximize the impact of your abdominal workouts is to reduce the amount of the portion sizes you take each day. With the bigger is better mentality that haunts our society, it seems that everything is super sized from chips, beverages to sandwiches. It’s a proven fact that people drastically underestimate the amount of food they put into their mouths each day, simply they eat what is put in front of them.
It can seem like a huge challenge to reduce portion sizes, there are some great strategies you can implement:
(1) Lets face it, restaurants put way too much food onto your plate, often doubling recommended serving amounts. When eating out, make it a habit to request a carry out container before you even begin eating, and then box half of your food to take home for later on. If it’s not in front of you, you won’t have the chance to eat more than is needed to fill your belly.
(2) When snacking on munchies, avoid eating directly out of the larger bag. It is much easier to eat more than a recommended serving size when you have no concept of how much you’ve already consumed. Measure out your amount first, then you will know when you’ve reached the limit.
(3) When preparing your meals at home, an easy way to trick yourself is to use smaller dishes. Your plate will still look plentiful, which won’t make the smaller portion feel so small.
(4) Once you’ve finished eating what’s in front of you, wait before going back for a second portion. It can take your body awhile to register the feeling of fullness. Its most likely, after you’ve taken a little time to deliberate, the extra portion won’t seem so appetizing.
(5) Watch out for finger foods, when grazing in a social setting, it’s far too easy to consume more than your recommended share, and then you will find you’re already full when dinner rolls in. Hold out until the main course is served.
(6) You must take the time to read the recommended serving sizes on food packages. You will likely be surprised by what you read. Just remember that the calories and fat grams quoted on nutritional labels apply to just one serving, while the package may contain multiple servings.
In just a few days of adhering to smaller portion sizes, you’ll likely notice a considerable impact on the appearance of your abdominals and a reduction in the layer of bulge that’s been concealing the muscles beneath it. Not only will you look better, you will feel much healthier as well.
One of the most effective ways to reduce bloating and maximize the impact of your abdominal workouts is to reduce the amount of the portion sizes you take each day. With the bigger is better mentality that haunts our society, it seems that everything is super sized from chips, beverages to sandwiches. It’s a proven fact that people drastically underestimate the amount of food they put into their mouths each day, simply they eat what is put in front of them.
It can seem like a huge challenge to reduce portion sizes, there are some great strategies you can implement:
(1) Lets face it, restaurants put way too much food onto your plate, often doubling recommended serving amounts. When eating out, make it a habit to request a carry out container before you even begin eating, and then box half of your food to take home for later on. If it’s not in front of you, you won’t have the chance to eat more than is needed to fill your belly.
(2) When snacking on munchies, avoid eating directly out of the larger bag. It is much easier to eat more than a recommended serving size when you have no concept of how much you’ve already consumed. Measure out your amount first, then you will know when you’ve reached the limit.
(3) When preparing your meals at home, an easy way to trick yourself is to use smaller dishes. Your plate will still look plentiful, which won’t make the smaller portion feel so small.
(4) Once you’ve finished eating what’s in front of you, wait before going back for a second portion. It can take your body awhile to register the feeling of fullness. Its most likely, after you’ve taken a little time to deliberate, the extra portion won’t seem so appetizing.
(5) Watch out for finger foods, when grazing in a social setting, it’s far too easy to consume more than your recommended share, and then you will find you’re already full when dinner rolls in. Hold out until the main course is served.
(6) You must take the time to read the recommended serving sizes on food packages. You will likely be surprised by what you read. Just remember that the calories and fat grams quoted on nutritional labels apply to just one serving, while the package may contain multiple servings.
In just a few days of adhering to smaller portion sizes, you’ll likely notice a considerable impact on the appearance of your abdominals and a reduction in the layer of bulge that’s been concealing the muscles beneath it. Not only will you look better, you will feel much healthier as well.
Monday, 22 February 2010
Stomach Toning Basics
Most people want to tighten their stomach muscles and get rid of their stomach flab or love handles purely for vanity reasons. We think that with a flatter stomach comes better or sexier looks, and we all have the desire to either look our best or have more sex appeal.
People complain that their stomach toning exercise isn’t working. Basically, most stomach toning exercises “fail” quite simply because they’re not complemented by healthy lifestyles.
Having tight stomach muscles goes beyond our great looks, however. It also affects our ability to heal and our sense of well being too. When we look better we gain confidence and tend to walk taller with better posture. Better posture allows for better spinal alignment. When the spine is aligned properly, the body can heal itself easier.
Below are the basics concepts behind effective toning your abdominal muscles.
Focus on the form, not the number
Most people hurry though their stomach crunches, not minding their form. They end up straining their necks and then injuring their backs. It’s important to note that a stomach toning exercise is the last thing you’d want to rush. First and foremost, you end up wasting valuable time and effort this way. Secondly, it’s very difficult to recover from neck and spine injury.
25 well formed stomach crunches is much more effective compared to 300 fast ones. The catchphrase in an effective stomach toning exercise routine is “slow but steady”.
You must keep your diet low in fat to lose weight
Even if you stick to your stomach toning exercise routine, there is no way that you can achieve a six-pack unless you lose the flab. Just because you’re doing stomach crunches doesn’t mean you can skip on the diet and eat anything you want. You need to lose fat to be able to appreciate the definitions of your muscles. If you’re doing crunches and binging on chocolate, you’ll only end up looking more massive than you were prior to the workout. Remember, muscle mass and fat mass are two very different entities. Just because you’re gaining muscles doesn’t mean you’re automatically losing all the fat in your body and get a flat stomach as well.
Team your strength training with flexibility and cardiovascular exercises
A good way to lose the stomach flab is to do an all-rounded exercise plan. This means focusing not only on your stomach weight loss, but on your entire body as well. Because your muscles basically work with each other. You will only end up injuring yourself if you focus on a single muscle group consistently. You should take the time out to work all of them. Cardiovascular and flexibility exercises are also necessary when you want your stomach toning exercise routing to work. Cardios help you unnecessary fat burning, while flexibility exercises help you release the tension you’ve built up from stomach crunches.
You must get enough rest in between
It’s useless to tone your lower abdominal muscles everyday. Studies have shown that too much strength exercises decrease muscle mass. Your body will need at least one day of rest to recover from your last work out. Never conduct any type of strength exercise, including stomach toning exercises, two days in a row.
People complain that their stomach toning exercise isn’t working. Basically, most stomach toning exercises “fail” quite simply because they’re not complemented by healthy lifestyles.
Having tight stomach muscles goes beyond our great looks, however. It also affects our ability to heal and our sense of well being too. When we look better we gain confidence and tend to walk taller with better posture. Better posture allows for better spinal alignment. When the spine is aligned properly, the body can heal itself easier.
Below are the basics concepts behind effective toning your abdominal muscles.
Focus on the form, not the number
Most people hurry though their stomach crunches, not minding their form. They end up straining their necks and then injuring their backs. It’s important to note that a stomach toning exercise is the last thing you’d want to rush. First and foremost, you end up wasting valuable time and effort this way. Secondly, it’s very difficult to recover from neck and spine injury.
25 well formed stomach crunches is much more effective compared to 300 fast ones. The catchphrase in an effective stomach toning exercise routine is “slow but steady”.
You must keep your diet low in fat to lose weight
Even if you stick to your stomach toning exercise routine, there is no way that you can achieve a six-pack unless you lose the flab. Just because you’re doing stomach crunches doesn’t mean you can skip on the diet and eat anything you want. You need to lose fat to be able to appreciate the definitions of your muscles. If you’re doing crunches and binging on chocolate, you’ll only end up looking more massive than you were prior to the workout. Remember, muscle mass and fat mass are two very different entities. Just because you’re gaining muscles doesn’t mean you’re automatically losing all the fat in your body and get a flat stomach as well.
Team your strength training with flexibility and cardiovascular exercises
A good way to lose the stomach flab is to do an all-rounded exercise plan. This means focusing not only on your stomach weight loss, but on your entire body as well. Because your muscles basically work with each other. You will only end up injuring yourself if you focus on a single muscle group consistently. You should take the time out to work all of them. Cardiovascular and flexibility exercises are also necessary when you want your stomach toning exercise routing to work. Cardios help you unnecessary fat burning, while flexibility exercises help you release the tension you’ve built up from stomach crunches.
You must get enough rest in between
It’s useless to tone your lower abdominal muscles everyday. Studies have shown that too much strength exercises decrease muscle mass. Your body will need at least one day of rest to recover from your last work out. Never conduct any type of strength exercise, including stomach toning exercises, two days in a row.
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