Exercises
for a Flat Tummy
Postural Guidelines for Tummy
Exercises
Exercising in proper postural alignment will increase your workout's effectiveness
and substantially decrease your likelihood of injury. Therefore, correct posture
should be maintained at all times during your abdominal exercises. Follow the
simple guidelines below to improve your posture.
Postural Guidelines Abdominal
1. Make sure your head is horizontal to the ground and centered over your shoulders.
2. Bring your chest up.
3. As you bring your chest up, your shoulders must relax and not
go up. Therefore, relax your shoulders down and back.
4. Tighten your abs by pulling your belly button to your spine.
5. Align your knees with your second and third toes.
6. Make sure your knees are not locked. There must always be a slight
bend in them.
7. Lay with your feet spaced comfortably apart (usually hip width).
The Two Greatest Myths About Abdominal Exercises
By Emily Clark
If you have ever read a fitness magazine...
If you have ever watched TV ads about latest machines that will magically
reveal your abs...
If you have ever gone to a gym and saw tens of people lying on the floor
doing crunches....
then beware because chances are you are a victim of the two biggest abdominal
training hoaxes!
Myth No: 1
Just doing some midsection exercises can reduce your "love handles".
Fact
You cannot reduce fat from a certain targeted area of your body just by
using exercise alone.
And the abdominal area is no exception.
So if you want to get a flat stomach and to reveal your abs, losing the
fat covering them is the way to go.
And the only way to do this is to lose fat proportionately from your entire
body by burning more calories than you consume.
How? By doing these two things:
1) Have a healthy and balanced permanent diet: dark green vegetables, fresh
fruits, whole wheat and whole grain products, non-fat dairy products, fish,
poultry breast, lean red meat, egg white.
Yes, you should cut out all sugar, soda, non-whole grain products and saturated
fats: these aliments should only be a reward for achieving a goal, not a
habit!
2) Start exercising
Aerobic and weight training will raise your metabolic rate. In result,
your body will burn more calories.
* aerobic exercising
3 times per week, practice an exercise that keeps your heart rate elevated
for at least 30-45 minutes (ex: walking, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics,
etc)
* weight training
Alternate days of aerobics with weight training. You will build muscles
that will burn more calories, even when at rest!
Myth No: 2
You have to do tons of crunches.
Fact
Overuse of crunches will only shorten your abs, pull your head forward
and gives you a bad posture. Do you really want to looks like Quasimodo,
the Hunchback of Notre-Dame?
Any standing exercise that will contract your abs will do but you should
specifically target your lower back to strengthen the muscles that support
your spine.
The easiest exercise is sucking the gut in, also known as the "stomach
vacuum" :
1. Exhale. Suck your gut in.
2. Maintain the contraction for 10 to 20 seconds.
3. Repeat 10 to 15 times, as often as you like throughout the day (for
example while in the shower, sitting at your desk, while driving or in the
bus).
Time now for YOU to take action!
The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only
and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Consult
a health care practitioner before beginning any health care program.
Best Flat Tummy Exercises For Great Female
Abs
By Olinda Rola
Are there flat tummy exercises that are the best for great female abs? Abs-olutely!
To make this list, the female abs exercises must be safe, effective and can
be done nearly anywhere. Your abs can be worked out every day. Here are great
flat tummy exercises:
1. Tummy Isometric Crunch - exhale, then suck in your stomach as far as you
can, hold for about 15 seconds. Relax and breathe. Visualize moving your bellybutton
straight toward your back. Holding in your tummy muscles and tensing your abs
is a good way of firming and strengthening them. You will also become more aware
of how to control your tummy muscles. Repeat several times. This exercise can
be done anywhere, anytime.
Note - if you have high blood pressure, do not hold your breath for extended
periods of time.
2. Rectus Abdominis Tummy Exercises (sounds great, no?):
a. Lie on your back on the floor with bent knees and your feet flat on the
floor, knees and feet spread apart the width of your hips.
b. Place your hands gently on the sides of your head for support, spreading
your elbows so you cannot see them.
c. With your chin tucked toward your chest, gently curl upward and forward
so that your head, neck and shoulder blades lift off the floor and your lower
back presses against the floor (if you want, start with your head resting on
a pillow which has your head and neck in the correct position to begin).
d. Pause just a moment, then gently return to the starting position.
e. Repeat several times.
Note - do not use your arms to complete the curl. If you can see your elbows,
you're cheating. Do not put your feet under anything since this lessens the
effectiveness of these types of flat tummy exercises. If this female abs exercise
is too difficult for you, do the next one below.
3. Sit-Back Flat Tummy Exercises - if your female abs muscles are weak and
you have trouble lifting yourself off the floor in #2 above, here is an alternate
flat tummy exercise for you:
a. Start in a sitting position on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat
on the floor (secure your feet under a piece of furniture).
b. Cross your arms over your chest and roll your head and shoulders forward
toward your chest.
c. Gently and slowly lean back, keeping your head and shoulders tucked. Continue
until you begin to feel your stomach muscles contracting.
d. Then try to lean back just a bit more if you can and hold that position
until your muscles start shaking. Try to hold this position with your muscles
shaking for five seconds, then ease back to the upright sitting position.
e. Repeat in a few seconds.
4. Reduce Chewing Exercises - yes, as in jaw muscles used for excessive chewing
as in overeating. Reducing overeating or exercising those jaw muscles less may
be necessary to have great female abs. No one can see great female abs if they
are covered with body fat! Having great female abs may require losing some body
fat. Losing body fat means:
a. Cardio exercise on a regular basis - getting the heartbeat up with fun whole-body
workouts several times a week.
b. Healthy eating habits - eating healthy foods, eliminating sodas/junk food
and taking in fewer calories than you burn each day.
c. Besides flat tummy exercises, strength training for the whole body - any
muscle tissue you add will burn extra calories 24/7.
Besides looking great, having great female abs is about good health. Visually
and physically, the midsection is the center of the body and the foundation
of strength. Weak abdominals leave a woman weaker looking and vulnerable to
lower back pain. At first, the goal is to build up the basic strength in the
female abs area with flat tummy exercises. And remember, always check with your
health care provider before starting any exercise program. Start out slowly
and gradually build up your strength and repetitions.
For great abs and good health, the ideal is to reduce body fat down to no lower
than 15-20% for women. Sometimes, doing flat tummy exercises is the EASY part,
losing excess body fat is the TOUGH part. Eat right, exercise right. It may
take time, just do not give up on your dream of having those great female abs.
Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing
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Olinda Rola is President of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com - a website of physician-recommended natural treatments and articles for a variety of health issues. Visit the website for an excellent free Permanent Weight Loss Report you can view online right now.
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