FITNESS-FLAT STOMACH EXERCISES

Four Secrets to a Flat Stomach

2008-03-26T02:21:00.000-07:00

If your goal is to thin your waistline and have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease / eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel)

1. You must do some form of progressive strength trainingThe primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso forward. However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso. Often times you see people on their ab roller every day doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises:1-2 forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)

1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be worked at most 3 times per week. You also want to make sure you are training them progressively, working them harder each time.

2. Use short, hard cardio workouts to increase metabolismCardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This means you are less likely to store any excess calories as body fat because they are more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more likely to burn off some excess body fat.Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.).Warm up at easy pace 2-5 minutes then:

perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as possible)
perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath)
repeat this process 6-10 times à Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes

3. Stable blood sugar is the keyAnd most importantly, you must stabilize your blood sugar! This is by far the most important factor when it comes to burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently; like every 2-3 hours. The key is to give your body only what it needs at that time. Your body burns calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day? Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.).

Many people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it is. Calories are calories and it doesn't matter where they come from. If there's extra. where's it going? Yup, you guessed it. body fat!

This is not to say that what you eat is not important because it is, it just doesn't have that much of an affect when it comes to fat loss. Try to make healthy choices whenever possible, but don't feel like if you eat a cheeseburger it is guaranteed to be stored as fat.

4. Get the help of a professional Unfortunately, most people don't know enough about the human body, nutrition, or effective exercise to meet their health and fitness goals. Ask yourself this one question, "Am I happy with my current progress or condition?" If you're not, you should consider getting the help of a qualified personal fitness professional. Don't depend on the information you get from magazines or from your local gym/ health club. A qualified fitness professional can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, and in less time than you would imagine.

If you are serious about your health and fitness goals, and you are ready for that flat stomach, I recommend you start implementing the 4 strategies listed in this article. These 4 strategies can help you take control of your metabolism and burn off that excess body fat and having you looking and feeling great!

Jesse Cannone is a certified personal fitness trainer, post-rehab specialist, nutritionist, and a national fitness presenter.

How to Exercise and Tone Your Lower Stomach

2008-03-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

Many people complain about their flabby stomach when the stomach may not really the problem. They may actually be storing more fat in their lower abdominal region than the tummy.

Remember, your stomach starts right below your breastbone and down to your navel area. Your lower abdominals start near the navel area and go down to the pelvic region.

Examine your body in the mirror. Look at where the fat is stored. You may notice that your actual stomach is pretty flat, but the area around your belly button still protrudes and is the real problem.

If this is case, your problem is your lower abdominal region more so than your stomach.
Fat is stored here for a number of reasons. For some, it's genetic and that just happens to be where the body stores its fat. Unfortunately we can't tell our fat where to go so there is nothing you can do about this.

For others it may be indigestion. If your food is not digesting properly, it can cause a bulge in your lower abdominal area. IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is another common cause for this problem).

Be sure to seek help from your physician if you think your problem may be related to something other than a bad diet and lack of exercise.

Change Your Diet First

Before you begin exercising your lower stomach, remember that your diet has to change in order to see any results.

I feel like a broken record but I must repeat this in case you haven't read other pages on this site...

You cannot spot tone your stomach. You have to lower your entire body's total fat percentage in order slim down your tummy.

If you remember nothing else from this website, please remember that statement.
In addition to your stomach exercises you must evaluate and be prepared to make changes in your diet.

See the Fat Burning Tips and Eating Habits pages for more details on this.

Now, let's get down to exercising the lower stomach area. Double Straight Legged Stretch
I went over this exercise on the Pilates page.

It is very, very good for toning up the lower abdominal area. In fact, after about 5 repetitions you can really feel that area working.

To perform this exercise:

1. Lie on your back with your legs straight.

2. Slowly raise your head and neck off the mat as if you're starting a basic crunch. Place your hands behind your head.

3. Bend both legs in and raise them off the floor then straighten and point them in the air at 11 o'clock. Keep your head and neck off the floor.

4. Slowly move both legs down (keeping them together and as straight as you can) until they are about a foot from the floor.

5. Now raise them back up and begin again.

6. Repeat this 10 times.

You should really feel your lower abdominal muscles working after only a few repetitions. As you get comfortable with them, push yourself to do more and more.

Chair Leg Lifts

You can perform this exercise in almost any kind of office or desk chair.
Sit upright with your back flat against the back of your chair.

Place your hands on the desk in front of you or on the seat of the chair by your legs.

Slowly lift your knees up toward your chest and hold for 5 seconds.

Then slowly lower them back down, resting your feet on the floor.

Breath out when you lift your legs up and inhale when you lower them to the floor.

In the beginning, you may find that you're only able to do a few of these. That's okay. As your abdominals get stronger, you'll be able to do more. Hang in there.

Pelvic Thrusts

Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and arms straight beside you.
Slowly lift and tilt your pelvis upward as you exhale. As you tilt your pelvis, be sure you keep your lower back on the floor so you get the most out of the movement.

Hold the movement for about 5 seconds and inhale as your relax your buttocks back down on the floor.

Do about 10 to 15 reps and take a 90 second break between sets. Perform a total of 4 sets.

Exercising Your Love Handles

2008-03-22T00:04:00.000-07:00

Love handles. Ah yes....the affectionate term given to that flabby area on the sides of your abdomen that you can't seem to get rid of.

The anatomic term for them is "obliques" and unfortunately this area of the body is often neglected when it comes to exercising the stomach and ab areas.

Again, I cannot stress enough that you have to start with long-duration aerobic exercise if you want to trim any part of your stomach.

Spot toning will prove ineffective because you need to raise your metabolism enough to burn that extra love handle fat. Remember, it's all about total body fitness and losing weight all over.
If you've been reading this site, you're probably tired of me mentioning that, but that is the #1 misconception about stomach toning. You have to get your entire body into shape before you start seeing results.

Start a cardio exercise program at your home. Either buy aerobics DVDs or subscribe to a cool site like WorkoutPass.com.

This has got to be one of the coolest fitness sites I've ever seen. You'll gain access to hundreds of different exercise programs from one site, and you never have to leave your home. There are tons of different cardio exercise routines to help you burn fat and reduce those stubborn love handles.

While doing basic crunches will help eliminate some of the fat around the obliques, here are some other exercises that focus more on the love handle area.

Leg Flutters

A lot of people don't realize that in order to tone your middle and love handle area you also need to strengthen your back. This creates a balance in your torso and reduces the fat on your back.

1. Lie on your stomach and lift your head up slightly

2. You can keep your arms straight out at your sides or bend them with your elbows resting beside you.

3. Lift your feet and knees off the floor and flutter your legs rapidly back and forth. Do this for 20 seconds. Take a 20 second break and then repeat again.

Twist Crunches

This exercise will work your internal and external obliques as well as the rectus abdominis. These are the two muscle groups that live around your waist. Fat is generally stored on top of these muscles, thus creating the love handle effect.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent.

2. Carefully lift your head up and place your hands behind your head without locking your fingers together.

3. Twist to the right bringing your left elbow to your right knee. Extend your left leg out.

4. Now twist back to the left bringing your right elbow to your left knee. Extend your right leg out.

5. Repeat 25 times.

Standing Trunk Twists

This is a good aerobic-type exercise that will help get your heart rate up as well as burn some calories in your middle.

1. Stand with your feet about a foot apart and knees relaxed.

2. Twist your torso to the left while keeping your hips and legs as stable as possible. As you twist to the left, cross your right arm in front of your body in a punching motion.

3. Twist back to the right and cross your left arm over your body in a punching motion.

4. Do 100 reps.

Ten Exercises For Developing Your Abs

2008-03-16T23:41:00.000-07:00

The more ab exercises you have in your repertoire, the better you’ll be at using your instincts to build and maintain that six pack.

Training abs requires a lot of hard work and imagination. Of all the body parts, abs are probably the least fun to train, but they’re also the first thing to get noticed on the beach.

Not only are strong and defined abs the cornerstone of an ideal physique, but having core body strength is also vital for top performance in all your physical activities. And I do mean ALL your physical activities!

Properly trained abs can help you be more competitive in sports, they can make it easier to do your job or fix things around the house, and, best of all, they can make your romantic romps more fun and exciting. Not bad for just a few minutes of concentrated effort each week!

I recommend training your abs every other day, after a weight workout. All you have to do is choose two or three different exercises and perform four to five sets of 10-12 reps for each one.
Just remember, however, that no amount of any exercise will give you that coveted six pack if you have a layer of fat around your middle.

You need to get your body fat down to about 10% or less before your abdominal muscles become visible. So be sure to consistently eat right and do a lot of cardio. I often tell people that the best exercise for abs is 30 minutes on the treadmill!

For the sake of this article, I’m going to assume that your nutrition is on target, that you’re training aerobically to stay lean, and that you really want to enhance your training so you can develop world-class abs.

What follows are my top 10 favorite abdominal exercises of all time. Some of them will look absolutely crazy. Others will look kind of familiar, but with a special twist or two to make them more effective. The whole point is to hit your abs from a lot of different angles so you can really get them to pop.

If you’re ready to take your abdominal training to the next level, here we go:

Tornado Ball — Wall Chops and Seated Chops

Grasp a Tornado Ball with a slight “choke up” on the rope. To do the wall chops, lean back against a sturdy wall and bend your knees into a slight squat. Then rotate from side to side, slamming the Tornado Ball against the wall. Do this ballistically for about 30 seconds. Seated chops are performed with the same intensity. Simply sit down on the floor and move the ball overhead. These two movements are nearly impossible to duplicate in any gym. Start with one 30-second set for each exercise.

Surrender Sit-Ups

These are called surrender sit-ups due to the hand position. Your arms will be above your head as if you were surrendering to someone. In the upright position, place your feet flat on the floor. Slowly lower yourself back like a traditional sit-up, but only go as far as you can without lifting your feet off the floor. When your feet begin to rise, come back up to the starting position. Squeeze your glutes throughout the entire movement.

Power Wheel Crunches

Unlike a traditional “ab wheel,” a Power Wheel is attached to your feet and you move your legs instead of your arms. You can either bend your knees and tuck them into your chest, or do a “pike” with straight legs. Either way, be sure to exhale on each contraction.

Swiss Ball Weighted Crunches

The opportunities are endless when it comes to a Swiss Ball, but weighted crunches are one of my favorites. Choose a weight that allows you to perform 3 sets of 8–10 repetitions. Position yourself on the ball just to the front of the top (to ensure a full range of motion) and slowly allow your spine to wrap back around the ball. Be sure to anchor your feet with a weight at least twice as heavy as the weight you use to perform the exercise.

Swiss Ball Reverse Crunches

Position your body so your scapula is centered on the top of the ball. Grab a stationary handle above your head and tuck your knees up and around towards your face. I use my eyes as a reference point. As in all abdominal exercises, it’s imperative that you exhale during the effort. Reps are not the only indicator of a good abdominal workout…you should feel each one in the muscle, without obsessing over how many you do.

Hanging Leg Raises

There are two schools of thought when it comes to hanging leg raises. If you do the entire movement from completely stretched out to completely contracted, then your psoas muscles (hip flexors) assist in the movement. If you start the movement with your legs bent at 90 degrees, you eliminate the use of the hip flexor group. I suggest you mix it up and do the exercise both ways.

Janda Sit-Ups

These are tremendous once you get the hang of them. Assume the traditional sit-up position, with your arms crossed over your chest. Have someone grab the back of your calves and pull slightly. Slowly sit up, maintaining a contraction in the glutes. If you can’t pull yourself up right away, start with the negative part of the movement.

Full Contact Twists

These are similar to Tornado Ball chops, but they can be done in a gym without any special equipment. Get a 45 lb. Olympic bar and place one end in a corner to hold it in place. With your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and arms fully extended, hold the opposite end of the bar and rotate it overhead in a semi-circular motion. Be sure to rotate at the waist and feel the movement throughout your entire core. Do 1–3 sets of 15–20 reps.

Medicine Ball Throws on Swiss Ball

Assume the same position on the Swiss Ball as you would if you were doing weighted crunches, and position your feet under two dumbbells for safety. Ask a partner to help you with an 8–10 lb. medicine ball. While seated on the Swiss Ball in an upright position, have your partner throw the medicine ball over your head so you can catch it (under control) while lying back over the Swiss Ball. Sit up and throw the medicine ball back to your partner. Do 3 sets of 12–15 reps.

Cable Side Crunches

Using a cable in the highest position, grasp the handle with one hand and rest the other on top the hand grabbing the handle. Your hand should be at your temple. Keeping your arm completely stationary, crunch between the waist and lower chest only. The movement will be small and very isolated. Be sure to do both sides for about 3 sets of 12-15 reps with a challenging weight.

There you have it—if these 10 exercises can’t give your abs a good workout, nothing can!

Standing Pilates - Wall Roll Down

2008-03-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

Start Position

Wall roll down is a simple way to practice using your abs to achieve the articulated curve of the spine that we use so much in Pilates. It stretches the back and the hamstrings, as it works the abdominals, and teaches good posture. What's better than that?

This is a good way to train for more challenging exercises like the roll up, where you also use the sequential activation of upper and lower abs to curl and un-curl the torso.

Modify wall roll down by only going down as far as you are comfortable, bending your knees slightly, and leaving your arms at your sides.

TO START:

Stand tall against a wall. Leaving your body on the wall, walk your feet six to ten inches away from the wall.
Pull your abdominals in.
Keep your shoulders away from your ears, your chest wide and your ribs down as you raise your arms straight up over head.

Begin the Roll Down

Your arms stay parallel to your ears as you nod your head and begin to slowly roll your spine down and away from the wall, vertebrae by vertebrae.
The abdominals stay lifted and there is a sense of lengthening the spine as you roll down.

Deepen the Curve

As the roll down progresses, you have the opportunity to deepen the scoop of the abs even more. Work slowly, peeling the spine away from the wall.Let your head and neck relax

At the Deepest Curve

Roll down as far as you can go without letting your hips leave the wall. Your abdominals are very pulled in.
Feel the curve evenly along the upper, middle and lower sections of your torso.
You could be getting a good hamstring stretch here.

The Return - More for the Abs

Begin your return up the wall by initiating the roll up with your lower abs. This is a powerhouse move.Think of using the lower abs to bring your pelvis to an upright position.
Continue up, placing each vertebrae on the wall, one by one.
As you roll up, your arms travel alongside your ears and the shoulders stay relaxed.

The Finale - Standing with Extension:

As you come close to upright, you will feel a moment when you can let the ribs stay down as shoulders drop into place. It feels a bit like your upper body is rolling up between your shoulders
Bring your roll up to the starting position. Be sure your abs are engaged and your shoulders are dropped.
Arms are overhead with wide shoulders and an open chest.
Wall Roll Down is a perfect transition exercise for taking your Pilates awareness into your daily life. You might want to review Pilates Posture Check.

Use Pilates Exercises to Flatten Your Stomach

2008-03-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

Pilates is an exercise method based on the work of Joseph Pilates. Its primary function is to focus on strengthening the "powerhouse" (abs and buttocks) while increasing flexibility, strengthening muscles and improving posture.

These exercises involve concentration and the coordination of breath and movement, which helps to balance the mind and body.

Pilates is excellent for someone who wants to tone their stomach and abs because it works to make the entire body lean. And as I've said numerous times on this site, you cannot have leaner, toner abs until you work on making your entire body lean.

There's no such thing as spot toning. You have to work everything so Pilates is ideal for helping your whole body become leaner so you can get the stomach and abs you've been desiring.
Now you can purchase several different Pilates exercise programs that focus solely on the abs. I bought Pilates Abs Workout with Ana Caban. I like it because the exercise routine is not very long (25 minutes) and it's not too difficult to do.

The nice thing about the video is that there are two levels. You can follow Ana for more advanced moves and there's another girl you can follow if you want to take it easy at first and do the beginner moves. Another plus for Pilates is that if you perform the exercises regularly you'll see fast results.

Unlike many fitness programs, Pilates exercises are not based on the principle "more is better". Instead it focuses on limited repetitions of each exercise and quality of each movement.
So instead of doing 50 leg raises, you may only do 10 to 12. A smaller number of reps are important because you don't tire as easily and you can focus on the quality of every move instead of just trying to finish.

Here are some good Pilates exercises to do if you're just focusing on your abs. All of these moves are from Ana Caban's DVD I mentioned above.

Note: Before beginning any type of exercise routine, you should always consult a physician

The Roll Up:

The roll up is one of the classic Pilates Mat exercises. Roll Up is a great challenge for the abdominal muscles, and is well known as a foundation exercise for the Pilates flat abs effect.

It has been said that one Pilates roll up is equal to six regular sit ups, and is much better than crunches for creating a flat stomach. If you are new to Pilates, or you have neck or upper back pain, you may want to begin developing your strength with Wall Roll Down and Supported Roll Back.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 5 min.

Here's How:

Lie on the floor with your legs straight. Let your belly drop down toward the floor and make sure your shoulders are relaxed and away from your ears. Take a few deep sequential breaths to make sure that you are in good alignment and breathing fully.
When you are ready, leave your scapula anchored in your back and the ribs down, as you bring your arms straight up over your head so that your finger tips are pointing to the wall behind you. This will be your beginning position
Inhale: Leave your scapula engaged in your back as you bring your arms up over head. As your arms pass your ears let the chin drop and head and upper spine join the motion to curve up.
Exhale: Continue in one smooth motion to roll your body in an "up and over" motion toward your toes. Deepen the curve of the abdominals as you exhale; and finally, keeping the head tucked, the abdominals deep and the back rounded, reach for your toes
Ideally the legs are kept straight throughout this exercise, with energy reaching out through the heels. However, a modification would be to allow the legs to bend a bit, especially as you come up and reach toward the toes.
Inhale: Bring the breath fully into the pelvis and back as you pull the lower abs in, reach the tail bone under and begin to unfurl, vertebrae by vertebrae, back down to the floor.
The inhale initiates this motion until you are about half way down. *Be sure to keep the legs on the floor and don't let them fly up as you roll down. Check that your shoulders are relaxed and not creeping up
Exhale: Continue to set one vertebrae after another down on the floor.
Keep your upper body curve as you go down slowly and sequentially. The arms are still outstretched and following the natural motion of the shoulders as you roll down. Once your shoulders come to the floor, the arms go with the head you continue to roll down to the mat.
Do Up to Six Repetitions: The roll up is one continuous controlled flowing motion, up and down. Try to synchronize with the breath. If you do this exercise with full attention, six repetitions will be sufficient.

Single Straight Legged Stretch:

Single straight legs is an intermediate Pilates mat exercise that challenges abdominal endurance and stretches the backs of the legs. This is a different exercise than Single Leg Stretch.

Modifications for this exercise include leaving the head down, bending the knees slightly, and increasing or decreasing the distance between the legs.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 5 min.

Here's How:

Begin by lying flat on the mat but with your legs extended toward the ceiling. Legs and heels are together in Pilates stance, rotated slightly outward from the hips.
Lengthen your spine, pull in your abdominals, and curl your chin and upper body up off the mat. The tips of the shoulder blades touch the mat.

You will maintain this upper body lift throughout the exercise. It is supported by the abdominals, not by straining the back or neck. Chest lift is a good building-block exercise for this move.
Grasp your right ankle, or below the knee if you have tight hamstrings. Stretch your left leg out at a 45 degree angle.
You can adjust the angle of the outstretched leg to make the exercise more or less difficult. The lower the leg, the harder the abdominals have to work to maintain alignment.
Inhale: Gently pull your right leg toward you. Pulse the leg toward you twice, increasing your stretch.
Switch legs quickly.
Exhale: Pull your left leg toward you. Pulse the leg toward you twice, increasing your stretch.
Switch legs quickly
Repeat 6-10 times.If you begin to feel strain in your neck, it is time to rest and then begin again

Tips:

Modify by keeping your head down and/or bending the knees slightly.
If you choose to increase difficulty by lowering the outstretched leg, you must be able to use your abdominals to keep your lower back from popping up off the mat.
Try to get a nice smooth rhythm going with the breath and the switching of the legs.
In a deep scoop like this one, you will want to breathe deeply into your back and sides.
The exercise, swimming, will provide a good counter stretch for single straight leg stretch.
What You Need:
An Exercise Mat

Double Straight Legged Stretch:

1. Lie on your back with your legs straight.

2. Slowly raise your head and neck off the mat as if you're starting a basic crunch. Place your hands behind your head.

3. Bend both legs in and raise them off the floor then straighten and point them in the air at 11 o'clock. Keep your head and neck off the floor.

4. Slowly move both legs down (keeping them together and as straight as you can) until they are about a foot from the floor.

5. Now raise them back up and begin again.

6. Repeat this 10 times.

One Leg Circles:

1. Lie on your back with arms at your sides. Pulling in your abs, extend the left leg toward the ceiling, and point your toe. Now rotate your foot slightly inward.

2. Rotate leg clockwise. Breathe in as you round your leg down without touching the floor. Exhale as you rotate your leg up to 12 o'clock.

3. Repeat this 5 times and switch legs.

How to Perform Effective Ab Crunches

2008-02-29T22:36:00.000-08:00

There has been some controversy over ab crunches. Do they work or not? The answer to that is, "It depends". As I've been stressing throughout the site, you cannot tone your stomach and abs without an overall change in your diet and full body exercise.

And if you're trying to get a six pack, you need to get your body fat down to around 10% or less.You can't keep the weight you've gained in one area of your body and still expect to get a six pack. Your body doesn't work like that.

You also cannot eat anything you want and finish off with ab crunches to work off all the fat you consumed for the day. It doesn't work that way because you are adding muscle and fat to your middle at the same time which can cause your stomach area to grow even larger.
You've got to work on changing your eating habits (lots of protein and less fat) and then you'll find that the crunches will be more effective.

Also make sure that your ab crunches are done in small quantities of controlled movements with short rests in between.

While the exercises below will help tone your middle. If you're really serious about getting a solid six pack, then I'd highly recommend Mike Geary's book The Truth About Six Pack Abs.

It's thorough, provides pictures of the proper ab exercises, and even offers meal suggestions.

The Basic Crunch:

This exercise works the upper area of your stomach and abs.

1. Start out by lying on your back.

2. Place your hands crossed on your chest and lie flat on the floor with your knees bent. You should always bend your knees because it provides necessary support for your lower back.
Some people like to place their hands behind their head but this is not the ideal position because you can strain your neck. What happens is when you get tired you have a tendency to pull on your neck (rather than your abs) to complete the exercise.

3. Slowly raise yourself up using your abs while pressing your lower back to the floor. As you reach the top of the crunch slowly exhale. Then slowly lower your back down to the flow as you inhale.

4. Repeat this process 20 to 25 times and rest for about 90 seconds. Then perform 2-3 more sets of crunches with 90 second rests between each set and you're done for the day!

Remember, the key is not to do 500 crunches at a time. The reason is, after the first 20 or 30 reps, your body gets lethargic and you end up "cheating" and not getting the full effect of the exercise anyway.

Always do a small amount (20 to 25) controlled movements at a time. You should really feel your ab muscles working by the time you hit 20. If not, you're not working your stomach and abs the way you should. Remember to focus that movement right in your middle section.

If your neck feels more worked than your middle section, you're not doing the crunches properly.

The Reverse Crunch:

These exercises work the lower portion of your abdominals.

1. Start by lying on your back. Bend your knees slightly with your legs in the air and cross your ankles.

2. Place your arms on the floor along side you.

3. Rest your head on the floor while keeping your back straight.

4. Slowly raise your hips about 2 inches off the floor. Try to keep your hips steady without rolling then backwards.

5. Hold this position for about 2-3 seconds and really squeeze or crunch your abdominal muscles while keeping your head and shoulders on the floor.

6. Slowly lower your hips back to the floor and repeat the process.

Again, you should really feel your lower abs working after about 20 to 25 ab crunches.

Take a 90 second rest after your first rep and then do 2 to 3 more.

The Best Stomach Exercise

2008-02-26T22:32:00.000-08:00

The best exercise for the stomach is one that may surprise you. It's not the traditional sit-up or ab crunch. It's not leg thrusts or trunk twists either.

So before you go out and buy the Gut Buster 5000, you should know that the best exercise you can do for your stomach won't cost you a thing.

All you need are your two feet because the best exercise that I'm talking about is none other than walking or jogging.

If you've found that your stomach is a little more flabbier than it used to be, it's likely there are other parts of your body that have unwanted weight attached. It's just that the stomach is often times the most noticeable.

Your body cannot just eliminate fat in one area. So if you are trying to crunch your way to a flatter stomach without exercising the rest of your body and reducing your fat intake, you'll never see results.

Start by doing cardio exercises to get that heart rate up and boost your metabolism. A good fast-paced walk or jog three times per week is a great way to accomplish this.

Experts say a good cardio workout can increase your metabolism by up to 24 hours!

A Quick Metabolism Exercise:

Below is a sample workout that can be done to help give your metabolism a quick boost so you can burn calories.

1) Perform 30 seconds of hard exercise like running in place.
2) Perform 60 seconds of moderate exercise (casual jog or brisk walk).
3) Repeat this process 5-10 times.
4) Cool down for 3-5 minutes.

Just Remember...

Along with a healthy diet, walking and/or jogging is one of the best stomach exercises you can perform because it raises your metabolism enough to burn excess calories all over your body.

Total body fitness, not just spot toning one area, is the key to a flat stomach. Why not kick start your fitness routine with a nice, fast-paced walk at least 3 times per week? It really is the best exercise, and your stomach will thank you. :)

Tips & Exercises for a Flat Stomach

2008-02-25T22:29:00.000-08:00

It has been defined as one of the most problematic areas on a person's body...the stomach - and it seems everyone is obsessed with flattening it.

Unfortunately many people think they can eat whatever they want and get a flat stomach by performing 250 crunches per day to burn off the extra fat and calories. That's probably the biggest myth around.

Not only will you find information on some of the best stomach exercises, but you'll also learn how to keep your tummy flatter by eating the right kinds of foods and learning how your body works.

Are Exercise Treadmills The Best Exercise Equipment

2008-01-06T00:28:00.000-08:00

Treadmills are relatively inexpensive pieces of equipment that you can purchase for your home gym. Treadmills can be small manually powered units that are easily stored. They can also be large motorized units that essentially become a permanent feature of your floor plan. Treadmills are used for home fitness, in commercial gyms, for medical tests, and for other unrelated purposes. Used correctly, treadmills can offer excellent conditioning and health benefits to those individuals who use them.

What Kind of Treadmills are There? Treadmills range from simple to complex. If you are going to purchase a treadmill for home use, then you must make certain that it suits your current physical needs and that it is expandable to meet your future needs. However, it is equally important to purchase a machine that is not going to present too much of a challenge to your or exceed what you perceive are your eventual needs. If your exercise equipment is too complex, you will be less likely to use it, preventing you from enjoying its benefits

When you prepare to purchase your home treadmill, be certain you do your research first. Measure the floor area in which you will keep your treadmill. Don't plan to keep your treadmill in the closet and take it out to use--you will never do it! Once you have your place selected for your treadmill, research the brands that make machines that fit that size space and have the features that you think you will use. All of these decisions are important in choosing between the many machines that are out there. Do not be attracted by all of the bells and whistle that come with today's machines if they will only prevent you from using the machine at all.

Motorized machines exist in a variety of complexities that offer the flexibility to suit a number of users. However, manual treadmills are easier for the average home user to maintain. Manual treadmills are also frequently less expensive than motorized treadmills. Only by comparing the advantages offered by each kind can you determinewhich best suits your needs.

What are the Benefits of Treadmill Exercise? Treadmills allow people to exercise indoors, even when the weather prevents them from going outside for a walk or for a jog. If they have certain displays, they can also monitor heart rate and estimate calorie use. It is possible to use your treadmill for strength training and endurance building, as well as for weight loss. Using a treadmill, whether in a gym or at home also permits the user to go for “long” walks or jogs, even when the area in which they train is dangerous for them to do so.

Disadvantages do exist to treadmills, of course. After an extended period of use, some people can find treadmill workouts to be boring. Also, treadmills are not safe to have around small children if those children can access the machine without parental supervision. For the most part, however, purchasing a treadmill for home use can add a new dimension to your workout.

Exercise: Why You Should Do It

2008-01-03T00:30:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of Thousands of Americans spend millions of dollars each year on diet pills, "magical" exercise devices, and misrepresented health and fitness products, when in all actuality a good set of dumbbells and a brisk walk may be all you need to get in better shape than you've ever been in.

What can you do with nothing but a set of dumbbells, you ask? Provide resistance to your body's movements - also known as weight lifting. That's all weight lifting is - resistance. The terms "weight lifting" and "resistance training" have become one in the same because they are describing the same activity - moving your body under more resistance than it normally has to handle.

In fact, you've just stumbled upon the basic secret of exercise in general! Whether you are talking about resistance training, Pilates, Yoga, cardiovascular activities, or any other form of exercise, all of these programs have one thing in common - performing more activity than you would get sitting on the couch. WHY should you exercise, though?

How about defying the aging process for starters? Do you know that the primary reason why elderly people end up in nursing homes is because they lose the ability to think and move on their own? Do you also know that the entire process of thinking and moving on our own happens because we do it every day? Until we retire, that is. Once we don't have to go to work anymore, or deal with scheduling and lifestyle issues, suddenly the only thing that we have to think about is whether to watch game shows or soap operas all day long, and the only exercise we get is deftly flying our fingers over the remote control.

Mush. That's what our brains and bodies turn into when we stop using them. Think you are still sharp as a tack, and at the height of your game? Try to say the alphabet backwards in 30 seconds or less.

Yes…. sharp indeed

What about physically? Think that you can still hold your own even though you don't really exercise much? Stop reading this article and drop down on the floor for some correct-form push-ups. Did you do at least 30 if you are female, or at least 40 if you are male? No? How about 20 or 25? 15? Unless you pulled off 30 or 40, you are probably at less than the 50 percentile mark for your gender - health conditions notwithstanding.

Okay, so you've determined that you aren't exactly Olympic athlete material. So what? You don't even like sports, let alone being very good at them. That's fine, and there is nothing wrong with that. So what about fat? Do you like bodyfat? Do you find it physically appealing? Do you think it's healthy? If so, we're done speaking. Go on about your business, and thanks for reading this far.

For everyone else, here is a newsflash: In America today - the year 2004 - obesity related health conditions account for more deaths in the United States each year than all known forms of cancer COMBINED. Heart Disease alone is the number one killer of American adults, and it is a PREVENTABLE CONDITION!

How about self-esteem? 64% of Americans are overweight. That is almost two-thirds of the population. If you think that a figure like that and the skyrocketing sales of prescription anti-depressants aren't related, you now have a second opportunity to stop reading this article and continue on with your day.

Here is the bottom line, folks: Exercise and a reasonable nutrition program are necessary for ALL people, for their ENTIRE lives. Note, however, that I said "exercise", and that I also said "reasonable nutrition program". At no point did I say anything about spending 2 hours per day at the gym, or about eating nothing but carrots and celery for the rest of your life. Why? Those practices are just as ineffective at long-term weight loss as diet pills and late night infomercial products. Here is what DOES work:

1) Weight/Resistance Training - Weight training for both men and women has the same effect - it makes your muscles more metabolically active. In simpler terms, it means your muscles will burn more calories - even when you are sleeping. Muscle is the only site on your body where bodyfat is broken down. Weak muscles = weak metabolism. Weak metabolism = slow calorie burning.

2) Cardiovascular Training - Contrary to popular belief, this type of training is meant to help your cardio-respiratory system function more effectively, and ultimately to last longer. Does it burn a lot of calories? Sure it does. However, if you don't combine it with resistance training and supportive nutrition, you'll likely just burn off water weight and the muscle tissue that you worked so hard for up in step number 1.

3) Reasonable Nutrition Program - Quality sources of complex and fibrous carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, and lean sources of protein. Eat those nutrients in reasonable proportions frequently throughout your day, and your metabolism (refer again to #1) will crank up to high, and you'll be burning more calories on a day to day basis than you ever have before in your life.

So far we have seen that not only can exercise keep us out of a nursing home, but it can also keep off excess levels of bodyfat which will - literally - keep us alive. We haven't even touched on sports performance, recreational activities, improved energy levels, ability to focus, or many of the other benefits of a regular exercise program.

Personally, I'd be happy with just staying out of a nursing home, and staying alive long enough to look good in a bathing suit. What about you?