Is there anyone who does not want a tight, flat stomach? If you have been exercising your abs and trying to get "six pack abs" but not having any luck, don't despair. These seven proven exercises and lifestyle changes will come to your rescue.
The stomach is one of the problem places on the body where weight gain can end up. Once the fat it is there it can seem nearly impossible to remove. You may do all kinds of exercises, and notice your legs and arms becoming tightened and toned. Yet your tummy might still be losing the battle of the bulge. What can be done about this body zone?
Follow these seven steps and you will see major improvements. Not only will your abs look good, you will also tone your surrounding muscles so that you strengthen your back.
1. Contract your stomach muscles while you are sitting. You might be at work, in the car or watching television. No matter, wherever you are, simply hold in your stomach for half a minute. Do this simple but effective isometric style exercise several times every day. Think of it as a mini stomach crunch that you can do standing up or sitting down. The best results seem to come from taking a deep breath, contracting your stomach muscles as hard as you can, and then letting out the breath very slowly throughout the contraction.
2. Give up soda pop, alcoholic beverages and mocha lattes. Substitute water instead. This may not be an exercise per se. However you are exercising your better judgment and your willpower. Soda pop contains seven teaspoons of sugar or more. Beer and wine are pure calories with zero food value. Fancy coffee drinks are really just a big glass of milk. We have never seen anyone lose weight around their stomach area unless they give up these fattening beverages. Nobody wants to give them up and so they continue to complain about how hard it is to get a flat stomach. Try drinking water only for thirty days and you will see a remarkable improvement in your waistline.
3. Use an exercise ball. These are inexpensive and effective for helping tighten your tummy. You can do crunches on the ball and you'll find they are easier to do and more effective than when done on the floor. You can also do a bridge, where you lay back on the ball with your fingers and toes touching the floor. This is also good for your back. Most of these balls come with instructions on how to use them to do crunches.
4. Try Pilates. There is a reason these exercises are so popular today. The routines strengthen your core through movement and breathing. It tones your entire body but especially the abdominal section. Once you have tightened your abs, Pilates is also effective in maintaining your flat stomach, if done on a regular basis.
5. Leg raises. These can work wonders to help to flatten your tummy. This is one you may have done in school. You lay on your back on a mat on the floor. Then while keeping your back flat on the floor, you slowly raise your legs about a foot off the floor. Keep your legs stiff and hold them up for ten seconds. Focus on your abs as you do this exercise. Rest and repeat. You will feel your abs straining. This also helps to tighten the thighs and butt.
6. Knee raises. This is usually done at a gym on a special piece of equipment. You place your arms in a support device and then lift your knees towards your chest. You can also get one of these gadgets to put in a corner at home. However someone invented some arm slings that are less expensive and work just fine. To get the idea of how this exercise works, imagine yourself hanging by your hands onto a chin up bar. Instead of pulling your body up by your arms, you instead simply pull your knees up. When you do this your stomach gets a crunch like you would not believe.
7. Any kind of aerobics exercises that get the cardiovascular system running at high gear. Brisk walking, jogging, bicycling, elliptical workouts, you name it. The idea is to burn calories. Stop drinking fattening beverages and start doing aerobic type exercises. This way you will have less calories coming in and more calories being burned. The net effect is, you guessed it, weight loss through fewer calories. Take in fewer calories by drinking only water, and burn more calories off through daily aerobic exercise. Combine these lifestyle changes with the stomach exercises noted here and you will be on you way to a sexy flat stomach in no time.
Monica Nelson writes articles that offer helpful information on health topics such as the best Tummy Exercises and many other women's diets ideas and fitness tips for getting a toned, athletic body fast.
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