Archive for the ‘Flatter Tummy’ Category
Abdomen Crunches Alone Will Not Give You a Flat Tummy
More and more people are discovering that abdomen crunches and sit ups alone just will not flatten the tummy. Because of so many conflicting info that I’ve received, I’ve decided to try if it works. It doesn’t, as evident on a previous Tummy Project that I have tried- focusing on crunches. Now, I am no longer doing crunches- not on the stability ball, the abdomen weight machine or on the floor. And I am seeing better results.
There’s an article writen in Daily Muscle: Strong, Sexy Abs, Why Don’t I See Them? provides an excellent explanation on the only way to make your tummy smaller is via cardio and controlled food intake. Similar explanation is given by IntenseWorkout: Abdominal Exercises (The Truth).
And through my personal experience, what is mentioned in both articles above are very true. Here are the changes I’ve made and I see much better results compared to 70 crunches that I used to do:
The Importance Core Conditioning
In the world where everyone’s obsessed about looking like body builders or super models, the focus has always been on cardiovascular and strength training. There’s even growing trend that’s talking about how certain protein, steroids and supplements can form muscle bulks. Sorry, but in my blog, I do not cover any other methods towards fitness and health except figuring out sensible eating plans and exercise. No shortcuts here.
I have just gone through a book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Core Conditioning (Illustrated) by Patrick S. Hagerman.
The author talks about the importance of core conditioning, which according to him differs from yoga and Pilates. Core conditioning or known as function training are working on muscles that we cannot see. The core muscles- ie muscles in our trunk (not only at the abs but includes chest, back and hips) are what put us together and enable daily functions such as carrying things, balancing and posture.
Shortcuts to Weight Loss- and why you shouldn’t take them
There are various quick ways being advertised for instant weight loss. We are bombarded by such constant advertisements everyday. I have tried none of these (except the diet pill that my mom made me take when I was 15) but here’s what I know from others experience:
- machines that promises to ’shake’ your fat away- all you need to do is to stand on them and let the machine do all the work to shake off the fat.
- diet pills- yeah, my mom had me try them when I was 15- ended up gaining more weight that I’ve lost. Also, you’ll never know what they put inside those pills or if proper testing have been done. Pharmaceutical companies produces these pills and some of them are recalled every year because it’s found to be dangerous to health- this shortcut can result to possible liver and kidney damage. I remember a neighbor of mine tried some diet pills- and develop severe allergy reactions- her whole body was swollen and pimples (with pus) developed all over her face. She had to be hospitalised.
- creams that you can apply on problem area and miraculously the cellulite on that part is supposed to dissapear- they normally don’t.
- meal replacement shakes- they’re a torture to take and no one I know can keep off weight long term by taking them.
- taking laxatives- take the food, following by a strong laxative so that the food is purged out. It’s very unhealthy and causes the body to lose crucial nutrients- it affects the digestive system and in the long run, health goes downhill.
- slimming centers- you spent tonnes of money on them on them- and they’ll do some kinda slimming wraps or herbal or chili or whatever wraps that’s supposed to help. And they’ll give you some eating plans emphasizing on low calorie diet- these plans or recipes- you can get it for free from so many websites out there. And you have to keep going back and pay through your nose- else, you’ll gain the weight back easily
- liposuction- very painful coz it’s literally flushing all the fat out from your body. If you are not careful, you’ll gain it back within 2 months.
- gastric bypass surgery- cutting off a part of the stomach- normally people who are so fed up because they can never seemed to lose weight finally resort to making their stomach so small that it’s not possible for them to stuff themselves with food. Al Roker (American TV newscaster & singer from Wilson Philips & Heart have done that). I strongly feel this is not a solution- uncontrollable food cravings are physiological and biological- why not address the deeper issue instead of taking a shortcut. Furthermore, the person had to be on supplements, medication and planned meals their entire life. In my opinion, unless it is life threatening, a person who resorts to this as a form of plastic surgery must have a deep self-hatred and are not capable of accepting themselves for who they are.
Project ‘Tummy’ Part 7- Conclusion
Concluding from Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6…
Recap:
When I started this little self-project on 27 Oct, a.ka experimentation, I made the following changes: doing crunches on the Swiss/balance ball in almost every workout session. Sometimes I do 30, 40 and even up to 80 times. But if the repetition is high, I will split up into 2 times in between cardio and strength training.
Benefits:
It helps to strengthen the core- I hold my yoga post better. I derive more endurance during workouts. My posture strength increases because the exercise also helped strengthened my lower back muscles.
Did my size tummy reduce?
Read the rest of this entry »
Spot Reduction- does it work?
Spot reduction- targeting workout in order to lose fat on a specific part of the body. For instance, people will do a zillion sit ups in order to reduce the tummy. Or a thousand push ups for a firmer arms in order to fit into that evening sleeveless dress only to find that your abdomen had gone flatter but not much difference on the arms.
Many fitness experts have now agree that spot reduction does not work. So If you only do sit ups and no other forms of active exercises, then I definitely agree that you will not be able to see the results that you want.It’s true- if you focus your workout on some areas, you will succeed in building muscles in that area but you will not lose the fat. You need to lose the fat by reducing your calorie intake and doing lots of cardio exercises so that your body will start using the fat in your body as fuel. Then you also throw in some weight training so that you built more muscles, coz muscles are metabolically active and you get to burn more calories even at resting rate.
Weight or fat gain
For folks who have gone through the process of weight gain, you will find that the weight gain is distributed to various parts of the body, even though it tends to be annoying obvious at the abdomen area. Then one day, something clicked inside you and you start a workout program consisting of cardio and a bit of weight training. Read the rest of this entry »
Project ‘Tummy’ Part 3- Swiss Ball Crunches
Continuation from Part 1 & Part 2.
I think my hunch on using the Swiss ball is working.
Yesterday at the gym, I did 40 times crunches using the Swiss ball aside from the following schedule:
- yoga class (1hr)
- 45 min of cardio (the intensity: 350 kcal)
- then another yoga class (1hr)
Feels good as yoga really stretches muscles well.
What to Avoid If You Want to Lose that Tummy
We have the obvious food that many people had placed into the ’sin’ category, namely the 5 Cs: Cookies, Candies, Cakes, Chocolates & Chips. But anyone who had lost weight and maintained it for a long time will tell you that it’s okay to indulge once a while.
Today, I will not talk about those but instead, about other food that sabotage our best efforts to lose that tummy. Watch the portions that you are taking very carefully:
1. Peanut Butter
Whatever type, be it chunky, smooth, with sugar or no added sugar, peanut butter is seriously very fattening. You only need to eat about 2 tablespoons of it daily and you will be gaining weight in no time, even though with vigorous exercise. There are times that I am eating just right for weight loss as recommended in certain books. I reduced my sugar and starch intake but replaced them with peanut butter. And the most is about 2 tablespoons per day, considering I had cut down sugar, rice and white bread. Even with rigorous exercise, I could not reduce my tummy. And when I stopped taking peanut butter, my tummy grew flatter. When women asked me why they could not lose weight despite trying very hard, I asked them if peanut butter is in their food list. The answer is normally yes.
