Excercises to flatten my tummy?!
Question: Excercises to flatten my tummy?
I am vegetarian and eat healthily twice a day with 5 a day and lots of water, but I just need some excercises to flatten my tummy. I have lots of nice clothes but I can't wear them. My tummy lately got a little big, its looks fine tucked in but I'd like it to look good all the time.
Answers:
no tummy is perfectly flat for a start.
you need to push yourself if you want to see any kind of results. by the end of an abs workout i personally am absolutely whacked from trying so hard, i did one on friday and i still completely relied on my arms to get myself sitting upright when i woke up this morning. that's the way my bodybuilder boyfriend says it should be, and that way you'll really notice when you start to get better.
this looks like an ok abs workout for someone who doesn't want to get thrown in at the deep end like i was when i started:
http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abex…
but to get real strength and appearance you need to join a gym and get a trainer to take you through a proper abs session that will work for you.
Running. Forget about anything 'targetting' your stomach as spot reduction of fat was totally disproved about 50 years ago (although women's magazines in particular seem to live in a weird parallel universe where it wasn't), and exercises which target the abdominal muscles won't lead to much visual improvement while your abs are still covered by a layer of body fat. Cardio is the answer, running, biking, jogging, fast walking - as much as all of that as you can do without burn out and slowly but surely 'up' it.
Oh and if applicable, stop eating processed foods and simple carbs (white bread, white pasta etc).
Exercises which get your heart rate going such as running are good for burning fat. If you want exercises for abs try lying flat on your back on the floor, then raise your legs so that your feet are pointing at the ceiling. Remember to keep your legs perfectly straight as you do this, don't bed them! Also try the plank position and sit ups :)
a more developed set of abs will look more defined so a variety of crunch exercises will give you toned, developed abs, as well as that cardio (running, walking, cycling) will lose that excess fat meaning that your abs that you can now be proud of will show nicely
please could you help me with my question http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind…
Abs cardio
I always say this - DON'T think "crunches and sit ups" . they may actually cause you to have a bigger stomach as you build up muscle through doing them.
FAT IS NOT TURNED TO MUSCLE. so you tend to build muscle beneath the layer of fat on your tummy and it may appear larger than before.
THIS IS WHY CARDIO IS IMPORTANT - IT BURNS THE FAT!
just do running/jogging/biking/swimming/skipping
(bear in mind that you have to change your workout routine after a while, because if you don't you will keep on using the same muscle groups and will build muscle instead of burning fat; therefore your workouts should be challenging - like different lengths of time and different intensities and try to do varied exercises to engage all muscle groups)
Try HULA HOOPING - 'the cardio for abdominals'!!
it's not that hard to learn and it burns lots using all different abdominal muscles
The results can be better than you believe - do it for just 10 minutes a day and you can lose as much as 100 calories. And this will mean that you can shed up to 2 inches from the waist in just 30 days.
or try "belly waving" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li8NArR5M…
it aids the intestines to move food in your body - speeding up metabolism
SIMPLE CHANGES ALONGSIDE WORKOUTS AND TRAINING:
substitute - walk or bike instead of taking a car/bus
take the stairs instead of a lift - run up
take the longer path instead short cut
take with you additional weight like books or a big bottle of water
water - drink at least 2 litres of it /day. It prevents dehydration therefeore water isn't stored in your body (bloating stomach and places around ankles and all that lot), + it detoxifines the body and therefore helps to speed up metabolism
a natural way is also green tea - it boosts up metabolism in a natural way (5-6 cups a day burns off additional 70-80 calories)
eat plenty of fibre rich foods as they aid the movement of your intestines therefore speed up metabolism
and last but not least - a healthy balanced diet as you mentioned. lean protein, fruit, veggies- at least 5 a day (keep doc away), fish, nuts; also ditch snacks like sweets, chocolate, haribo, marshmallows, ice-cream, chips, crisps, fried foods, sodas, fizzy drinks, don't eat take aways, avoid high salt foods,
small portions, but eat 6 times a day and you'll be fine
PE - Personal Experience, i'm also a part time fitness instructor