FIRM AND FLATTEN YOUR ABS FOR THE NEW YEAR

You may have seen fitness cover models with “six pack” abs that looked mighty impressive. However, appearances can be deceiving. “You’re only as strong as your weakest link” is clichéd but true. Without a foundation of functional strength under the facade of “pretty” abs, you are vulnerable to muscle strains, back injuries, leg nerve pain or other injuries that could knock you out of commission for months.

If you’re a beginner or if you have any injuries or other physical limitations, you must work though the exercises in the proper sequence to develop muscle control, coordination and stability before moving to the advanced stuff. If you don’t even have the basics mastered, then following a routine you found in a magazine at random could be a disaster waiting to happen.

There are literally HUNDREDS of exercises you can do for your abs and core. The Key to any program is to provide you with enough variety to keep you engaged and interested for a long time, without giving so many that you feel overwhelmed.

Next make your workouts progressive-the more challenging your workouts the stronger your core will become, you simply jump in at the level based on your current condition. It’s also easy to create additional routines based on the numerous exercises and training principles once you set your mind to do more than crunches in your routine!

Stop doing those outdated and ineffective exercise just lying on the floor.

Stop doing the same abdominal exercises almost everyone is still doing without the results to show or feel that may even cause you back pain.

Why tight hip flexors muscles that run the front of your thighs and tie into your lower back could be preventing you from achieving that flat firm waistline by being over activated every time you work your abs causing major muscular dysfunctions throughout your entire core region and why you need to stretch these muscle groups before working your abs to get stronger firmer midsection.

These are just a few pointers to help you achieve a stronger, firmer core. You can learn many more important topics by staying informed and keep reading and take as much as you can out of book the authors have to share and apply it to your exercise program.

New Year's Resolutions in February?

Every year since I started teaching Pilates reform classes ten years ago, I've devoted the last week of December to making New Year's resolutions. To some of my friends and colleagues, this tradition makes no sense."Why set goals just because every one else is doing so?"
    Somebody asked. "It betrays a desperate lack of imagination.""People who make New Year's resolutions don't follow them,"
Someone else pointed out. "It's better not to make commitments In the first place."Isn’t  it just a burden involved in making new promises when you are already busy keeping the promises you've made in the past?

    Instead of thinking like this, think of resolutions as good habits that you are trying to cultivate. Don't add a good one without dropping an old one. Set realistic goals this year.Goal-setting works. In study after study, productivity experts find that people who set goals achieve more than those who don't. 

    My own life dramatically changed when I began writing down and prioritizing my goals. And that's true for every one of my friends and clients who have done the same.
     In the beginning, I had mixed success. Each year, I'd refine My system a little bit and each year, I managed to accomplish more. In the past two years, I have accomplished at least 90% of what I set out To do - and there's no reason you can't do it too.

I suggest that you establish one significant goal for the year

 - Make your goal specific. If possible, make it quantifiable.

- Make your goal realistic.

- Break it down into pieces.

- Establish a time line.

- Allow room for setbacks and distractions.

- Identify your support team.

- Establish a way to reward yourself at the end and on the way.

    Why I am I writing about New Years Resolution's in February? Because we are all human and we let pain stop us from achieving our goals and tell ourselves we don’t have the time to commit to ourselves to get in better shape etc.
    Well it’s February how are you doing so far this year? Are you stretching daily? Strengthening your core?  

It’s never too late to start any type of exercise program that makes you feel better and healthier.
Go for it and don't let anything hold you back!

Muscular Balance and Your Back

Have you ever gone to a doctor or therapist with back, neck, shoulder or other joint pain and heard the infamous words “ You’ll just have to learn to live with it?
If that has been the case this article is for you.
Perhaps you feel fine as long as you don’t run, train your shoulders, play golf or do some other activity you love to do. In most cases, this just doesn’t have to be the case. You need to find a balance. The type of balance I will be discussing here is structural or musculosketal balance. The vast majority of aches and pains are caused by structural imbalances of one or more muscle group and the joints that they connect to. As a result you develop a domino effect because an imbalanced group stress other muscles and joints placing further stress on your body.
Causes of such problems are vast why pulled muscles and joint imbalances place your body in a chronic stage of limited movement. One reason this damage occurs from repeated overstress such as:

• Over training certain body parts
• Repetitive movements with the same side of your body in sports
• Poor posture while working out
• Poor posture while sitting at your desk or watching TV

These continual patterns causes your body to muscle guard and lock up your movements resulting in chronic pain patterns worsening the imbalance areas over time.

Evaluate the following areas to help prevent these imbalances from occurring in the first place.

• Look in the mirror and check your standing posture. Are your shoulder rounded forward? Is one shoulder higher then the other? Is your head tilted to one side? Are your arms rotated inward or are your hands relaxed by your side?

• Once noted these postural imbalances, focus on correcting them by relaxing and stretching your muscles.

Do the same process before working out. Look in the mirror when you begin your movements and make sure that your back is straight and your muscles are relaxed before starting a single repetition and you’ll be on your way to a better workout.

Remember there are over 200 bones that are moved by more then 550 muscles in many directions and are complex it will take time to over come your imbalances, but once you do you will feel and see improvements as a result of your effort.

Strength Training: How to Get Great Results in Less Time

If you've been reading my blog for a while, chances are you already know about the benefits of strength training. Strength training can help you lose body fat while adding calorie-burning muscle. But the benefits of strength training actually go way beyond that.

Strength exercise can, reduce low back pain, decrease arthritic discomfort, increase your bone density, improve your metabolism. And the good news, it doesn’t take long to do if you spread out your exercises throughout the day. It only takes two or three 1/2 hour workouts a week to feel and notice a difference.

That's not much. Even coupled with three or four sessions of short wall stretches like the kind I describe in the book, you can still get in pretty good shape in only a few hours a week.

 How  Many  Reps or Weight amount should you be using?

Start out with, one set of 10 to12 repetitions is productive as three sets in terms of overall effectiveness when learning a new movement or coming off an injury. They key to the effectiveness is to use 70% of your maximum weight. So if you could do a bench press for one rep with 60 pounds, do 10 to12 reps at 45 pounds. If you're able to easily do more than 12 reps, it's time to raise the weight. If, on the other hand, you can't quite manage 10 reps, lower the weight a bit till you can.

The goal is to stress the muscles just enough to create new muscle without any injury.

Best of all, you don't have to buy any expensive equipment, or even go to a gym to do it. (And doing this at home is starting to look even more attractive as gas prices keep going up!) Just buy yourself a couple of dumbbells and use some chairs at home and your all set for a full body workout.

Should you do squats if you have back problems? Part One

I get this question often and my answer varies from one person to anther when it comes to this particular exercise. The Squat is probably one of the trickiest exercise to learn to do with proper technique.
 Let’s first review what a squat is for those who are new to this exercise or have performed it but ended up with a sore back and legs as a result of doing them.
Start by bending your legs at the knees and hips, lowering your upper body between your legs, then reverse your direction to stand up straight again. Your upper body should remain fairly upright during the movement. (Note too many people bend too far forward when squatting, taking the pressure off the legs and placing it into the lower back)

Proper technique is the most important aspect when performing the squat. If done improperly you could injury yourself severely. Your back must maintain it’s natural curve during the exercise and not rounding your upper back forward or arching your lower back by excessively sticking out your hips during the movement, otherwise excess strain can be placed on the spine and cause serious injury.

There are many variations of the squat and these are the more common seen in the gym in one form or anther.
Olympic Squat- weight is held behind your head resting on your shoulders.
Front Squat – a weight, usually a barbell rests on your front shoulders.
Overhead Squat - squatting while pushing a weight overhead.

Why do Squats at all?
Benefits of the Squat. Every muscle works when you Squat: legs move the weight, your abs & lower back stabilize, upper-back stays tight, arms squeeze the bar, etc. The Squat is a full body exercise. So remember to use your core at all times while squatting.
Builds Muscle.
Leg Strength.
Hip Flexibility.
Knee Stability.
Before You Start. Lack of hip flexibility makes it impossible to Squat with proper technique. Stretch out first and perform body weight only squats starting with a chair placed behind you and squat down until you touch the chair with your glutes before returning to the upright position. Also doing the movement in front of a mirror will help you correct bad posture positions that you may have while squatting. Side Squats and Lunges are good options as well for warming up and improving your hip flexibility.

Part two I’ll explain about Tight Hamstrings, and how it forces your pelvis downwards resulting in rounding your back limiting your squatting and stressing your lower back too much and how to correct it.
Keep on training!

No-Nonsense Tips to Help You Lose Weight This Summer

Summer is a great time to shape up and get rid of unwanted pounds.
Burn away calories with these simple, no-nonsense tips:

• Eat more complex carbohydrates such as whole-grains and fiber-rich foods instead of simple, starchy carbs (white bread and bagels. The complex carbs will help you feel full longer and help you metabolize your foods more efficiently.

• Eat more protein with your carbohydrates. Protein tends to be more filling and lower in calories than simple carbohydrates.

• Drink more green tea. An important ingredient being studied for its role in controlling weight, green tea helps increase the body’s calorie burning rate and provides valuable antioxidants.

• Rehydrate by drinking lots of water and avoiding drinks with calories (sodas, juices, and even certain sports drinks). Research indicates that the body is unable to identify calories in liquid form, so you tend to consume a larger amount of unnecessary calories this way.

• Control your portions and don’t eat directly from packages or bags
•  
• Eat slowly. This will allow your body to feel full with less food than if you eat in a hurry. You’ll also be able to keep better track of how much food you’ve already consumed.

•  Replace some meat dishes with soy-based food. Current research suggests that soy isoflavonoids help metabolize fat better.
•  
• Exercise in the morning as soon as you wake up. This can help you metabolize fat more effectively.

Most importantly keep on training!

Injuries

One of the most frustrating scenarios we face is when we finally make that commitment to improving our health, and start to work out, and then discover ourselves sidelined due to an injury. Let’s take a simple look at how to best avoid getting injured, and what to do should our precautions fail.

We'll all cope with an injury of some kind during our lifetimes. Accidents are inescapable. But when you're exercising to improve your health, physical setbacks are more frustrating than normal. On the flip side, if you don't exercise, your body will age faster and break down quicker. Looking at the big picture can help motivate you to get into a routine of exercise. Nothing, however, can derail this motivation faster than a nagging injury. After all, you may only be exercising to make yourself feel better. And injuries make you feel worse. But before you resign yourself to the "what's the point?" attitude, read on. I'll show you how to greatly reduce your chance of getting injured in the first place. Next week, I'll discuss how you can get back on your feet quickly when you do get injured.

Warming up
Warming up seems like a waste of time to you- you may be missing the point. Who hasn't, at one time or another, jumped right into an intensive workout like and walked away unharmed? But if you want to remain uninjured, nothing stacks the odds in your favor as much as thoroughly warming up your body to get it ready for exercise.
Injuries aren't just accidents.
Putting stress on a cold system can cause acute injury, even with resistance that you can normally handle easily. The reason is that when you're cold, your muscles are actually gel-like. As they warm up, they become more viscous, kind of like oil in your car engine. As you increase your heart rate, your core body temperature heats up. When this happens, your muscular viscosity decreases, and you become more supple and ready to handle the stresses of exercise.
A proper warm-up starts out slow and gradually increases in intensity. Once your blood is moving, easy, functional stretches (like the daily dozen in the book) help elongate your muscles so that they're ready for the intense contractions that will happen later. Note that long, slow stretching should be avoided as part of the warm-up. The type of stretching that you do to increase your flexibility should be done post-exercise. Pre-exercise stretches should remain very low on the intensity scale. They serve only to loosen up the body to its current range-of-motion abilities, not to increase that range.

This is your first step to improving your odds in preventing a workout injury.
Until next time
Keep on Training!

Preventing Holiday Weight Gain

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s the average person gains 6 to 12 lbs. If this has happened to you in the past and you want to prevent it from happening to you this year, I suggest that you give yourself a realistic goal now of no weight gain!

You are going to need a plan. The plan that I have is surprisingly simple and doesn’t require extraordinary effort on your part and is 100% fool proof!

1. Weigh yourself. You need to know this number. This is your reference point. So, dig out the scale from the back of your closet and weigh yourself. Throughout the holiday weigh yourself first thing in the morning, daily. If you see a weight gain, address it right away (Ask yourself did you eat a lot of salty foods the day before or tons of sweets or more than 4 meals that day?) Then increase your exercise and eat less the next day. Trust me, this works.
2. Exercise daily. Schedule this into your calendar. It can be as simple as walking on the treadmill or brisk walk outside during your lunchtime. But you must do something. Exercise elevates your metabolism beyond the duration of the exercise activity. If you go walk for 30 to 45 minutes in the morning, your metabolism will stay elevated throughout the rest of your morning. Exercise will also reduce your holiday stress as well.
3. Don’t skip any meals. This is an incredibly busy time of year and your body needs fuel to accomplish all that you have to do. Keep your meals about 3 to 4 hours apart and include an afternoon snack. By taking time for meals you can resist temptation on all those calorie-loaded treats. If you are on the go, take your snack along with you. Be sure it contains protein, because it will help you to feel satisfied. Suggestions for snacks on the go include: cheeses or handful of nuts like cashews, walnuts or almonds.
4. Stay away from the breadbasket. Maybe you didn’t realize it but those inviting, bread rolls have over 233 calories apiece – before you add the butter. Unless it contains fiber, white bread has little benefit to your body. Do the math: 2 rolls (466 calories) + butter (110 calories) = 576 calories!
5. Start your day with protein and some carbs – it will keep you satisfied longer. I suggest omelet or turkey links with your oatmeal to begin the day.
6. Drink a lot of water throughout the day – Staying hydrated will help your body from bloating and help flush your system.

The holidays are a fun time to enjoy with family and friends. You can enjoy it all without gaining weight!

Good Luck and keep on training!

AbSmart Meals

If you want  a lean and stronger midsection and live a longer, healthier life, you need to look at what you put in your body. Start by keeping a food log for the next three days. Try to write down everything you put into your mouth. Here is the key to food logs if this is your first time recording or the 100th time. Write at the end of the day what you have eaten to give you a true reading of what you normally  eat rather then writing at each meal.
Then look at your food choices you made. Do you see a pattern of certain foods you eat at the same time for the same meal? Are you snaking late at night? Do you always eat meat for dinner? These are just a few things to look at to help you make better decisions about your food intake and many more. Here are just a few more ideas to help you trim your waistline.
·      Treat yourself to new cuisine once a month until you are eating a variety of foods each and every week.
·      Stop starving yourself during the week, then blowing it over the weekend, stuffing yourself with toxic foods, is it really worth your effort?
·      Are Food Reactions Causing Your Bloating and Swelling?
·      Do you wrongly appear fatter on some days than others even if you have eaten the same amount and same type of foods as the day before?
·      There are good and bad bacteria, knowing the right ones to restore them to balance and shrink your waist.
 Keep on training!

Are Back Spasms slowing you down?

 An all too common event takes place during your day or night. You first wake up in the morning and you go to turn to get out of bed and then it hits you- a severe muscle contraction that won’t let go until you lie flat again until the episode sip sides. Or you go to pick up the morning paper or bend over to put on your shoes and your back freezes up, leaving you with a crook in your back or neck and you are forced to walk around like the Hunch back of Notre Dame.
These back spasm (spontaneous, abnormal contraction of a muscle) can occur any time day or night- even in the middle of the night you can feel a sharp griping pull in your muscles as you try to turn over. Or as you are working out in the middle of your workout your back locks up and you are unable to find a comfortable position until the spasm decrease.
All these events are a typical back spasm event; causes vary from the lack of flexibility to tearing of the muscle fibers. All of them resulting in sever discomfort or chronic tightness in the involved region.

Causes are vast, here are a few common ones

• Your pelvis is angled too far forward more than normal when standing or sitting.
• Any kind of back weakness such from a disc issue to arthritis in the spine.
• Hamstring tightness- very common with athletes and people who sit too much, the muscles that run down the back of the legs
• Weak or inflexible muscles along the spine
• Weak stomach and core muscles.

How to prevent muscle spasm in the first place is to have a good flexibility program in place and to do it daily. Yes daily, just a few minutes a day can help prevent your muscles from tightening up on you and also improve your range of motion. By using a simple household ladder or chair can increase your flexibility as well as make it fun and easy to do.
You don’t have to lie on the floor to stretch out your legs any more there are many useful ways to stretch out your body by using postural stretches with the help of gravity and even the wall so you can do stretches just about anywhere-from the airport to sitting at your desk in your cubicle. You do not need a lot of space to improve and prevent muscle spasm from occurring.
 Of course stretching is just once aspect of muscle spasm, diet and hydration are important too. Always check with your health care provider before starting any kind of exercise program or to rule out any serious medical problem that may be contributing to your pain.

Keep on training.

Why Do Some Golfers Have Low Back Pain?

To really understand low back pain in golf, we need to look at the key compensation patterns that occur when someone attempts to activate their muscles. As I see so often, substituting low back involvement for using your core muscles and glutes is one major problem of low back pain in many of the golfers that I see. Correcting this pattern of dysfunction should become top priority in your training program.

The problem is your glutes muscles have become weak while your hip flexors have become stiff limiting your range of motion while swing your golf club. It is an all too common problem seen in the majority of golfers today. While the majority of people sit too much during the day causing these muscle groups to become deconditioned, golfer especially with weak cores set themselves up for injuries when you try to swing a golf club with these limited and weakened muscles in the core group, you are forced to compensate using the surrounding back muscles. The glutes are large and powerful muscle groups in your body and asking your lower back muscles to do the job of the core muscles and glutes during the golf swing will most certainly create an injury to the back due to overuse.

Proper strengthening of the core muscles including your glutes will be the best restore your strength and reduce your pain.

It is extremely important that you are able to set the core muscles in the body to properly stabilize the spine and actually activate your core muscles when training, otherwise you will just revert back to your normal pattern of using your back muscles instead of your core muscles and aggravate your problem further.

It is recommended that you check with your physician before starting or adding any new exercises to your routine.

Ab exercises without hurting your neck

Time after time I see it in the gym or a club where people are doing neck crunches rather than working their core. You know who you are- keeping your head very still with your chin raised and your arms locked behind your head with very strict form.

The problem is by maintaining this invisible apple or orange between your chin and chest may be putting your cervical spine into a more vulnerable position if you have a tendency to carry your head too far forward when you are standing. For example have a friend look at you from the side while standing relaxed and arms by your side with your feet shoulder width apart. Have them note where your ear lines up with your shoulder. Can they draw a straight line down the middle of your shoulder? Or is it too far forward and your chin is sticking forward or to one side more than the other?

All these positions point to an anterior head position meaning you are putting too much pressure on your spine in the neck region in your relax posture position. Image how much stress in place on your neck when you place your hands behind your head now? See how this can bring this misalignment even further forward? All this leads to sore neck muscles and less tension on your abs where it belongs.

Key points to preventing neck strains while working your abs.

Relax!!!!

Let your head find the natural position by resting in your hands.

Stop pulling up on the back of your head when you are crunching!

Breathe!!!! Holding your breath will cause more tension in your neck and upper body.

These are just a few points, next time we'll cover movements and the secret of not straining and getting that flat abs you always wanted!

Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain While Still Enjoying yourself!

The Holiday season is here. This is the season I refer to as "weight gain" season. This time of year will bring ample opportunity for you to indulge, to enjoy, and to expand your waistline. Of course, the choice is yours. I have outlined some tips that will save you from unwanted holiday pounds: Obligate Yourself to Exercise Promising yourself isn't enough- write it down on your calendar when you are going to exercise and stick to it. Sign-up for a new exercise class Try something challenging that you haven't done before. Workout with a friend You will get more motivated and have help from a like minded person to stay in shape. Decide on an exercise activity that you can both enjoy and set a schedule for your workout dates. Cut the Fat I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't indulge in any seasonal treats, just think in moderation. At holiday parties load your plate first with greens, vegetables, fish and lean meats before breads and heavier foods. Then pick a sweet and enjoy it slowly. Watch what you drink! This one is a huge one this time of year. Most drinks are filled with extra calories. Easy on the cocktails and eggnog. They are very enjoyable but filled with empty calories. Having the right mindset You can enjoy the holidays without dealing with added pounds. Most people approach the holidays with the mindset that says "I deserve to indulge and I shouldn't have to exercise since it's the holidays." This is fine if you don't mind entering 2010 a few pounds heavier, a little less healthy, and lower energy than ever before. I think that you should enter the New Year in better shape than you are today, healthier than you've been in a long time, and with more energy that you thought possible! Have a fantastic holiday season!