The abdominal muscles are considered to be part of the trunk or core muscles of the body. The core muscles are used in almost every activity you engage in each day. The strength of your core muscles will affect your ability to perform everyday activities. In addition, your abdominal strength affects your posture. Poor posture is considered a common cause for lower back pain.
By improving your abdominal strength, the abdominal muscles will bear more of the physical burden required to perform your daily activities. This will alleviate undue stress placed on your lower back muscles. Abdominal exercises will also help improve your posture. Better posture will align your body and alleviate back pain frequently attributed to poor posture.
Avoiding injuries is an important part of exercise. It is difficult to attain the maximum benefit from your efforts if you are nursing an injury. But injury is an imminent risk when working with heavy weights or performing high intensity exercises. And since you receive maximum benefits from heavier weights and higher intensity exercises, it would seem counterproductive to reduce either in order to lower your risk of injury. So how can you avoid injury and still see results?
The key is to work all of your muscles, not just the muscles you want to show off. Most people tend to concentrate on specific muscles. Whether the purpose is to increase strength or for aesthetic reasons, working only particular muscles could lead to injury. Most activities require groups of muscles to work together to perform. One set of muscles contracts and the other extends to allow your body to move properly. If one muscle group is more fit, those muscles will react quicker. When the opposing muscle group’s reaction time is slower, an injury will occur. The resulting injury could be a muscle pull or strain. Even worse, a muscle tear could occur.
The bulk of your weight lifting exercises should be compound. Compound exercises work multiple muscle groups at once. This will strengthen all of the muscles at once. Isolation exercises can be used to improve the strength of the weaker muscles. Perform isolation exercises in addition to the compound movements, not instead of them. If you perform multiple isolation exercises for one muscle group, you will risk suffering a joint injury. Also, adding yoga or pilates to your weekly work out schedule is also beneficial. Both forms of exercise improve flexibility, reducing the risk of muscle injury. The exercises also help improve overall performance by increasing core strength.
You want to flatten your stomach and develop abdominal muscles but perhaps you are tired of repeating the same abdominal exercises over and over again. After time, the muscles need new exercises to avoid a plateau. Your muscles will adjust to the movement and the abdominal exercises you perform will become less effective. The solution is rotating the abdominal exercises by introducing new ones into your regular routine. Here are a couple of new exercises to try:
1. Sit on the floor with your legs bent at the knee and your heels resting on the floor. Lean your torso back to about a 45 degree angle. Hold a weight (3 to 10 lbs)in your hands, one end of the weight in each hand. Twist your torso to the left and lower the weight to the floor near your hip. Repeat the motion, twisting your body to the right side. That is one repetition. Perform 2 sets of 12 repetitions.
2. Lie on your back and place your hands behind your head. Lift your legs off the floor at about a 45 degree angle. Bring the left knee to your chest and extend the right leg so it makes almost a straight line. At the same time lift your torso into a crunch and twist your elbow towards the left knee. Repeat by bringing the right knee to your chest, left leg extended, and perform the crunch while twisting your elbow towards the bent right knee. That is one repetition. Perform two sets of 15 repetitions.
3. On an abdominal ball, position your body as you would to perform crunches. Your feet should be flat on the floor and your knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle. Lift your body into a crunch, twisting your body so your elbow is lifting towards the right side of your body. Repeat the motion on your left side. This will be one repetition. Perform 2 sets of 15 repetitions.
Rotate these exercises into your current routine and rotate exercises you have performed for an extended period out. After three months, rotate the exercises again.
The food pyramid directs you to eat 9-11 servings of grains per day. If you are concerned about weight and health, your first thought might concern possible weight gain. Diets warn you to avoid carbohydrates to avoid weight gain. But the impact of carbohydrates on your weight depends on the grains/carbohydrates you are consuming. White grains (carbohydrates) are processed, which results in vital nutrients being stripped from the food. The whiter the food product, the more it has been processed.
Whole grain products are processed less. This allows the grain product to maintain more of the nutrients present in the grain. Whole grain products are also higher in fiber. High fiber diets can lower cholesterol, prevent certain cancers, and prevent the digestive condition known as diverticulosis. Whole grain products are much lower in fat and are filling. If you have a diet rich in whole grains you will not add fat to your diet. And you may even eat less through out the day.
Try to choose grain products that specifically say “whole” in the ingredients. “Multi” grain products do not necessarily contain whole grains. As a general rule, the whole grain products are brown. The darker the grain, the less processed it will be and the more natural nutrients and fiber the food will contain. Substitute brown rice for white. Eat whole grain pasta instead of the more fattening white counterpart. The taste is only slightly different. And select whole grain cereals and bread.
In recent years, there has been a significant rise in the number of people diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to control blood sugar due to lack of insulin (Type 1) or improperly functioning insulin (Type 2). Symptoms of the disease include increased thirst, increased urination, and sometimes weight loss. Diabetes is detected by testing the blood sugar level in your body. Normal blood sugar levels are less than 110mg/dL. Individuals with levels equal to or greater than 126 are considered provisional diabetics. The high levels of sugar in the body indicate an insulin resistance.
Risk factors for diabetes include high blood pressure, sedentary lifestyles, elevated blood lipids, and those that are overweight. Omega-3 fatty acids are credited with reducing blood pressure, lowering triglycerides, and are highly unsaturated fatty acids. Eating foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon at least twice a week can help keep your body at a healthy weight and help you maintain a healthy heart. Omega-3 fatty acids help prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes by reducing the risk factors that contribute to the disease. And if you have already been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, it can help with the treatment.