The shape of things

I've said it many times before - my trouble spot has always been my abs. So when I read articles about how to get flat abs I always take it in with a grain of salt - since I've read tons of these articles.

So today when I saw this "6 tips for Flat Abs" on webMD, I decided to give it a try. Although a lot of the tips are pretty standard - eat less, move more - there are some great ideas thrown in there. I decided to share those with you.

The first tip - and my favorite - is so simple and easy that by the time you finish reading it, you can have flatter abs. Seriously. Want to know what it is?

Stand up straight! Improving your posture can drastically make you look leaner, and in many cases get rid of your pooch. When your shoulders are back and your chest is up your abs naturally pull themselves in.

Here's how to have great posture while standing: "align your ears over your shoulders, shoulders over hips, hips over knees, and knees over ankles. Keep the fronts of the shoulders open like a shirt on a hanger, instead of a shirt on a peg. Draw your navel to your spine and keep your weight even on the balls and heels."

I also love the second tip - do pilates. Basically when you do crunches, you're not developing strength and flexibility around your core. Meaning - you're not hitting all the muscles of your core. The tip is to work your core in "3-D" the back, sides and middle.

A few other tips are to take things slow - you won't get fast long-lasting results - and to set realistic goals.

For the reast of the tips and some great ab exercises, read the article.

If you want some more information about flat abs:
Read about how Pilates has changed my abs.
Read why only doing crunches won't fix your abs.
Read about how contracting your transverse abs will help you get flat abs.

It's been a LONG while since I've posted an actual workout on here so when I found this one today on Women's Health I knew I had to share it with you.

We should all be well aware of the benefits of a plank - push up position - you use all your core muscles to stabilize your body and then you use almost every other muscle as well (arms, back, legs, calves, shoulders). But just holding a plank for an extended period of time can get boring.

So Women's Health came up with four "twists" on the original plank. Some of these moves I've done in my Pilates mat class, and others I can't wait to try.

This is a great "at-home" in front of the TV workout. Each move calls for ten sets (but don't worry each move is only one rep) So you could do this workout all at once during your favorite show. Or as a circuit doing the four moves in a row two times during each commercial break (that should last you throughout Ugly Betty, right?).

Now don't be fooled - if you've never done exercises in a plank position these are really TOUGH. They take a lot of strength and a lot of energy. You just may sweat. :)

But for a great all-over strength toning session, print out this workout and let me know how it goes. Here's to having stronger muscles and a stronger core!

I've mentioned before about how my one main "trouble spot" all my life has been my belly. Growing up I always had a pooch, and when I started gaining weight in college the pooch turned to a pot belly. I was always very self-concious about this part of my body and never - ever - ever liked wearing bikinis or anything showing my midsection.

When I started losing weight I lost weight everywhere else first and then in my belly (boobs, thighs, arms then belly!). And when I was at my target healthy weight I still wasn't too satisfied about the look of my abs. The top part was flat-ish but the lower part was still flab-ish. I did so many crunches and core workouts. And I always mixed them up trying new moves and doing more reps or adding resistance. I still felt like not much was happening.

Then, I made the decision to take Pilates.

Read about my first class here. I wasn't sold after the first class. I liked it, I liked how my abs were "engaged" and working the whole time, I just wasn't sure if there would be any benefit from it since my previous core workouts actually included a lot of pilates moves (not to my knowledge at that time) and hadn't produced the results I craved. 

So that was June 22. And it's now been almost 3 months and I have to say - dang my abs look good!!

I've been taking the class 2-3 times a week. Somehow the mix of the moves, the way we work the core, the way I am more aware of engaging my transverse abs all day - all these things have done wonders for my abs. I feel more confident about them, I stand up straighter, and most importantly I can see in the mirror that they are truly flatter.

If you've been on the fence about taking Pilates - take it from me and every other starlet who swears by pilates - try it out. Give it a couple months and then make your decision.  I hope you have similar results as I did and I also hope that it will open up your mind to different ways to work our bodies. 

If you've ever taken a pilates class you're probably familiar with the idea of contracting your transverse abs. My instructor will sometimes have us lay on our backs on the mat and put our finger right above our hip-bones. Then she'll tell us to imagine we're pulling our belly button to our spines. When you do this, you'll feel the muscle contract.

Ideally your abs should be contracted like this throughout the entire Pilates class. And the great thing about the class is that your instructor will remind you time and again to make sure your belly button is drawn in. 

Note: you should still be able to breathe while this muscle is contracted. If you cannot breath you're most likely holding your breath and simply "sucking in your stomach." The difference here is that you're just "pulling" the belly button in.

So today - try to keep your transverse abs contracted as much as you can. While you're sitting at your desk make a conscious effort to keep that muscle contracted. Maybe even stick a post-it note by your computer monitor with some clever thing that will make you remember. (like just write "button" so you think of the belly button).

According to my pilates instructor once you do pilates for a long while and start making the conscious efforts to keep those muscles contracted it becomes second nature. Now how awesome would that be?  Always having a flat belly and good posture? Couldn't be better.

If you're still confused about how to actually contract the transverse abs read this article that gives great descriptions about it. 

I love new workouts. Especially ones that have new ways to target the muscles I'm working. But sometimes, I want to go to the gym and hit up the main body parts quickly and effectively instead of hanging around trying to figure out a new move. If you've ever felt that way, then this workout is just for you:

Women's Health put together a list of the best exercises for each body part most women target. Perhaps not so surprisingly the moves that target and work your body the most effectively are also some of the most basic and simple moves. (Like the triceps dip, chest press, and chin up).

Here's an overview of the no-nonsense workout:

1. Triceps - the dip

2. Biceps - The Chin Up (this one is tough - especially for us girls - they suggest having a friend help with this one, I suggest using that maching in the gym that you load an amount of "help weight" stand on a platform, and do the chinup with some assistance. (so instead of doing a chin up lifting your 130 pounds, you do one lifting 80 pounds, or whatever your body can handle). Just try to keep making the help weight ligther and lighter.  

3. Shoulders - Military Press 

4. Upper Back - Dumbbell Row

5. Abs - Reverse crunch 

6. Low Back - Alternating Superwoman (sounds more complicated than it actually is)

7. Chest - Chest Press 

8. Calves - Toe Raise

9. Quads - Squat

10. Butt - Romanian Deadlift

If you do all these moves at the gym one day you will target all areas of the body and get a great all-over workout. Have fun. Print out the workout here.

 

Last night I did this workout (that I posted about last week) while watching tv. I don't have any weights at home, so I either just used my own body weight as resistance or I used a resistance band to do some of the upper body moves. It wasn't the most challenging workout and I'm not way sore today, but it felt great to be doing something extra while sitting in front of the tv.

I think this week I'm going to try to do more ab exercises at home in the evening (quite possibly in front of the boob tube). So I went through some of my fave ab exercise (that are online) and I'm going to link to them here. If you have any great (no equipment) ab moves, post them in the comments. You might notice some of these because I've posted them before.

1. Good Ole simple crunches

2. Bicycle crunches (alternate bringing right knee in to chest and rotating left shoulder to knee)

3. Treadmill with Cross Extension: Start in push-up position. Bring left knee toward chest, then rotate left hip, crossing left leg over right (as shown) and straightening it. Keeping abs tight, bend left knee and rotate back to start. Do 12 reps, switch legs and repeat. This one hurts!! :)
(Source: Not sure, I think Shape.com)

4. Sticks and Stones: Holding ends of a light bar or broomstick, lie back with knees bent, shins parallel to ground. Lift head and shoulders and extend arms back at ears so they're in line with head. Pull in abs and crunch higher as you bring hands toward knees (as shown). Lower slightly, raising arms by ears again. Do 20 reps.
(Source: self)

5. Teaser with Ball: Lie faceup with arms extended on ground behind head and legs straight, ankles on ball (or on a chair or ottoman). Pull in abs, bring arms in front of you until parallel with legs and roll torso up in four counts until torso forms a V with legs (as shown). Lower to start. Do 20 reps.
(Source: self)

6. Reverse Multiplank: Told you about this one last week. Lie faceup, weight on heels and forearms (elbows bent 90 degrees) to lift body off ground, so shoulders, hips and ankles form a line. Keeping hips slightly lifted off ground, raise left leg about 2 feet off ground (as shown). Return to start. Switch legs; repeat for one rep. Click here for more details and even a video
(Source: Shape)

7. Torso Twist: Sit on floor with legs extended and knees bent. Hold a pillow with both hands at chest level and lean back at a 45-degree angle. Maintain this position as you contract your abs and twist torso right (as shown) and then left to complete one rep. Repeat.
(sourse: Self)

8. Toe Dip:Sit on edge of a chair, holding sides of the seat for support, then lean back and stabilize upper back firmly against seat back. Contract abs, lift chest. Lift legs off floor so knees are in line with hips and calves are parallel to the floor. Without losing alignment, slowly lower toes to touch the floor, using abs to keep back from arching. Inhale, then exhale, lifting knees back up to starting position.
(source: Shape)

9. King Crunch: Lie face-up on a flat bench with your legs extended in the air directly above your hips, feet spread wide in a "V," feet flexed. Contract your abs to bring your spine into a neutral position and in contact with the bench. Maintain this position and curl your pelvis upward in a small reverse crunch. Relax hips to the bench and repeat. Do 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 25 reps.
(source: Shape)

10. Windmill: Start in raised push-up position. Bend right knee toward chest, then, keeping back straight, raise right knee out to side as high as possible. Straighten right leg behind you (as shown). Return to start. Do 15 reps; switch legs and repeat for one set
(source: Self)

(More to come! I promised I'd make it up to you. These moves absolutely rock!)

We should all know that in order to get flat abs, you can't just do 1,000 crunches a day. You'll get some rock hard muscles, but they will still be covered by fat. So we've been told that you need to burn the fat away, which means do some cardio and calories in need to be less than calories out.

When I saw this article today on MSN about how just cutting calories, won't cut it. They've done research where women who ate 400 fewer calories but still ate the least nutritious foods had a 2 ½ times higher risk of abdominal obesity than those who ate that much more but made better choices.

Did you just hear all of Hollywood gasp? I guess that means their 1,000 calorie diet of frappacinos and alcohol won't keep them thin in the long run...

Sorry, I just had to put that in there. These hollywood waifs drink so many liquid calories! Back to the information:

So, if you're tired of counting calories and feel like that's not working (or it's just making you miserable) follow the 5 food fixes from the article:

1. Eat fruits and vegetables - Especially orange ones. Women trimmed their waists by replacing refined grains like white bread and simple or added sugar with carbs from fruits and vegetables.
2. Get more selenium - This cancer-fighting mineral is also linked to lower rates of abdominal obesity
3. Add some protein - Eating more protein keeps you full and boosts energy, which leads to overall weight loss and for those over 40 reduced ab fat in particular
4. Drink a glass of wine a day - Don't start drinking wine just to fight ab fat, but if you enjoy a glass with dinner, it's a great benefit
5. Eat the right fats - Research from Spain shows it's easier to stay slim eating monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil) and omega-3s (found mostly in fish but also in flaxseed and walnut oils and tofu)

Last night I took my first (ever) pilates class. I had heard from some friends that it was a great workout, etc. and of course every other article in my women's fitness magazines praise pilates like it's the next best thing to Christ. So, I tried it.

I was surprised at how many of the poses/exercises we did that I had already done before in my normal ab-strength routines. So it was great to be able to do some of the "advanced" forms being only a beginner. I definitely felt my core working during the moves and it pushed me to hold some poses longer than I would do on my own. (Like the 1-minute plank). I'm going to wait around to see if my abs are sore (they aren't yet, but sometimes it takes a while) and if they are I will definitely take the class again.

If they aren't? Well, then I'll probably stick to working out my abs on my own. I know that pilates isn't just about abs, but that's my "trouble spot" and that's what I want to target. I'm not saying I'd never take the class again, but I wouldn't up my attendance to more than once a week.

Have you had a success story with pilates, or a not-so-successful story? Share it. Got any tips for me, a beginner, on how to get the most out of the pilates class? I need them! Please comment. 

I usually don't post a workout on here unless I've tried it myself. But today I saw this new workout on Women's Health Magazine and it's called middle management. I was about to close out the window as soon as I opened it and realized it was just another ab routine, but I noticed a really great feature that the article had... a downloadable pdf version of all the exercises on one page! So you just print that sucker out and bring it to the gym. I love it!

One of the biggest problems I have with finding workouts online is that you have to either print out each exercise on a separate page, or you have to download all the exercises and try to fit them all into one Word Document. It takes too much time! But now this - this is smart!

The workout has 8 different ab exercises - I'm excited to try the "dynamic v crunch" and the "side double crunch"

The article stresses (as all ab exercise articles should do) that you can't just target one spot with strength exercises and automatically zap fat. You need to do a few things - one change your diet, two do cardio to burn fat, and three strength exercises to build muscle and tone.

The author suggest eating more protein than carbs (but not to go to a no carb atkins diet) and drink alcohol in moderation but it can be daily (like a glass of wine a day, rather than 3 mojitos in one night) and last to get more fiber!

I like the glass of wine a day thing. ;) I'll try out this workout and let you all know how it goes.