Posts tagged New Year
Fat Burning – Exercises That Do Not Help With Getting the Stomach of Your Dreams
Sep 29th
As the summer winds downs are you full of regret about not having the body that you had wanted to have when summer rolled around. One of the areas that most of us struggle with are our stomachs. With any fat burning exercises that are targeted towards reducing belly fat and flattening stomachs, there are many that work and many that do not. This article discusses a few exercises that do not help with getting the stomach of your dreams.
Fat burning and other weightloss work out programs should be year round and not as summer draws closer or as a new year’s resolution. Making a lifestyle change and incorporating regular exercise is the way to go to benefit you and your health and to become proud of your body without being afraid to show it off if the opportunity arises. Swimsuits will no longer be your enemy.
Flattening the midsection is of special concern and the following exercises will not produce any results. Being aware of them will allow you to find and use the exercises that work to burn the fat and flatten your belly.
1. Sit Ups
The more traditional sit ups do not do anything for the abdominal muscles. You will only end up wasting time and energy on countless sit ups with little to no results. The strain is usually on the muscles of the hip. A lot of people tend to raise the torso by pulling it up with the arms which is pointless. What will end up happening is that instead of working the stomach muscles, the torso is simply being pulled up and down. Doing a stomach crunch is more beneficial to working these stomach muscles.
2. Not Keeping the Knees Up
With stomach crunches, the goal should be to keep the knees bent with the feet flat on the ground. They should be centered and not tilted to the side. If you tilt your knees to the side, you will compress your back bone and end up injuring your back. Proper form is very important with any exercise to prevent injury and to have an effective exercise routine.
3. Focus on a lot of Repetitions
Doing more than fifty stomach exercise reps is ludicrous and ineffective. The goal should not be on reps but on the challenge and intensity of the exercise. Instead of adding more reps, incorporate a more difficult or challenging stomach exercise.
4. Leg Lift
The straight leg lift is also a more traditional exercise for the midsection that instead of working the muscles in the midsection, works the lower back muscles a lot more which can lead to injury.
5. Sleep Position
If your sleeping position leads to back pain, this will have a detrimental impact on your stomach exercises. Back pain only makes it difficult to work your stomach muscles. Sleeping on your stomach is a way to strain your back because it requires a arch in the spine. Sleeping on your back with a pillow under your knees is a great way to avoid back ache because it will line up the spine and prevent back strain and pain and you will be in the best position to work your stomach muscles in the morning.
6. Lack of Resistance
For any exercise routine including stomach exercises, incorporating elements of resistance e.g. resistance bands, weights, exercise balls, etc, represents the difference between fat burning and ineffective exercises.
How to Beat Holiday Stress
Sep 24th
Holidays like Christmas and New Year are among the happiest times on earth. These are the times when busy people can visit their old neighborhood and spend time with their family. These are also the times for reuniting with old friends and schoolmates.
But even on such happy occasions, people can still get stressed. Yes, attending one party after another is a good way to enjoy, but it can also be quite stressful. Preparing foods, cleaning and decorating the house can be tough chores. Even trying to budget your money for holidays can also be stressful. Fortunately, there are several ways you can beat holiday stress.
First of all, what you need to do is to always exercise. Remember, during holidays, there will be a lot of eating, sitting, standing, drinking and laughing. Most of these activities do not involve exercise. Sitting down to eat or drink and standing up to get food or drinks is not the kind of exercise you need.
Schedule early morning walks or you may try jogging. This will allow you to sweat off all the calories and cholesterol that you have acquired and help you feel good. You see, when people exercise, their body produces chemicals like serotonin and dopamine which can make you feel good about yourself and the holidays.
Sleep for at least 8 hours. Do not be in a hurry to get out of bed. It is a holiday; you do not need to rush yourself. Sleeping allows your body to maintain its normal function and allows you to get rid or reduce the effects of stress.
Learn other relaxation techniques such as meditation. Some people may be skeptical about this technique, but it is really effective. Many studies have shown of its benefits. In fact, it is a technique which has been practiced by so many people from all over the world.
Usually, this technique is practiced while listening to soft and relaxing music such as the ones you can find in a Holosync meditation music CD.
