Friday, January 30, 2009

Crunches Discussed

By Jose Loni

Crunches should be eliminated from our exercise program if your goal is to have ripped six pack abs. In order to have visible, tone and lean abs, we must focus on diet, increasing our metabolism and stress reduction.

Doing crunches develops different areas of the lower back and abs. Actually, some crunches train the hip flexors instead of the abs. Focusing on doing crunches may create imbalances in our back and, consequently, cause back pain.

Eating a diet balanced with protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals, can help us with attaining six pack abs. Eating more frequently, 5-6 meals per day can help us maintain our overall energy and help keep our blood sugar levels steady.

Increasing our metabolism can be done through resistance training. By increasing our muscle mass, we can affect our metabolism by increasing our muscle's metabolic activity. In doing so, our body will be better able to utilize the excess body fat and convert that into fuel.

Interval training also increases our metabolism. Due to the increased demands of the interval training exercises, more lean body mass is built. This causes an increase in overall fat burning capacity in order to fuel increased activity levels.

Stress has a way of increasing the amount of fat that is stored in our stomach area. In a stressful situation, our body releases Cortisol, which then stores fat in our abdomen. The stored fat is then kept there as a fuel source for the body during an emergency situation.

Reducing stress through meditation, deep breathing, relaxation techniques, tai chi and yoga are highly effective and can help us get toned abs.

Since crunches do not work for six pack abs, we must focus on overall dietary changes, increase our metabolism and reduce stress in our lives to get lean, visible and toned abs. - 16003

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