4 Health Benefits Of Strong Abs

Not only do toned abs look great, they also provide some practical health benefits. Working your abdominal muscles is more than just trying to achieve the perfect beach body, it is about improving your quality of life and increasing your health. So what type of health benefits are we talking about?

Having strong abs:

1. Improves your posture, by helping you stand up straighter and taking the strain off of your back.

2. Decreases your risks of back injury. When lifting heavy objects it is easy to strain your back, which is why strong abdominal muscles help prevent back injuries - your abs will share some of the load.

3. Decrease your risk of developing heart diseases, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. This is because by working your abs you are burning body fat, and the less body fat that you have the lower your risk is to develop these diseases.

4. Help protect your during athletic activities. Playing sports or doing other athletic activities exposes you to many possibilities of injury, like pulled abdominals. However, by working your abs and making them strong, you decrease the chance of injury.

So you see that strong abs also provide practical health benefits - even more motivation to keep working them! There is no better time than now to start down the road to a new, healthier and stronger you.

Increase your self-image, confidence, and health by working your abs. To learn more on how to firm and flatten your abs, visit http://www.lifefitnessblog.com/

Would you like to know how to get rid of your belly fat once and for all and get six-pack abs with minimal effort? Click here to learn how I got firm, flat abs.

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6 Pack Abs Diet Top 10 Foods

In order to get a flat stomach and six pack abs, you have to watch your diet very carefully. What you put in your mouth determines the amount of belly fat you will have and therefore your chances of having the six pack abs you desire. Most people believe that exercise plays the dominant role in determining whether you will have a flat stomach or not, but it's simply not true. Exercise is important, but without sticking to a correct flat stomach diet, you will never succeed.

Here are 10 Great 6 pack abs diet foods which you should have in your fridge and pantry

1. Vegetables -- Veggies provide a lot of vitamins and are a must have ingredient in any diet. I particularly like zucchinis, lettuce, peppers, carrots, and my ultimate favorite: tomatoes.

2. Cottage cheese -- cottage cheese is a lean cheese and contains a great deal of protein. It's also possible to chop some walnuts into it, and along with some raisins or a teaspoon of honey, it's delicious and healthy.

3. Whole eggs -- Egg whites are one of the top sources of high quality protein in nature. Most people throw away the yolks and that's a shame because they are highly nutritious despite containing cholesterol. I often make myself a triple omelette with three egg whites and one yolk. This way I get a ton of protein and have a tasty ommelette with little cholesterol.

4. Whole wheat and whole grain pasta -- These pastas contain a great deal of protein and provide and excellent source of calories.

5. Whole rice -- I never ever eat white rice because it's full of empty calories. But whole rice is an excellent source of nutrients.

6. Lean meat -- Chicken, turkey, ostrich, buffalo and other lean meats and fowl can be used in many delicious dishes and sandwiches, provide a lot of protein, iron and other nutrients. Make sure to include them in your diet.

7. Fish Oil -- Fish oil is a necessary part of any healthy abs diet. You can get fish oil in tuna, salmon, and other fish.

8. Walnuts and almonds -- These nuts contain a lot of healthy fats and other nutrients.

9. Green teas -- green tea contain a lot of antioxidants (which slow the aging process).

10. Raw honey -- A little honey can turn even the most bland dishes into a delicacy. It's a natural sugar and has many positive qualities. Don't overdo it, but a little honey will not harm your flat belly diet.

Incorporate these 10 flat stomach and 6 pack abs diet foods into your menu and you will see your energy levels increase, your belly fat decrease, and your overall health improve.

To discover 27 additional nutritional tips to boost your metabolism rate and more fitness tricks to take your workouts to a new level, click here: Tips and Secrets To Getting A Flat Stomach And Sexy Abs. John Davenport achieved his flat stomach and six pack abs. To read how he did it, click here How To Get A Flat Stomach Fast.

Abs Diet Recipes - Good Food For Your Abs

If you're on an a diet trying to get your six pack abs to pop out, you'll know how tough it is to keep yourself entertained with interesting and exciting food, since there aren't that many dedicated abs diet recipes available. Don't worry though, there is light at the end of the tunnel - just think about how great your flat abs will look if you do stick to your abs diet!

The secret to eating properly so you can maintain or develop six pack abs or a toned stomach, is to eat low fat (5 grams or less per meal), high energy foods. A diet consisting of these types of recipes will keep your body happy, and your abs trim. The hard part is keeping your tastebuds cheerful, because usually it's the foods that are bad for us (and our abs) which taste the best!

Eating a low fat diet shouldn't mean you have to compromise on flavour or texture. So, in the spirit of good abs food, here's some abs diet recipes for low fat, high energy meals which will keep you loaded up with that feel-good factor, without loading up unnecessary calories and fat.

Here's a few ideas for starters or light snacks in case the urge grabs you:

* Curried lentil and lime soup
* Chicken and pastina broth
* Rice noodle salad with lemon tofu
* Prawn and ginger cakes with crunchy salad
 

Here's a few ideas for main meals:

* Crusty meatball pasta
* Peppered steak with mushroom Yorkshires
* Lamb and bulgar burgers
* Basil gnocchi with simple tomato sauce and wild rocket
* Greek-style roast cod
 

And.. dare I mention them: puddings!

* Roasted banana cheesecake
* Spanish orange creme caramel
* Rhubarb and orange-flower fool
* Chocolate meringues with cherry ripple
* Lime and passion fruit souffle
* Honey, almond and raspberry yoghurt ice cream
 

You can usually find these ab diet recipes in cookbooks (either at home or in your local library or bookshop), or I bet you could also find them online by just doing a search for the name. Remember, even though you're on a diet, you don't have to stick to boring recipes. There's loads of ways you can enjoy food and keep your abs flat. Use these as an example, and get creative with what you've got lying around at home.

Here's one last tip. If you crave something sweet: go for the fruit basket. Either have one or two pieces like mango, peaches and nectarines, or grab a handful of your favourites and blend them into a smoothie with some low fat milk and ice. That's a killer ab diet recipe!

David Spencer is a fitness nutcase. He has spent years learning about exercise and just as long working on his own six pack abs Getting your own flat abs is not as hard as everyone makes out - visit The Truth About Six Pack Abs to find out exactly how David and hundreds of others got theirs, and how you can get yours.

Beach Body Abs

With the return of warm weather in the spring, thoughts can never be too far behind of the approaching summer and the many wonderful outdoor activities that we’ll often associate with it and among our top favorite summertime activities will always be the trip to the beach. Warm blue skies, refreshing ocean breezes, hot sand, cool waves and the many attempts at constructing the perfect sand castle; you can swear you’re almost there just thinking of it. But that mental image just wouldn’t be complete without also including images of hard, bronze bodies in attractive swimsuits soaking up the sun. Let’s face it, attractive physiques will always be a top draw at the beach and the abs, or midsection, is the first thing that everyone notices.

But showing off beach body caliber abs certainly don’t come easy. Successful ab training is a combination of a healthy, lean diet, consistent cardio work, and a comprehensive abdominal training plan. While all of that may sound daunting, it is certainly within your ability to attain a chiseled midsection that other beach goers will positively ogle at, and you certainly still have enough time to do so. This article will provide you with the steps you’ll need to take to help you look your beach-body best.

Diet

The first thing you’re going to have to change will be your diet. It goes without saying that even if you had the best abs in the world, it will still look pretty ordinary if a layer of bodyfat covers it. Diet plays a crucial role in defining your midsection so some modifications will be required in order for your body to look it’s best. To begin with, get into the habit of using a diet log to keep track of your meals. Everyone is less likely to cheat when they know they have to write down everything they’ve eaten each day. An elaborate journal isn’t necessary either; a simple notepad can work just fine. Also, begin switching to six small meals a day now instead of three larger ones to help rev up your metabolism as well as prevent the stretching of the stomach and the abdominal walls which occurs when one gorges themselves in food.

Next, you’ll want to start creating a slight caloric deficit each day to help burn away the bodyfat. It is recommended that you work on losing only a pound or two, a week, of bodyfat. The weekly loss of any more weight than this, for the typical person, probably includes substantial amounts of water weight and muscle tissue and can wreck havoc on your metabolism. Remember, it’s the bodyfat that’s covering your abs that you’ll want to lose so a good rule of thumb is to cut back your daily energy requirements by only around 500 calories a day.

Now if you’re not sure what your daily energy requirements are for your current bodyweight (or the amount of calories you will have to consume each day to stay at your current weight), you can use this easy-to-remember formula as a guide. To estimate your daily total caloric needs, multiply 24 times 1.0 (if you’re a man) or 0.9 (if you’re a woman) by each kilogram of bodyweight you weigh. Then multiply that result by 1.7 (for a moderately active man) or 1.6 (for a moderately active woman).

(Men) 1.7 x 24 x 1.0 x bodyweight (in kg)

(Women) 1.6 x 24 x 0.9 x bodyweight (in kg)

To determine how many kilograms you weigh, divide your bodyweight in pounds by 2.2. Remember though that this formula is only a guide. It is highly recommended that you use the formula as a starting point, and then pay close attention to your body in order to fine-tune your calories according to how your body responds to your efforts. Look at your body in a mirror, if it doesn’t appear (or feel) as if your body is losing any weight after a week or two, then reduce the amount of calories you ingest even more.

Cardio

You’ll next want to start including cardio (aerobic exercises) into your weekly routine. There are few short-term options that can burn calories and strip away the bodyfat better than sessions of aerobic activities. It is no coincidence that even top-level bodybuilders will steadily increase their cardio workouts as a contest approaches to help really bring out their muscle definition. Begin by working out 3-4 times per week for 20 to 30 minutes at a time on a treadmill or a stationary exercise bike. Then work your way up to more intense sessions of at least moderate intensity for 45 minutes or longer by weeks 3 and 4. The last few weeks before you hit the beach, you’ll want to include interval training into your routine to really help blast away the last few pounds of bodyfat.

Exercise

Spot-reducing your way to abdominal definition is a myth. It is impossible to localize fat loss over any one specific area of your body and is the reason why it is important for you to also watch your diet and include aerobic training if you truly wish to showcase some beach-body abs. But the inclusion of some solid abdominal training is still important for great abs. Strengthening the abdominal wall will tone and help reduce, if not prevent, any unnecessary sagging of the belly. Also, abdominal workouts will certainly develop the muscles of the ab (particularly the rectus abdominus and the external obliques) and enable them to easily become more visible, sharper and tight.

While there are literally hundreds of abdominal exercises to choose from, it is important that several considerations are first kept in mind before performing any of them. First, it is strongly recommended that you learn how to focus on feeling the contraction of your abs when exercising and really squeeze the muscle at the top of any rep. There are many individuals out there who lay claim to performing several hundred sit-ups per day, but it is the quality that counts here and not necessarily the quantity. Become more efficient when performing your abdominal exercises and allow the muscle do the work and do not use the mechanical involvement of other bodyparts or even momentum to help swing the body in order to complete any reps. Additionally, make sure that you maintain continuous tension while performing your reps and never allow your body to rest at the bottom of a movement. Finally, be sure to breathe in during the relaxation phase of your movements and exhale during the contraction phase of the reps.

Having now prepared yourself, choose three exercises to perform for your abs and complete 2 sets, of 15 – 20 reps on each exercise, three times a week. Once again, focus on squeezing the muscle at the top of the movement and go in a slow, deliberate manner during each repetition. Recommended abdominal exercises for beginners during their first week would be crunches (with legs supported on a bench), seated twists, and knee-ups or lying leg raises. As the next few weeks progresses and your conditioning improves, you will need to increase the intensity factor for the abs to really shine. Begin by increasing the number of sets of each exercise from two to three and then add additional, more advanced, movements to allow for up to five exercises for your abs. Recommended abdominal exercises during this stage could include reverse crunches, crunches on an incline board, vertical leg raises, medicine-ball twists and decline-bench twisting crunches. You literally have from hundreds of movements to choose from. During the last two weeks before you hit the beach, begin cutting back on the rest time between your sets and also start to include supersets of your exercises in which you complete one set of each exercise without stop.

While there are still other factors that could be included for consideration of your ab training, consistently eating a lean diet, performing cardio work and exercising your abs with sufficient intensity will always remain at its core. Put in the work on those three tenets of abdominal development and you’ll be sure to possess a beach-body that will look great in a bathing suit and absolutely turn heads this summer!

Nathan Boyd is author of the highly rated ebook, "The Fitness Lifestyle" and the current Director of Pro Fitness of Texas. Nathan encourages everyone in their pursuit of becoming physically fit and maintaining it for a lifetime. All questions and comments are always welcomed!

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Get Back Your Pre-Pregnancy Abs With Side Planks

The foundation of fitness for a mom is her abdominal area. To moms a flat stomach is wonderful; a strong abdominal core is critical. The cool thing is, you can get both at the same time with side planks.

Side planks are great for toning, without enlarging, the obliques on the side of your abdomen. Strong oblique muscles also add powerful stability to your back. Asthetically, side planks can sculpt your stomach in ways crunches or sit-ups just can't do. The nice thing about side planks is they can be done in little time and you don't need any equipment.

Before we get on to how to do them, I just want to add a little incentive...

A Mom with Poor Abdominal Strength is an Accident Waiting To Happen Let's face it, as your child grows the physical demand placed on your body increases. You start out holding a 8 lb. newborn in your arms, but that quickly changes into holding a 25 lb. toddler who twists and turns quickly.

You may be required to sweep your toddler up with your right arm while holding another child in the left. You may have to carry a 40 lb. child who is unhappy and doing whatever it takes to squirm from your grasp. If your body is incapable of handling these tough physical demands it will let you know, because back pain and fatigue will start compounding. Is your body prepared to handle the stress being placed on it?

A Side Plank A Day Keeps Back Pain Away Planks, build functionally strong, stabilizing abdominal muscles that allow you to bend, twist and reach with less chance of injury. Beginning an abdominal strengthening program now will prepare you for when your infant becomes a toddler and for those times your toddler becomes antsy and unruly.

Planks can not only give you back your pre-pregnancy abs, but they will prepare your body to deal with being a mom of a toddler! So let's get to the exercise itself.

How to Side Plank:

1) Begin by lying on your left side. Bend your left elbow and place the forearm on the floor directly under your shoulder. Your weight should be supported on the forearm and the left hip. Your right arm should be resting along the right side of your body with the hand resting on the right thigh.

2) Rise up so your body weight is resting on your left forearm and the edge of your left foot. Wear shoes that have a good edge on the sole to avoid slippage once you’re in place. If you find this to be too difficult, start by placing your weight between your forearm and knee. After a few weeks, you’ll be able to move to the more difficult position in which you are supporting your body between your forearm and your foot rather than your knee.

3) Lift your body up as high as you can and contract your abdominal muscles by bringing navel to spine. Attempt to form a straight line from your armpit along the side of your ribs to your hip, and down to your ankle just above your left foot. Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds to start with. You can increase to 20 seconds over several weeks, but your goal should be to eventually build up to at least 60 seconds for each slow contraction.

4) Slowly lower your body back to the floor, then immediately rise as high as you can and hold it again. Repeat on the right side. Start with two sets of 10 repetitions on each side.

Helpful Hints:

- Don't hold your breath. This increases abdominal pressure which feels easier, but prevents you from getting the full benefits of the movement. Take a breath and exhale as you are lifting into the bridge.

- Avoid twisting or turning your trunk. This might cause a side strain and slow your progress.

- Stop if you feel back pain Everyone has their own rate of progression. If you feel pain in your back, stop. Try again on the next workout and you'll find your back will start getting stronger. If back pain continues, stop and consult a fitness professional.

Finish with a stretch

After doing your planks, lie on your back, relax, bend your knees with feet on the floor and tilt them from side to side. Do this a few times to lengthen your back and abdominal muscles.

Strong, flexible abdominal muscles are a moms best friend. Start developing yours today with side planks!

Curt Conrad, CSCS, is Founder and President of StrollerFit Inc. an international product and franchise company that helps parents exercise with their babies. He is author of The StrollerFit ExerBook. His companies have helped thousands of clients enjoy better life through better fitness. http://www.strollerfit.com