Upper Ab Exercises

Working the muscles at a variety of speeds ensures that you have strength throughout your whole range of motion, and helps overload the muscles, thus making you work harder and producing more rapid gains in strength.

Basic Crunch

Beginner: Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet shoulder width apart on the floor, hands behind your head. Pull your belly button to your spine and slowly squeeze your abs as your head and shoulders come up off the floor. Lift straight toward the ceiling, chin pointing up. Slowly lower to the floor and repeat.

Intermediate: Lie on your back with your knees bent and pulled in toward your chest, feet hanging close to your buns. Pull your belly button to your spine and slowly squeeze your abs as your head and shoulders come up off the floor. Lift straight toward the ceiling, chin pointing up. Slowly lower to the floor and repeat.

Make It Harder: Rather than placing hands behind your head, extend your arms as if you’re diving into a swimming pool, keeping forearms close to your ears. Focus on relaxing the shoulders to keep tension out of your neck. Also, try varying the speed of your lifting and lowering motion.

Helpful Hints: Try not to lower completely to the floor at the bottom of the movement. Try to clear your shoulder blades from the floor; be sure you’re not just lifting your head. Really focus on pulling your belly button down toward your spine.

Frog Legs

Beginner: Lie on your back with the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall open to the sides. Place your hands behind your head to support your neck. Pull your belly button to your spine and slowly squeeze your abs as your head and shoulders come up off the floor. Lift straight toward the ceiling, chin pointing up. Slowly lower to the floor and repeat.

Intermediate: Lie on your back with your knees bent and pulled in toward your chest. Cross your ankles and let your knees fall open to the sides. Place your hands behind your head to support your neck. Pull your belly button to your spine and slowly squeeze your abs as your head and shoulders come up off the floor. Lift straight toward the ceiling, chin pointing up. Slowly lower to the floor and repeat.

Make It Harder: Extend your arms as if you’re diving, keeping forearms close to your ears. Focus on relaxing the shoulders to keep tension out of your neck. Also, try varying the speed of your lifting and lowering motion.

Helpful Hints: This exercise works the upper part of the rectus abdominis and into the lower segment. Be sure to really pull your belly button in tightly to protect your back and don’t lower all the way to the floor at the bottom.

Demi-Crunch

Beginner: Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet shoulder width apart on the floor, hands behind your head. Pull your belly button to your spine and lift shoulders and head off the floor, just a few inches. You should feel a contraction in the abdominals. Now lift straight toward the ceiling, chin pointing up and slowly return to your starting position - do not go all the way to the floor.

Intermediate: Lie on your back with your knees bent and pulled in toward your chest, feet hanging close to your buns. Pull your belly button to your spine and lift shoulders and head off the floor, just a few inches. You should feel a contraction in the abdominals. Now lift straight toward the ceiling, chin pointing up and slowly return to your starting position - do not go all the way to the floor.

Make It Harder: Lie on your back with your knees bent and walk your feet away from your buns until your legs are almost fully extended - be sure to keep a slight bend in the knee. If you feel any pain in your lower back, bring your feet in closer to your buns. This leg position gets the lower abs, too.

Helpful Hints: Be sure to really pull your belly button in tightly to protect your back and don’t lower all the way to the floor at the bottom.

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Essential Nutrients

These are the six essential nutrients that your body needs on a daily basis.

WaterCarbohydratesProteinsFatsVitaminsMinerals

Water

Water is the most essential nutrient the body needs. Your body is around forty to sixty percent of water. Forty to sixty percent of your body weight is water. Muscle composition is approximately 70% water. It is vital that while you exercise you continually drink water to ensure that your body does not dehydrate. If you feel thirsty it will take around 20 minutes for the liquid to be utilized by the body. Obviously the amount of water you need depends on your body weight, height and any activity you take part in but on average you need around three and a half pints of water a day. This may seem a lot but a lot of water will come from your food such as fruits which contain 75 to 90 percent of water.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are usually referred to as sugars or starches. Complicated carbohydrates are the carbohydrates that we keep hearing about that we should improve our food intake of. These carbohydrates are found in such foods such as potatoes, bananas, pasta, bread, cereals etc. Carbohydrates are converted into sugars by the body. Carbohydrates come in two forms:

Simple Sugars

Simple sugars are sugars like processed sugar and sugar from fruits. This kind of sugar is used almost immediately during exercise. Just eating these sugars would not give you endless amounts of instant energy because as your sugar level in your blood increased, more insulin would be released to grab the sugar and dispose of it because there is too much. All this insulin grabs all the sugar and more as well so eventually you would have even less energy than you started with. This is why when you eat a chocolate bar you feel great for about 15 minutes, your body will then loose energy and become slightly fatigued.

Complex Sugars

This kind of sugar is taken from foods like potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, vegetables and fruits. The difference between these sugars and simple sugars are that the sugars are released at a slower level so you do not get this insulin rush. As the sugar is released a lot slower it also lasts a lot longer because it takes the sugar a lot longer to be broken down. It should be obvious to you that these complex sugars or carbohydrates as they are better known are a 100 times better for you than the simple sugars. We need to be looking at around 55 percent of our daily intake of complex sugars.

Protein

Protein is composed of amino acids, which help to build muscle mass. Cells in the body are being replaced all the time every day 365 days a year, so we need to give the body the tools to complete the task of keeping our bodys fit and healthy. Protein is found in such foods such as chicken (white meat), egg white, beans, skimmed milk etc. The bigger and leaner your muscles are the higher your basal matabolic rate is. Your basal metabolic rate is the amount of calories the body uses just to live for the day, so even doing such things as sitting watching television your body will be burning more calories which means burning away more body fat. We need about 70 to 80 grams of protein daily in our diet.If you eat too much protein the excess will also be stored as body fat, you should be looking at 20 percent of your daily calorific intake to be of protein.

Fat

Fat is another term for lipid. Too much fat in your diet can lead to obesity, heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes. Fat does have its uses though, the body needs some fat to process vitamins and minerals and to insulate its inner systems. Fat is also used by the body to provide energy to the body during exercise. Cheese, nuts, cooking oil etc are high in fat content. There are more than one kind of fat, here are the three:

Saturated Fat

Saturated fat is the worst fat for the body. Saturated fat causes the arteries to clog which in turn can cause strokes, heart attacks and coronary heart disease.

Polyunsaturated Fat

Polyunsaturated fat has fewer fatty acid molecules than saturated fat, so is a lot better for you than saturated fat. A type of polyunsaturated fat is Omega 3, this is found only in fish oils, this fat helps with the developments of the nervous system and a host of other bodily functions.

Mono Unsaturated Fat

Mono unsaturated fat has even fewer fatty acid molecules than polyunsaturated fat, and for this reason is the best of all three fats. You should have a higher intake of mono unsaturated fat than the other two fats.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins are needed in small amounts to help the body with chemical reactions within its cells and are organic. Vitamins come in two forms, they are fat soluble and water soluble. Fat Soluble Vitamins (A, D, E, K) are stored in the fat tissue and can build up high levels of toxins in the body if they are not utilized. Water Soluble Vitamins (B, C) are excreted by the body if your daily amount of intake is too great.

Minerals are inorganic substances in other words they are man made and they regulate processes within the body. Minerals are put into different structures within the body to create enzymes, hormones, skeletal bones, skeletal tissues, teeth and fluids.

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Combination Exercises

Combination: Obliques Crunch

Beginner: Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet shoulder width apart on floor. Pull your belly button to your spine. Place your left hand on your right thigh; put your right hand behind your head for support. Contract your tummy and slide your hand up your leg to the outside of your right knee, exhaling on the lift. Slowly slide down to the starting position. Finish a set on one side, then switch to the other side.

Intermediate: Lie on your back with your knees bent and pulled in toward your chest, keeping your feet close to your buns. Place your right hand behind your head and your left arm on the floor by your side. Pull your belly button in and lift toward your left knee. Exhale as you lift. Slowly return to the starting position. Finish a set on one side, then switch to the other side.

Make it harder: Extend your legs toward the ceiling, rather than keeping them bent. Even harder? Reach for your toes with your fingertips as you lift.

Helpful Hints: Rotate the shoulders toward the opposite knee, NOT the elbow. Keep elbows relaxed back and chest “open.” Think of lifting on a diagonal toward the knee, feeling the bottom of your rib cage and your hipbone squeezing toward each other.

Combination: Full Crunch (This exercise combines the basic and reverse crunch)

Beginner: Lie on your back with your knees pulled in toward your chest, feet hanging close to your buns. Place your hands behind your head. Pull your belly button in tightly then contract the lower abs so that your hips and buns lift off the floor while you lift your shoulders from the floor using the upper abs. Exhale as you lift.

Intermediate: Lie on your back with your legs extended toward the ceiling. Place your hands behind your head. Pull your belly button in tightly then contract the lower abs so that your hips and buns lift off the floor while you lift your shoulders from the floor using the upper abs. Exhale as you lift.

Make it harder: Extend arms into diving position overhead.

Helpful Hints: If you feel any strain in your lower back, pull your legs closer to your chest. The closer your legs are to parallel to the floor, the harder the exercise is for your back.

Combination: Negative Crunch

Beginner: Sit on the floor with your legs bent, feet flat. Extend your arms out in front of you at shoulder height. Pull your tummy in tight and slowly lower your back toward the floor, rounding your back as you go. Only go about halfway to the floor. Then exhale, contract your abs, and return to starting position.

Intermediate: To make this more challenging, walk your feet further away from your body.

Make it harder: Change the rhythm of your movement: lower for 2 and contract for 2 … lower for 3 and contract for 1 … lower for 1 and contract for 3.

Helpful Hints: Keep the small of your back rounded and only go as far as you can without losing your abdominal contraction. When returning to sitting position, don’t go too high. You should feel tension in your abs throughout this movement.

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Think Yourself To A Flat Stomach

In order to lose weight and achieve a flat stomach it basically comes down to eating less and moving more. Almost everyone knows this. So why isn’t everyone walking around with the body of Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt? Perhaps a lot of it has to do with internal baggage that we are carrying around in our subconsciousness? In order to get over this you then have to reset your mind and focus your thoughts on the positive, set yourself weight loss/flat stomach goals and keep these visualized in your mind.

The first step to thinking yourself to a flat stomach is making the decision that you want to change and that you really want to reap the rewards of making that change. This also applies to general weight loss and almost any other goal you want to achieve in your life. You have to be prepared to do anything and everything to achieve your goals. The second part is then believing in your mind that you can change and that it is possible. This is the part that often involves overcoming the internal obstacles that we have placed in our minds.

A lot of us spend our time thinking about the negatives in our lives. This can often be made worse by the negative articles and pictures we see in the media and the friends and family we surround ourselves with. The negativity in our lives can become a self fulfilling prophecy. Ultimately preventing you from losing weight and gaining control of your life.

These negative emotions and feelings surrounding us and infesting our thoughts mean that we often resort to food for the wrong reasons. We eat because we are bored, tired, sad, lonely and angry and we don’t think of the consequences of eating, only the short term feeling of fulfillment that food may bring. It’s only after we eat the food that we feel guilty and create more negativity. Stop and think! No matter how much emotional eating you participate in it’s not going to fix anything and you will never feel better long term from it!

You need to break the negative cycle and replace your negative thoughts with positives one. You also need to stop and think before you put food into your mouth. Ask yourself if this food is providing me with energy (the purpose of food) or am I eating for other reasons?

Creating a new positive mindset around food and weight loss means developing a whole new relationship with food, our mind and our bodies. Perhaps the most powerful thing to keep in the front of your mind and on the tip of your tongue is that we always have the power to choose. You can have that chocolate if you want but do you need to have it?

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Ab Workout #2

Try this workout the next time you work abs.

Start with truck twists. Do three sets of 20 reps.

Next, move over to the lat pulldown station for pull-down crunches (with the rope device). Do 3 sets of 20-30 reps.

After pull-down crunches, move over to the mat for regular crunches. Do three sets of as many reps as you can.

Next, move over to the leg lift station and do three sets of 25 reps.

After leg lifts, do side stretchers with dumbbells. Do three sets (per side), 25-30 reps per set.

Finish off the workout with regular sit-ups doing 3 sets of as many reps as you can.

Related Post: Ab Workout #1

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10 Minute Flat Stomach Workout

With constant challenges, clever workouts and healthy eating you can easily get a flat stomach. Here is a quick 10 Minute Flat Stomach Workout I have devised for when you are short of time. Alternatively you could add this 10 minute session to your normal workouts as a great warm up or cool down exercise.

Exercise 1: Squats
While standing extend your arms out, parallel to the ground while flexing your triceps. Then, initiate a squat from your hips by sitting back and down keeping the weight on your heels as opposed to the balls of your feet. Squat down to a position where your thighs are approximately parallel to the ground, then return up to the starting position. Complete 10 to 20 reps.

Check out this article for a full description on the squat.

Exercise 2: Plank Push-Ups
Begin in a push up position but with your elbows on the ground and resting on your forearms. Your elbows should be bent at a 90 degree angle. Push off the ground with one arm and then the next. Squeeze your abs as you push up. You should be lifting yourself up to a fully extended push up position. Lower back down to the starting position and repeat, this time leading with the opposite arm. Aim to not let your back sag down towards the ground. Complete 10 to 20 reps.

Exercise 3: Walking Lunges
Start with your feet at shoulder width apart. While maintaining a straight line, stride forward with your right leg and land with your left toes just touching the ground, your left heel should be raised. Once your right foot lands, allow your left knee to fall down to the ground. Push back up with your right leg and then repeat on the other side. You should try form a consistent rhythm, just stopping the lunge and pushing back up before your knee hits the ground. Complete 20 repetitions.

Exercise 4: Bent Over Rows
For this exercise you need a barbell, workout bag or you could use dumbbells. Use a medium weight on the bar and grip the bar a little wider than a shoulder width apart. Stand up straight, pull your shoulder blades down, keep your head straight and contract your abdominals. Slowly bend forward, keeping your back straight and pushing your hips out, stop when your chest is almost parallel with the floor. Pull the bar into your chest keeping your elbows out to the sides. Exhale as you lift, inhale as you lower the bar down. Gently return to a standing position. Complete 2 sets of 12 reps.

Exercise 5: The Sprinter

The sprinter is very similar to the bicycle crunch except that the hands are not behind the head, rather positioned in a sprinting motion and you sit up higher with the sprinter.

Lie down on your back, making sure your back is firmly against the floor. Lie down flat but keep your heels hovering about 6 inches off the ground. Crunch up and bring your left arm up with the elbow bent to resemble a sprinters motion. At the top of the crunch bring your right knee into your chest. Repeat for the other side of the body and do 20 reps.

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Ab Workout #1

You may not think abs have much to do with strength, but they do. Abs are the counter-balance for your back. If you have weak abs, your back strength is bound to be hampered. Ab strength indirectly affects almost every muscle group in your body and remember, that well developed abs make you look good. Keep them strong.
Start this workout as always, by stretching.

After stretching, start with standing trunk twists. I recommend that you keep a broom handle or other stick behind the head while doing this exercise (rest you arms on the stick).

Do 3 sets of 50-75 reps. Each rep is a full rotation from left to right.

Following the truck twists, start with crunches. You are going to do three sets of as many reps as you can do. Make sure you push yourself, but use proper form. Do not rush through the reps, work them slowly.

After crunches, you are going to move on to ab-wheel rollers. If your gym does not have an ab wheel, they can be purchased at a sporting goods store for $10.00-$20.00. Use the wheel that looks like a lawnmower wheel with a bar stuck through it. You don’t have to spend a lot of money for this piece of equipment.

With the ab wheel, do 3 sets of 50-75 reps.

Following the ab wheel, do side stretchers. With side stretchers, you take a dumbbell in one hand and lean in the opposite direction. When you pick your dumbbell for this exercise, make sure that the weight is heavy enough that you feel it, but not too heavy. Do three sets of 25-50 side stretchers (make sure you work each side for the set).

The final exercise is going to be regular sit-ups. Do three sets of as many reps as you can. Good luck.

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100 Free Motivational Fitness Quotes

I stumbled across this early in the new year and I have meant to post about it for a while now. Eartha from Trying Fitness has developed a list of 100 Motivational/Inspirational Quotes focused around fitness.

You may have already checked this out earlier in the year but I think it’s worth going over again and having a second look. You might have missed a great quote that will inspire you to push that little harder to get a flat stomach or lose those few extra pounds. It might also be a good idea to go and pick out and some new quotes to help you achieve your fitness goals as we enter into the second quarter of 2009.

The download link is below or you can click on the cover picture to view/download the e-book. Happy quoting!

100 Motivational Quotes (PDF)

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Oblique Exercises

The exercises below will strengthen your oblique muscles.

Side Lift

Beginner: Lie on your left side with legs together and knees bent. Place your left arm comfortably in front of you and place your right hand behind your ear, elbow bent. Exhale and use your obliques to lift your right knee while simultaneously lifting your upper torso to meet it. Inhale and slowly lower to the starting position. Do all reps and switch sides.

Intermediate: Lie on your left side with legs together and legs extended. Place your left arm comfortably in front of you and place your right hand behind your ear, elbow bent. Exhale and use your obliques to lift both legs toward the ceiling while simultaneously lifting your upper torso. Inhale and slowly lower to the starting position. Do all reps and switch sides.

Make It Harder: Raise and lower for variable counts: up 2, down 2 … up for 3, down for 1 … up for 1, down for 3.

Helpful Hints: Keep abs tight throughout to control the lowering phase. Try not to allow your legs to touch the floor when you return to the starting position.

Leg Overs

Beginner: Lie flat on your back with your arms extended at from the shoulders, perpendicular to your body. Bring your bent knees in toward your chest and hold them with thighs perpendicular to the floor, calves parallel to the floor. Inhale and use your obliques to lower your legs to the left side, keeping knees bent. Exhale, pulling your knees back to the center and lowering them to the right side. Be sure to keep both shoulder blades flat on the floor throughout the movement.

Intermediate: Lie flat on your back with your arms extended out from the shoulders, perpendicular to your body. Extend your legs straight up to the ceiling. Inhale and use your oblique to lower your legs to the left side until they barely touch the floor. Exhale, pulling your legs back to the center and lowering them to the right side. Be sure to keep both shoulder blades flat on the floor throughout the movement.

Make It Harder: Raise and lower for variable counts: up 2, down 2 … up for 3, down for 1 … up for 1, down for 3.

Helpful Hints: As you lower your legs to the side, allow your hips to roll with the movement. The extended-leg version of this exercise is very advanced; only proceed to a long-legged position after working through varying degrees of extension first.

Side Crunches

Beginner: Lie on your left side with legs bent perpendicular to your body. Place your left arm comfortably in front of you and put your right hand behind your ear. Using a slow crunching motion, exhale and lift your rib cage toward your hip. Inhale and slowly lower almost to the floor.

Intermediate: Lie on your left side with legs bent perpendicular to your body. Place your left arm comfortably in front of you and put your right hand behind your ear. Using a slow crunching motion, exhale and lift your rib cage toward your hip. Inhale and slowly lower almost to the floor.

Make It Harder: Raise and lower for variable counts: up 2, down 2 … up for 3, down for 1 … up for 1, down for 3.

Helpful Hints: Lift entire torso off the floor, not just your elbow and head. Focus on using the obliques to list your toros, and be sure to get the bottom shoulder off the floor during the lifting phase.

Related Post: Rectus Abdominis

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Improve Your Life With Healthy Sleep Habits

Having trouble falling asleep is a very common problem for a lot of us. At some stage around 20% of people will experience either too little sleep or poor quality of sleep. The following is a collection of tips and advice to assist you in improving your sleeping habits.

For more tips on how to achieve improved relaxation and sleeping habits check out these resources:

Tim Ferriss - Relax Like A Pro
Zen Habits - Benefits of Rising Early
Steve Pavlina - How to Become an Early Riser

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Basic Ab Exercises

Make sure the lower back stays well supported. Relax for a moment between exercises. Allow enough time for a good stretch/cool-down period when you are done.

Basic Crunch
Lay down on the floor, knees bent, hands resting on your thighs, feet and lower back pressing into the ground. Squeeze the abdominals as you lift your upper body toward your knees. Lower. Your hands will naturally move up and down your leg. Exhale up, inhale down. Repeat 20 times.

Reverse Crunch
Press the hands into the floor at your side. Raise your legs so that they are perpendicular to the ground. Now, lift your buttocks an inch or two off of the floor, keeping shoulders to the floor. Lower slowly, concentrating on the lower ab region. Repeat 15 times.

Cross
Lay on your back, knees bent. Use your hands to support the head, thumbs right behind your ears. Keeping your right shoulder on the ground, twist the left side of your body up and over, pointing your left shoulder toward your right knee. Lower. Repeat 15 times each side.

Crunch with Alternate Twist
Same position, knees bent, hands supporting the head. Crunch up; twist your body to the right; twist your body to the left; and crunch forward again. Release, but do not lower your head all the way to the ground. Repeat this series of fluid movements 10 times.

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Basic Stretching Exercises

Stretching is needed at the beginning of exercise to prepare the muscle for the exercise it is about to take part in. These stretches will help prevent damage to the muscle, and help with your suppleness. Stretching after the workout helps straighten the muscle fibres, helps clear out any build up of by products from exercise and also makes you feel good.

The stretching program is as just as important as the exercise workout itself. These stretches are to be done before and after your workout,or even when you wake up and go to bed. Hold each stretch for around 10 seconds breathing freely. Ensure that you do not bounce the stretch, keep the limbs nice and still. Relax into the stretch until you feel a mild tension on the muscle,there should be no pain.

Reach - Ensure you keep your knees slightly bent to protect your lower back. Reach your hand up in to the air.

Triceps - Knees bent, gently pull arm down center of back. Feel the stretch on the back of your arm.

Upper Back - Knees bent, hands clasped, gently push hands away from body.

Lats - Feel the stretch as you gently pull the arm over.

Hip - Keep knees slightly bent.

Quadriceps - Keep the supporting knee slightly bent.If too hard,lie down on tummy and do the same.

Calfs - Keep both feet facing forwards, keeping feet still gently move forward.

Adductors - Sit on the floor, gently push your knees to the floor, no bouncing.

Glutes - Lie on back, gently pull knee towards you with other leg lying over pulled one.

Hamstrings - Pull the leg back gently, if leg starts to shake relax off a bit, keep leg still.

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Free Fitness Ebook: So You’ve Decided To Get In Shape (Again)

Craig Harper is an author and motivational speaker from Melbourne, Australia. He believes that anyone can create amazing change and incredible results in any area of their life in a relatively short period of time, if they are prepared to get a little uncomfortable, see old things in a new way, and open their mind and their heart to a different way of thinking and being.

He is a former “fat-kid” so he understands weight loss first hand. Last week Craig released his free Ebook, “So You’ve Decided To Get In Shape (Again)”, through his website. If you have ever decided to lose weight, get in shape or develop a flat stomach and failed then give this book a try. It might just give you that little bit of psychology and motivation that you need to make a massive change in your life.

In his free ebook Craig discusses:

The First Bit – The Head StuffThe Second Bit – The Exercise StuffThe Third Bit – The Food Stuff

Craig’s book contains powerful common sense suggestions based on his twenty five years of helping people create positive physical change.

To get your copy of the free Ebook all you have to do is subscribe to Craig’s email updates.

Here is the link: So You’ve Decided To Get In Shape (Again)

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Workout Tips

For the most effective workout, work the lower section of the rectus abdominis first, then the obliques, then the upper part of the rectus abdominis.

When lifting your upper torso for a crunch, always keep your chin pointing up to the ceiling, rather than looking toward your knees.

Really support your head and neck with your hands without pulling on your neck.

Exhale on the contraction and inhale as your relax the muscles.

Always contract the ab by pulling the belly button toward the spine before beginning any lifting motion.

When doing crunches, if you feel a lot of tension in your neck, take a break until the muscles of the neck and shoulder relax. That tension is produced when you try to lift with your upper body instead of your ab. It’s important that you take a break, relax, and contract the ab by pulling your belly button toward your spine.

Rather than trying to flatten your back to the floor, focus instead on pulling your belly button in as tightly as you can. It’s not important how high you lift, but how deeply you contract the abdominals.

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5 Food Rules For Improving Your Health

If you want to make an immediate impact on your health and lifestyle for the better then follow these 5 rules on eating food to improve your overall wellbeing. The following list works through 5 simple steps to help you improve your eating habits. If you follow these rules you should start feeling healthier, decrease your body fat percentage, start to work towards a flat stomach and perhaps even improve your ability to fall and stay asleep throughout the night.

Eat REAL Food!

An easy way to dramatically improve your health is to eat real food! By this I mean eating food in it’s natural state. This means eating food as close as possible to the way nature intended it to be. Consume less processed grains, go for rolled oats over instant, brown rice over white and defiantly no white bread. Try switching to a sourdough or whole grain bread. Actually eat fruit instead of purchasing products that contain “real fruit”. Finally it also means preparing more of your own food at home instead of buying factory produced processed packaged meals.

Following the same line of thought you want to eat foods that contain no or minimal amounts of flavorings, preservatives and colorings. When you do your shopping make sure you actually check the labels and go for products where you recognize all the ingredients. Avoid items that are made up of powders, flavorings and numbers!

Eat Local Produce

Try and source your food from locally grown suppliers. Almost all cities and suburbs have a local farmers market somewhere. Find it and support your local manufactures and farmers. Buying your fruit, vegetables and meats from the supermarket is a great convenience but it comes at the cost of truly fresh and seasonal eating.

Eat More Fruit and Vegetables

We all know that we need to be eating more fruit and vegetables. Fruit and vegetables should be making up one third of the food you eat each day and it’s also important to be eating a variety. The recommended daily intake is 5 portions of fruit and vegetables. Also remember that fruit and vegetables are very low in fat.

If you are a vegetarian then the next two rules might not apply to you. If this is the case then you need to make sure you are getting enough nutrients in your diet. Along with your fruit and vegetables try to include nuts, legumes, whole grains, seeds, dairy foods and eggs (assuming you are not vegan). Tofu and other soybean products are also a great source of protein in a vegetarian diet.

Eat Fresh Lean Meat

Choose to eat meat that is a lean cut which will keep saturated fats to a minimum and allow you to get the maximum amount of protein, minerals and vitamins available from the meat. You should also try to source meat that is produced free of antibiotics and hormones, in other words free range or organic.

Eat Oily Fish

Over the last few years there has been a massive push to increase the amount of omega 3 fatty acids in our diet. Oily fish are a great source of these omega 3 fats and they are essential to our diet. Great fish sources are salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies and sardines. Other oily fish such as tuna also contain omega 3 fats but in somewhat lesser amounts.

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Eat Right for the Best Workout

The 12 rules of eating right.

Get enough fiber
The experts say we should be consuming at least 25 grams of fiber per day. Go for whole grain breads, beans, fruit, and veggies.

Drink 2-3 glasses of skim or low-fat milk every day
Not only does it provide much-needed calcium, it’s got a perfect proportion of carbohydrate and protein calories to keep you feeling energetic.

Water
Cool, refreshing, blissfully calorie-and fat-free, a glass of water is one of the best pick-me-ups around. Drinking lots helps prevent water retention, keeps your skin glowing, sustains your energy, and keeps all your functions functioning.

Protein is your body’s building block
Make sure you get some at each meal - and go for the low-fat kinds: chicken and turkey breast, fish, lean beef, egg whites, and beans.

It really is smart food, so eat fish once a week
Versatile and loaded with heart-healthy Omega-3 oil and protein, fish is a great way to satisfy your daily protein requirement.

Rev your engine with complex carbs
The right kinds of carbohydrates will keep you feeling energized all day. What’s the right kind? The kind loaded with fiber: fruits, veggies, whole grain starches, beans.

Eat a carrot everyday
Loaded with beta carotene, carrots also have fiber, take a long time to eat, and taste delicious.

Eat for energy by thinking about what the foods you eat can do for you
Think about what they contain, rather than what they don’t. For example, fat free cookies are all about what’s not in there. But strawberries have vitamin C, whole wheat bagels serve up energizing carbs, peanut butter is a protein powerhouse, cottage cheese has a one-two punch of calcium and protein…

Eat your cruciferous veggies
Leafy dark green and brightly colored veggies contain antioxidants that can help you ward off villains from the common cold to cancer.

Take a bite of an apple (or pear, grapefruit, pineapple)
Fruit is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Pass on the trendy juice shakes and smoothies that are loaded with empty sugar calories and sink your teeth into the real thing. With an average of only 60 calories per serving, fruit is a low-calorie, energy-packed food.

Don’t fight all fat
Your body needs fat to function - and fat is a highly-concentrated source of energy, so don’t cut all of it out of your diet. Just eliminate the bad, yucky, saturated kind. Research has shown that olive oil and canola oil have very health side effects. Stay away from the sat-fat found in highly-marbleized meat, butter, tropical oils, and some margarines - but don’t be afraid to drizzle a little olive oil on your salad.

Remember: there’s no bad food
Just about everything can be part of a healthy diet - as long as you concentrate on low-fat foods, fruits, and vegetables most of the time. By removing the taboos from foods, you free yourself to make healthful choices willingly– and think of food as healthy fuel instead of an enemy you need to fight.

Related Post: Essential Nutrients

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2 Flat Stomach Secrets For Women

article by Holly Rigsby, CPT from www.FitYummyMummy.com

Have you tried everything under the sun to get a flat stomach, only to come up disappointed? Have you fallen prey to all the gimmicks, fad diets and shameless infomercials promising you that elusive flat stomach that you desire?

Well fret no more, I’m going to let you in on the two ‘secrets’ that will help you shed unwanted fat and reveal your toned, flat stomach once and for all.

The first secret for a flat stomach is eating supportively. While this doesn’t seem like a secret at all, most women get this wrong in spite of their best – but misguided – efforts. Women have fallen prey to low-fat, low-carb, Hollywood, grapefruit, South Beach and every other over hyped diet that marketers can dream up, all in hopes of shedding those unwanted pounds. But eating supportively is isn’t about dieting or deprivation; it’s about moderation and balance. While cutting carbs or fats out of your nutrition plan might give you a temporary loss of a couple of pounds, it’s typically followed by a drop in metabolism and a weight gain of more than you lost in the first place once you go back to your old eating habits.

So what is eating supportively? Eating supportively is having protein and carbohydrates at every meal. It’s grazing on 4-6 meals or snack each day instead of missing meals and then gorging yourself. It’s enjoying a healthy breakfast and not drinking your calories. But most of all, eating supportively is enjoying the foods you love in moderation instead of in excess.

If eating supportively is the first secret to a flat stomach, then what’s the second? The second flat stomach secret is resistance training. Unfortunately, just as fad diets have stood in the path of women achieving the flat stomachs they so desired, so have the myths of spot reduction and cardio being the best method for fat loss. Late night infomercials have long promoted gadgets that promised to spot reduce those trouble spots that women struggle with and sucked us in with testimonials from fitness models that undoubtedly picked up a nifty paycheck for endorsing their wares. But spot reduction is a myth. Think about it – have you ever met someone with a flat stomach and fat arms? Didn’t think so. If spot reduction was possible then undoubtedly one of these happy customers would have toned and tightened their stomach, yet kept their flabby arms.

The other myth that has led women astray is the belief that cardio is the best solution for fat loss. Treadmill manufacturers have sold the virtues of the ‘fat burning zone’ and led us to believe that we could plod along on a treadmill watching Oprah and before long a flat stomach would be ours. These two myths have diverted us from the path of what really does work – resistance training. Resistance training is a flat stomach’s best friend because not only does an effective resistance training session burn plenty of calories while you’re doing it, but it keeps you’re metabolism revved long after you’re done. One recent study showed that you’re metabolism would stay elevated for over 36 hours after a resistance training session.

Try to get that out of an aerobics class.

And there’s another benefit of resistance training when it comes to getting a flat stomach. The lean muscle that you gain will raise you’re resting metabolic rate and help you burn more fat all day long, each and every day.

There you have it, two ‘secrets’ that are guaranteed to boost your metabolism and give you that flat stomach you’ve been longing for. So ditch the diet books and the aerobics classes and start eating supportively and resistance training. Before long that flat stomach will finally be yours.

About the Author

Holly Rigsby is a nationally recognized women’s fitness coach, certified personal trainer (CPT) and the author of the internationally popular e-book – Fit Yummy Mummy - Burn Your Baby Fat & Get Your Body Back. Go to http://www.fityummymummy.com to get your FREE copy of her special report: “The Five Ways To Boost Your Metabolism.”

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Lower Rectus Abdominis

Listed below are exercises that focus on the lower rectus abdominis muscle.

Reverse Crunch

Beginner: Lie on your back with knees pulled into your chest. Hands are behind your head and belly button is pulled in tightly. Exhale and contract your lower abs so that your hips and buns lift off the floor. Inhale as you slowly lower to the starting position.

Intermediate: Lie on your back with legs extended up toward the ceiling, keeping legs pulled toward your head to remove pressure from the lower back. Hands are behind your head and belly button is pulled in tightly. Exhale and contract you lower abs so that your hips and buns lift off the floor — think of stamping your feet on the ceiling. Inhale as you slowly lower to the starting position.

Make It Harder: Lift and lower for counts of 2, 3, or 4.

Helpful Hints: Don’t rock your legs. Use your abs to lift and let your legs come along for the ride. The movement should be small and controlled.

Cycling

Beginner: Lie on your back with your hands under your buns to give you a slight pelvic tilt. Lift your legs so they’re pointing toward the ceiling and hold them close to your body to remove pressure from your back. Slowly pull your right knee toward your chest, using the lower abs to pull. Then extend the right leg and pull in the left knee. Keep alternating, using a pushing-pulling motion with the abs.

Intermediate: Lie on your back with your hands under your buns to give you a slight pelvic tilt. Extend your legs parallel to the floor and lift them about 1 foot off the floor. Slowly pull your right knee toward your chest, using the lower abs to pull. Then extend the right leg and pull in the left knee. Keep alternating, using a pushing-pulling motion with the abs.

Make It Harder: Cycle are variable speeds: quickly for 4 counts, then very slowly for 4 counts.

Helpful Hints: If you feel pressure in your lower back, point your legs more toward the ceiling. To make this exercise more difficult, try holding your head and shoulders off the floor as you cycle.

Seated Raises

Beginner: Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your legs extended in front of you, your heels just touching the floor. Hold onto the sides of the chair or bench as an anchor. Contract your abs, exhale, and pull your knees in toward your chest. Inhale as you slowly lower to starting position, barely touching the floor with your heels.

Intermediate: Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your legs extended in front of you, your heels just touching the floor. Hold onto the sides of the chair or bench as an anchor. Contract your abs, exhale, and keeping your legs extended, lift them up until their parallel to the floor. Inhale as you slowly lower to starting position, barely touching the floor with your heels.

Make It Harder: Raise and lower for variable counts: up 2, down 2 … up for 3, down for 1 … up for 1, down for 3 … raise and lower slowly on a count of 4.

Helpful Hints: Control the lowering motion and fight against gravity. Be sure to keep upper body upright; try not to lean back as you lift.

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Stop Compulsive Overeating And Get A Flat Stomach

Compulsive overeating can happen for a variety of different reasons and I’m sure most of us can admit that at one time or another we have all overindulged in food. Eating a little too much dessert around the holidays or on your birthday is a one off and usually includes time well spent with family and friends. This overeating is fine as long as it’s a one off and you are sticking to a workout routine. Problems occur when the overeating becomes compulsive and happens out of boredom, constant overindulgence, inability to recognize the feelings of hunger and fullness or simply eating food for the sake of it because “it was there”. This is a sure-fire way to put on weight and ruin a flat stomach.

How To Stop Overeating
Eating too much is easily done and the body often lets it happen because of the strong sensations hunger can cause. Combine hunger pains with the fact that it takes around 20 minutes for the brain to acknowledge that the stomach is full and it becomes clearer why we can tend to overeat.

The stomach secretes a hormone called CCK which lets the brain know that you have eaten and that you are now full. So if it takes 15 to 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you’re full then subsequently it makes sense that you need to stop eating well before the feeling of fullness comes along. When you think you are about 75% full you should put your knife and fork down and stop eating. Hopefully in the long term this will also help you to serve up smaller portions.

On the subject of portions, you need to immediately start to serve yourself much smaller portions. Even cutting down to half your normal portion size may be necessary. The next step is to start eating as slowly as practically possible. Working with the 75% full theory you should try finishing your meal with a little left over on the plate (I don’t encourage throwing away good food so either save it as left overs, give it to the dog or perhaps add it to your compost). It may take a while for you to adjust your level of fullness and for your stomach to shrink down a little but constantly remind yourself that you don’t want to overeat, remember to stop at the 75% full level and acknowledge if you feel full. If so walkaway and stop eating.

5 Foods To Make You Feel Fuller For Longer

Have a breakfast high in fiber. Try brown bread or an oat cereal. These kind of high fiber foods are full of complex carbohydrates and are hard for your body to break down, keeping you feeling fuller for longerAvoid junk food as much as possible. These foods are full of sugar and your body digests them easily, thus leaving you unsatisfied and remaining hungryEat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as you can get your hands on. They make great snacks, they are low in calories and will fill you up. Apples are especially good for filling you up with few caloriesEat lean meat. Lean meat is a great source of protein which like fiber can keep you feeling fuller for longer. If you are a vegetarian then check out these other sources of proteinNot a food but remember to drink plenty of water, besides the fact it’s wonderful for you it will make you feel full

5 Top Tips To Avoid Overeating

Limit the volume of food you have in the home, particularly junk and “comfort” foodDon’t stockpile foods for unexpected guests. If it’s there you will eat itTry different meals. If you have the same meals over and over again you’re more likely to mindlessly overeatEvery action has an equal and opposite reaction. If you do overeat one day then the next day you need to eat leaner and workout. The exercise will help you feel better and will hopefully remind you not to overeat. If you overeat and don’t exercise you are going to put on weight.Remember, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing

*If you enjoyed this article then check out my previous post on how to Avoid Cravings and Snacking

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Ab Muscles

Strong abdominals can turn an average athlete into an all-star; they provide support for throwing motions, stability and balance for jumping/lunging movements, and stamina for endurance sports. And ab perform an invaluable function in everyday life; they support the spine and allow us to bend. Combine conditioned ab muscles with regular stretching for the hamstrings and lower back, and you’ll have a strong, healthy spine and excellent posture. An amazing $80 billion is spent every year on medical care for the treatment of problems associated with low back pain. So even if you never want to wear a midriff-baring top, there are plenty of sensible reasons for you to take care of your ab.

The abdominal region is composed of four muscles groups: the rectus abdominis, the external and internal obliques, and the transverse abdominis. The chart below explains each muscle’s location and function. Knowing these simple facts about your anatomy will help you with visualization during your ab workout so you get the most out of each exercise.

Muscle: Rectus abdominis
Location: The rectus abdominis runs the length of the torso from the pubic bone to mid-chest.
Function: Used for flexion: pulls the torso toward the hips and vice versa; responsible for tilt of pelvis.
Sports: Good for sports requiring running, jumping, and lifting.

Muscle: External oblique
Location: The external oblique runs diagonally to the rectus abdominis; it forms a V when viewed from the front.
Function: Aids in twisting at the waist: left external is active when you twist to the right (and vice versa).
Sports: Improves performance in golf, boxing, tennis, baseball, and any other sport that require trunk rotation.

Muscle: Internal oblique
Location: The internal oblique lies underneath the external oblique and runs diagonally in the opposite direction.
Function: Aids in twisting the torso: left internal is active when you twist to the left, aiding the right external oblique (and vice versa).
Sports: Like the external obliques, good for sports that require rotation: skiing, paddling, rowing, etc.

Muscle: Transverse abdominis
Location: The transverse abdominis runs horizontally across the abdominal wall and underneath the obliques; this is the muscle you use to “suck in your stomach.”
Function: Primarily responsible for helping the lungs breathe: pulls the abdominal wall inward to force air exhalation.
Sports: Enhances performance in sports that require short, powerful bursts: football, karate, soccer, hockey, shot put.

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Front Squats For A Flat Stomach

artcile by mike geary from truthaboutabs.com

The Front Squat

As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with deadlifts) as one of the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition changes (muscle gain and fat loss). This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known to man. Hence, these exercises stimulate the greatest hormonal responses (growth hormone, testosterone, etc.) of all exercises.

In fact, university research studies have even proven that inclusion of squats into a training program increases upper body development, in addition to lower body development, even though upper body specific joint movements are not performed during the squat. Whether your goal is gaining muscle mass, losing body fat, building a strong and functional body, or improving athletic performance, the basic squat and deadlift (and their variations) are the ultimate solution.

If you don’t believe me that squats and deadlifts are THE basis for a lean and powerful body, then go ahead and join all of the other overweight people pumping away mindlessly for hours on boring cardio equipment.

Squats can be done with barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, or even just body weight. Squats should only be done with free weights – NEVER with a Smith machine! My ebook, The Truth About Six Pack Abs contains the full story on why machines are so inferior and even potentially DANGEROUS compared to free weights.

The type of squat that people are most familiar with is the barbell back squat where the bar is resting on the trapezius muscles of the upper back. Many professional strength coaches believe that front squats (where the bar rests on the shoulders in front of the head) and overhead squats (where the bar is locked out in a snatch grip overhead throughout the squat) are more functional to athletic performance than back squats with less risk of lower back injury.

I feel that a combination of all three (not necessarily during the same phase of your workouts) will yield the best results for overall muscular development, body fat loss, and athletic performance. Front squats are moderately more difficult than back squats, while overhead squats are considerably more difficult than either back squats or front squats. I’ll cover overhead squats in a future newsletter issue.

If you are only accustomed to performing back squats, it will take you a few sessions to become comfortable with front squats, so start out light. After a couple sessions of practice, you will start to feel the groove and be able to increase the poundage.

To perform front squats:

The front squat recruits the abdominals to a much higher degree for stability due to the more upright position compared with back squats. It is mostly a lower body exercise, but is great for functionally incorporating core strength and stability into the squatting movement. It can also be slightly difficult to learn how to properly rest the bar on your shoulders. There are two ways to rest the bar on the front of the shoulders.

In the first method, you step under the bar and cross your forearms into an “X” position while resting the bar on the dimple that is created by the shoulder muscle near the bone, keeping your elbows up high so that your arms are parallel to the ground. You then hold the bar in place by pressing the thumb side of your fists against the bar for support.

Alternatively, you can hold the bar by placing your palms face up and the bar resting on your fingers against your shoulders. For both methods, your elbows must stay up high to prevent the weight from falling. Your upper arms should stay parallel to the ground throughout the squat. Find out which bar support method is more comfortable for you.

Then, initiate the squat from your hips by sitting back and down keeping the weight on your heels as opposed to the balls of your feet. Squat down to a position where your thighs are approximately parallel to the ground, then press back up to the starting position. Keeping your weight more towards your heels is the key factor in squatting to protect your knees from injury and develop strong injury resistant knee joints.

Keep in mind – squats done correctly actually strengthen the knees; squats done incorrectly can damage the knees. Practice first with an un-weighted bar or a relatively light weight to learn the movement. Most people are surprised how hard this exercise works your abs once you learn the correct form.

Start and Finish Position:

Midpoint Position:

For complete descriptions of over 50 of the most effective full body exercises for stripping away body fat while developing a rock-hard body, download my e-book The Truth About Six Pack Abs

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Personal First Aid

This article will cover the basic things you need to know if you have an injury while exercising.

The most common problems with exercise are fainting and dizziness, pulled muscle and dehydration.

Fainting and Dizziness

This condition is caused by lack of water and salt to the body. This only usually happens to people who are not used to exercise or work a lot harder than they usually do and the body is not prepared for it. If you are working out in a hotter place than normal you have to make sure you take plenty of water as you will lose more liquid while working out. Dizziness will occur before the fainting so if you feel dizzy then stop exercising straight away as if you are on your own you cannot help yourself if you faint.

Symptoms and Signs:

Feeling of exhaustion but may feel restless May have a headache and feel tired May feel dizzy and nauseated Stomach cramps may be felt Skin will feel cold and clammy, face will be pale Shallow and fast breathingPulse will be rapid and weak

Treatment:

Stop exercising immediately Try and get to a cooler place Sip water Lie down with your feet slightly above your head If you feel you might become unconscious then lie in the recovery position (on your side with your tummy to the floor) If sweating profusely, have cramp or vomiting add half a tea spoon of salt to each pint of water

Pulled Muscles

This problem can occur if you have not warmed up or stretched out properly. If your demand on the muscles is too great the muscle fibre can be slightly torn given a very tight and probably pain full feeling in the muscle.

Symptoms and Signs:

Muscle feels tight or hurts as exercise is doneMuscle feels tight hurts after exercise has finishedBurning sensation from muscle

Treatment:

Stop exercising immediatelyIce pack the muscle with the a towel in between the ice pack and a the skin Compress the muscle with a bandage (not too tight) Elevate the limb

It is very important for you to rest the limb until the injury has healed completely. The advice 2, 3 and 4 is to prevent the swelling of the muscle. As the muscle repairs, slowly and gently start to work it with some good stretches. A good diet with adequate protein is needed.

Dehydration

This condition is caused by lack of water to the body. This does not only happen to people who are new to exercise, some people who exercise all their lives can become dehydrated if they do not take in enough water. If you are working out in a hotter place than normal you have to make sure you take plenty of water as you will lose more liquid while working out.

Symptoms and Signs:

Feeling of thirstMay have a headache and feel tired May feel dizzy and nauseated Skin will feel cold and clammy, face will be pale Shallow and fast breathing Pulse will be rapid and weak

Treatment:

Stop exercising immediatelyTry and get to a cooler placeSit down on the floorSip water and keep drinking it until you feel betterIf you feel you might become unconscious then lie in the recovery position (on your side with your tummy to the floor)DO NOT carry on exercising when you feel better

These are only a few of the problems that can occur during first aid, but as said earlier they are the most common. Now you know the problems that can happen you can make sure they do not happen to you.

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Avoiding The Seasonal Weight Gain

While looking at the geographical location of my visitors I would say that most of The Flat Stomach Blog readers are currently enjoying some warmer weather. However as we hit the summer months it occurred to me that there is a whole other side of the equator who are getting ready to snug up for winter. Countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Brazil are either in, or about to be in the middle of winter.

One of the problems with winter approaching is that our bodies are more covered up and we sometimes lose the motivation that we have to stay in shape over those warmer months. For some, winter can become an excuse to stay inside, skip the gym and eat heavier foods. Our bodies are no longer as much on display each day and we may use this as an excuse to overeat and under exercise.

Even though most of us are aware of the risks that winter brings in terms of weight gain and putting on that little bit of extra belly fat, many of us still fall victim to it. Those extra few pounds can add up pretty quickly and with every added year and pound that weight becomes harder and harder to shift. Although this weight gain is common and easy enough to do it doesn’t have to be this way.

Obviously the key lies in weight prevention. A major factor in the potential for weight gain over the colder months is the fact that we are generally moving less. Combine this with some over indulgence of heavier foods and warm desserts compared with summer salads and fruit based meals and it easily explains the increased weight.

Crucial to preventing the winter wight gain is maintaining your level of movement and activity. Shorter days may mean there is less time for physical activity than in summer but you must force yourself to continue your training schedule. If you find you can no longer get yourself out of bed to face those cold mornings then shift your training sessions to the afternoon or evening. As with all exercise whether it be in the winter or summer it is often more motivating to work out with someone else. So grab a friend, get a personal trainer or participate in a team sport. Indoor tennis, soccer, basketball or netball are great ideas for a winter team sport.

Giving your body a decent amount of exposure to sunlight is crucial for your health but also helps out with your mood and feeling of overall wellness. Going for a simple short lunch time walk can be a great addition to your training and will help with your weight management and can even increase your energy levels.

While you need to keep up your physical activity over winter the second most important factor in winter weight management is simply watching what you are putting into your mouth. Try limiting winter foods such as puddings, cakes, pies, pastries and chocolate to only once a week treats. Make sure your fill your meals up with lots of vegetables and try adding a soup to your evening meals. If you eat soup either as an entrée or as a main meal you are less likely to overeat during the meal or later at night.

There is a belief that it is natural to put on weight in colder months because of our human ancestry. Our bodies may see it as a time to store energy, or fat for the colder months. The weather gets cold, the blood vessels in the skin contract and blood moves to the center of the body. While there it may stimulate internal organs such as the digestive tract, and its activity can increase. When the digestive tract grows more active, appetite increases, and if the appetite increases, naturally so does your weight. However because we now spend most of our time in temperature controlled environments it no longer becomes and excuse to put on weight.

Finally, don’t give in to thinking that it’s okay to let yourself and your weight slide a little over winter. You will only regret it when summer comes back around and it becomes harder to shift those extra pounds and get a flat stomach.

6 Tips To Stay In Shape Over Winter

Drink plenty of water every day, its good for you and keeps you feeling fullLimit winter comfort foods to once a week at mostIf you’re craving a sweet desert try baking a home made apple dishReplace full cream milk with skim milk in your coffees, teas and other warm drinksDo not stop with your regular workout routine just because it’s winter and you’re a little more covered upIf you don’t like the cold mornings then move your workout session to the afternoon or eveningPopularity: 76% [?]

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Stop Compulsive Overeating And Get A Flat Stomach

Compulsive overeating can happen for a variety of different reasons and I’m sure most of us can admit that at one time or another we have all overindulged in food. Eating a little too much dessert around the holidays or on your birthday is a one off and usually includes time well spent with family and friends. This overeating is fine as long as it’s a one off and you are sticking to a workout routine. Problems occur when the overeating becomes compulsive and happens out of boredom, constant overindulgence, inability to recognize the feelings of hunger and fullness or simply eating food for the sake of it because “it was there”. This is a sure-fire way to put on weight and ruin a flat stomach.

How To Stop Overeating
Eating too much is easily done and the body often lets it happen because of the strong sensations hunger can cause. Combine hunger pains with the fact that it takes around 20 minutes for the brain to acknowledge that the stomach is full and it becomes clearer why we can tend to overeat.

The stomach secretes a hormone called CCK which lets the brain know that you have eaten and that you are now full. So if it takes 15 to 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you’re full then subsequently it makes sense that you need to stop eating well before the feeling of fullness comes along. When you think you are about 75% full you should put your knife and fork down and stop eating. Hopefully in the long term this will also help you to serve up smaller portions.

On the subject of portions, you need to immediately start to serve yourself much smaller portions. Even cutting down to half your normal portion size may be necessary. The next step is to start eating as slowly as practically possible. Working with the 75% full theory you should try finishing your meal with a little left over on the plate (I don’t encourage throwing away good food so either save it as left overs, give it to the dog or perhaps add it to your compost). It may take a while for you to adjust your level of fullness and for your stomach to shrink down a little but constantly remind yourself that you don’t want to overeat, remember to stop at the 75% full level and acknowledge if you feel full. If so walkaway and stop eating.

5 Foods To Make You Feel Fuller For Longer

Have a breakfast high in fiber. Try brown bread or an oat cereal. These kind of high fiber foods are full of complex carbohydrates and are hard for your body to break down, keeping you feeling fuller for longerAvoid junk food as much as possible. These foods are full of sugar and your body digests them easily, thus leaving you unsatisfied and remaining hungryEat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as you can get your hands on. They make great snacks, they are low in calories and will fill you up. Apples are especially good for filling you up with few caloriesEat lean meat. Lean meat is a great source of protein which like fiber can keep you feeling fuller for longer. If you are a vegetarian then check out these other sources of proteinNot a food but remember to drink plenty of water, besides the fact it’s wonderful for you it will make you feel full

5 Top Tips To Avoid Overeating

Limit the volume of food you have in the home, particularly junk and “comfort” foodDon’t stockpile foods for unexpected guests. If it’s there you will eat itTry different meals. If you have the same meals over and over again you’re more likely to mindlessly overeatEvery action has an equal and opposite reaction. If you do overeat one day then the next day you need to eat leaner and workout. The exercise will help you feel better and will hopefully remind you not to overeat. If you overeat and don’t exercise you are going to put on weight.Remember, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing

*If you enjoyed this article then check out my previous post on how to Avoid Cravings and Snacking

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 Filed Under: Food, General Health, Weight Loss     Tags: apple, breakfast, CCK, compulsive, cravings, fiber, Flat Stomach, fullness, hunger, over eating, overeating, overindulge, overindulgence, protein, snacking, water
   

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