Poor Stomach Exercise Habits

Six Poor Stomach Exercise Habits

As with all things, there is a right way to go about working for a flatter midsection, and several wrong ways. Working out the wrong way can lead to no physical improvement or worse, serious injury. When doing stomach exercises or any other exercise, be sure to consult a professional, warm up properly, and remember the following tips.

Keep Your Knees Up
When doing crunches, you want your knees to bent and your feet flat on the floor so that your knees are centered and pointed upward. Keep them centered and up, not to one side. If you drop your knees to one side, you are unnecessarily compressing your vertebrae, which can lead to a painful back injury.

Sit-Ups
Traditional sit-ups actually do very little for the abdominal muscles. Even when done properly, the strain is mostly on the hip muscles. There is also the tendency to pull the torso up with the arms, which of course is not the point of the exercise. Further, when sit-ups are done very quickly, as people have a tendency to do, it is momentum that mostly forces the torso up and down, rather than any muscle groups. The crunch is a good alternative to old school sit-ups.

Straight Leg Lift
Another traditional "stomach exercise," this move actually works the lower back more than any muscles in the midsection. This is also another way to put strain on your back, possibly leading to injury.

Too Many Reps
There is never a need to do more fifty reps of a stomach exercise. If fifty reps is not giving you results, doing more than that will not help wither. As you build strength, if you feel the need for a bigger challenge, try a more difficult exercise as an alternative to adding reps.

Sleeping
Believe it or not, how you sleep has an effect on your stomach exercise routine. If you sleep in a position that cause back pain, it will make it much more difficult to work on your midsection in the morning. Sleeping mostly on your stomach is one of the best ways to cause back pain, as it forces your back to arch, often resulting in annoying back pain. The best way to avoid this is to sleep on your back with a pillow under your knees. This will help keep your vertebrae in line, prevent back pain and allowing you work out pain free in the morning.

No Resistance
All stomach exercises need resistance to be effective, whether it comes from a resistance band, an exercise ball, or just gravity. Exercises that do not use any resistance, such as standing broomstick twists, will not be beneficial to your midsection. The good news is that this particular exercise will not do any harm and is actually a good warm up for your trunk. Just do not expect it to flatten out your stomach.

Proper exercise technique is important. These are just a few tips to help you avoid wasting time and potential injury. Be sure to research thoroughly before beginning a new exercise, and always consult your physician before beginning any physical fitness routine.

BONUS : Popular Diets

There are all kinds of "diets" out there. It seems a new one pops up just about every minute. The truth is that as a whole, Americans have become more health conscious. That's not to say that obesity isn't still a problem. It is. But many Americans are trying hard to eat healthier, whether they are trying to lose weight or not.

That's pretty easy to see. You'll notice healthier choices on the menu at fast food joints. Of course, those same fast food joints are still selling their fair share of high-calorie, high-cholesterol, heart-attack-in-a-sack food.

Amazingly, the most popular weight loss diets out there are not necessarily the ones that are heart healthy. The Atkins Diet is still the most popular weight loss diet anywhere. The Atkins Diet recommends a lot of meat and fat and very few (if any) carbohydrates. Dieters don't have to go hungry — and that is a big selling point because, let's face it, those who need to lose weight are those who especially love to eat. So eating a lot is a great selling point.

The Zone Diet is another very popular weight loss diet today. It is based upon a healthier premise. The Zone Diet recommends a diet that is about 40 percent carbs, 30 percent fat, and 30 percent protein. You have to give up caffeine altogether, and hunger can be an issue.

The Weight Watcher's Diet promotes a very healthy eating plan. The emphasis is on portion control rather than avoiding certain foods. You can eat anything you want, but you must stay within a "point" allowance.

There are dozens and dozens of other weight loss diets out there. There are some that provide all of your food for you in the correct serving sizes. There are others that promote using prepared "shakes" as a replacement for two "real-food" meals each day.

All of these diets will cause a temporary weight loss, but only changes in lifestyle will affect a permanent weight loss.