100-Day Exercise Challenge Day 1: Wii Fit Plus

Today I bought WiiFit Plus (as well as a few other workouts) and could not wait to try it.  For 2010 my resolution was to not buy any new workouts, and I succeeded! Now it's 2011 and it's on!  So I started a 100 day exercise challenge.  I must work out at least 30 minutes EVERY day and that is tough for me.

Day 1
WiiFit Plus is awesome!  I knew it would be one of the firs things I would buy for the new year, but it helped a lot that my sister got it for Christmas and I played over there.  I was even more anxious to get it.  My favorite game so far and probably will stay so is the Kung Fu game.  I love it!  Just have to get really good at it.  And I played it enough to unlock the advanced and that was even better.

I did a whole 60 minutes.  Okay, maybe this challenge will be kind of easy.  Saturday is typically my rest day, but doing the Wii is like playing a game, but still burning some calories while I am at it. 

I can do this!

Athletic Abs: Start working baby!

Ready, set, let's go!!

The most effective ab exercises start with the bicycle, which is the best move for targeting the rectus abdominis (i.e., the 'six pack') and the obliques (the waist), according to an American Council on Exercise study.

How to:

1.Lie on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head.

2.Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the floor without pulling on the neck.

3.Straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, taking the left elbow towards the right knee.

4.Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.

5.Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.


The captain's chair leg raise is the second most effective move for the rectus abdominis as well as the obliques. You can do a variety of exercises on the captain's chair, which is a rack with padded arms that allows your legs to hang free and can be found in most health clubs and gyms. The key to keeping this move safe and effective is, first, to avoid swinging the legs or using momentum to bring the legs up. Second, keeping the knees bent will help you focus more on the abdominals and less on the hip flexors.
How to:

1.Stand on the chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body.

2.Press your back against the pad and contract the abs to raise the legs and lift knees towards your chest.

3.Don't arch the back or swing the legs up.

4.Slowly lower back down and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.


If you don't have access to a captain's chair rack, you can try a ball roll out as a substitute.  Ab rolls are a challenging exercise that targets all the muscles of the core. This advanced move requires attention to detail to avoid straining the back. Make sure you only roll out as far as you comfortably can. If you feel any strain in the back, back off the exercise or avoid it completely.

How to:
1.Kneel in front of the ball and place the hands on the ball, parallel to one another and with the elbows bent.

2.Contract the abs and pull the belly towards the spine.

3.Slowly roll forward and out as far as you comfortably can, until the feel the abs engage. Don't go so far that you hurt your back or collapse.

4.This move does not involve bending the hips, so keep them straight throughout the exercise.

5.Keeping the body straight, slowly pull your body back using your arms and abdominals.

6.Continue for 1-3 sets of 8-12 reps, avoiding this move if you have any back problems.

7.You can change the difficult of the move by placing your hands closer in or further out.

 
The exercise ball is an excellent tool to strengthen the abs and is the third most effective move for targeting the rectus abdominis. What makes this move a bit more effective than crunches on the floor is that the legs are often involved in floor crunches. On the ball, the abs do more work.
How to:

1.Lie on the ball, positioning it under the lower back.

2.Cross your arms over the chest or place them behind your head.

3.Contract your abs to lift your torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips.

4.As you curl up, keep the ball stable (i.e., the ball shouldn't roll).

5.Lower back down, getting a stretch in the abs, and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

And this is only the beginning!

Athletic Abs: Understanding the abdominals

Read part 1 of Athletic Abs: Stop dreaming about them

We must do focused core work, not a million crunches. The abs are the showcase muscles of your body.  Because they reside in the center of your body, the abs are the first place that draws attention when you wear a bikini, midriff shirt, crop tanks, fitted tees and similar garments that are designed to flaunt this sensual area.  For many women, however, a flat, toned stomach is elusive due to genetic factors.

What? Did I just say that? Genetics are in play when it comes to our abs?

Afraid so.  Despite that, targeted bodysculpting can help you develop a great set of abs.  Once you strip away abdominal fat (with eating properly and cardio) it is rather easy to bring out the detail in this region.  With a dedicated routine, your midsection will readily take shape, achieving a toned, washboard appearance.

The abdominals are one long sheath of muscle that runs from just below your breastbone (sternum) all the way down to your pelvis.  Thus, you CANNOT separate the upper and lower abs or train one part without effecting the entire muscle.  You can, however, apply more stress to the upper or lower abs by lifting from either the chest or the pelvis, respectively.  Moreover, the sides of the midsection (obliques) are involved in various bending and twisting movements.  Consequently, abdominal exercises are classified by weather they emphasize the upper or lower abdominal regions or the obliques.

Group 1 - crunches and similar variations.  These movements put maximal stress on the upper portion of the abs.  When executing crunches, you must concentrate on pulling your chest down toward your hips.  Your lower back should never move.  If it does, you activate your hip flexor muscles at the expense of your abdominals.

Group 2 - leg raises, reverse crunches and similar variations.  These movements focus more on the lower portion of the abs.  Lower abdominals are one of the most troublesome muscle groups for women to develop.  Because of their anatomical position, they have limited range of motion, making if difficult to achieve muscular contraction.  To work lower abs most effectively, it is imperative that you concentrate on raising your pelvis toward your chest, not simply raising and lowering your legs.  This minimizes hip flexor involvement and therefore maximizes stress to the lower ab region.

Group 3 - side bends, trunk twists, and similar variations.  These movements target the internal and external obliques, the muscles that run along either side of your waist.  When properly developed, the obliques provide the finishing touches to your midsection, giving your body a polished look.

Whew! I know this is a lot of information, but stay with me for part 3 as we get ready to learn what exercises work the best for the core.

Athletic Abs: Stop dreaming about them

Want them? Come and get them!

Know this: Every movement you make begins with the core. The core includes muscles that surround the stomach and lower back area. (external obliques, internal obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae, and transverse abdominis).

When you improve the core you reap many benefits:

1. Better core control
2. Balance
3. Strength
4. Endurance
5. Power
6. Speed

42 zillion crunches a day won't showcase your six-pack (it's really a 10-pack). However, pack in some great cardio interval training and a sensible eating plan and some core drills and your six-pack can form.

CARDIO: Go hard or go home! There's no other way around it, to melt away the fat around the abs, high intensity cardio or interval training burn away the fast faster. Unlike workouts of sustained duration, interval exercises work both aerobic and anaerobic systems. Interval training can take place by riding a bike, using a stationary bike, working out on a stair climber machine, elliptical running on a treadmill, or jogging around your own backyard.

After a five minute warm-up, when you feel ready, pick up the pace, to where you are huffing and puffing, but can still hold a conversation. Keep that pace up for as ling as you can (aim for five minute, but do as much as you can and gradually increase over time). Recover with a five minute active rest of easy walking, pedaling, or climbing. Do several rounds of this combination. For a beginner, start with 20 minutes and gradually work up to more. If you need to, do one minute sprints and take longer recoveries. Do whatever works best for you and your fitness level.

EATING: Eating six smalls meal a day stabilizes blood sugar, prevent mood swings and energy lulls throughout the day and provide increased energy to really burn fat.

      LISTEN! When you "diet" you lose, in this order: muscle, water and THEN fat!

Oh no! If you cut your calories to less than your metabolism needs to support your muscle, 4 to 6 of every 10 pounds you lose will be muscle. Each time you go on a deprivation diet, your body finds it easier to conserve FAT because it actually thinks you are starving.

Eating Rules and Regulations:

• Under eating and under sleeping can cause over training
• Schedule meals in advance.
• Become sensitive to your body needs.
• Don't skip meals!
• Eat two servings of carbohydrates and one serving of protein at each meal.
• Eating and training speeds your metabolism.
• Consume more of your calories early in the day.
• Eat slowly to avoid overeating.

Muscles prefer to burn carbohydrates for energy and use protein for growth and repair. You need carbs!

Takes notes, this is only the first of the series.  Tune in for more on the Athletic Abs series.

ASK THE TRAINER: Flat Abs

Q: What can I do to tone my tummy and get flat abs?

A: Please give me a dollar for every time someone asks me this question! I’d be very wealthy. Why is it that most women are obsessed with getting the tummy flat as possible? Second would be toned arms and slim legs, but abs rank number one for nearly every female I run across. Either they are already thin and have a problem middle section, or they have a few pounds to lose, but mostly care about the waist line.

I blogged about this before here. Flat abs is so much more than doing 100 crunches a day. Those are nice, and go ahead and do them if you like. Doesn’t mean you will have that six-pack abs. To get the abs flat, it’ll take overall weight loss. No spot training, that’s just not going to work. Adding in abs training with total body strength training and cardio exercise, and now we’re getting somewhere.

But that’s not all! Didn’t think it was that easy, did ya? Flat abs won’t show under a layer of flab if you are not eating properly. And this involves eating no processed foods, following a clean diet and limiting foods that bloat or cause water retention. Eating 5-6 meals a day, spaced out every 2-3 hours, versus the standard three helps a lot. And you have to stick with the eating and fitness plan if you are really dedicated to getting the stomach tighter.

One more thing, genetics plays a role in how flat your tummy will be and if you can actually achieve a six-pack look. I know you didn’t want to hear that, but it’s true. A flat tummy is yours for the taking, just stay dedicated to get there.

I’ll have a part two to this question later this week with tips on how to achieve a flat tummy.

Healthy Recipe: Flat Bread/Pizza Crust

Ingredients

1 teaspoon yeast
1 1/4 cup hot water
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups unbleached white flour

Directions:
Dissolve the yeast and salt in the hot water. Add flour to the mixture and knead until the dough is no longer sticky (add a little more flour if it is). Divide the dough into 6 balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.Spread dough out to form six 1/4 inch thick loaves. (If it tries to slide back and won't stay flat, let it rest a minute before stretching it again.) Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. (It should be lightly browned). Remove from the oven and enjoy! This recipe also works well with wheat flour, although it will not form as many little pockets. It tastes great alone, with homemade hummus, or topped with sauteed garlic, onions, and peppers, or for traditional mini pizzas. It's very versatile and great to have on hand. My kids love it!

Serves: 6 loaves

Preparation time: 50 minutes

ASK THE TRAINER

Q: I pigged out over the weekend and gained five pounds, is that possible?

A; No, that is mostly water weight, especially if what you pigged out on was high in sodium. The best way to flush it out is to up your water intake for the next couple of days. It wouldn’t hurt to up your cardio minutes as well. If all the five pounds have not disappeared in a week, just keep at it…no more cheating!!

Q: I like to walk outside, but now it’s getting cold, what else can I do?

A: You can still walk, indoors. Find a place that you can walk, inside track, school’s gym, the mall, or even walk your favorite big box store. You want to walk continuously so no stop and go walking. Also, walking in place at home may work. Put on some of your favorite music and just go for it. You can add moves like side to side, walking backwards, and even add some strength training moves. Try Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds series and see how it’s done.

Q: Time. I don’t have time to work out!

A: Hey, I totally understand, but let’s not freak out. In a 24-hour day, break down where your time is most spent. Can you squeeze in little 15-minute sessions? How about moving things around to fit in a 30-minute workout. Wake up early or stay up later for an extra 30 minutes. While watching TV, fit in a workout. Keep tennis shoes in the car and directly after work, go walking for 20 minutes. If you want to get in shape bad enough, you will find the time.