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Tummy Exercise
Myths
Our bodies are genetically
conditioned on how we lose
or gain
weight.
Interestingly enough, the first place where we gain weight is the last place
where we lose it. We cannot reduce only the part we do not like. Once we lose
fat from our body, we lose
inches everywhere even where we do not want to lose.
 The problem with tummy muscles is that we do not generally
exercise
this muscle in daily life. It is not greatly challenged from climbing stairs,
bending, stretching or
walking. We,
therefore, have to make a special effort to encourage it to come back into line.
The movements have to be small and controlled and depend on the effort put in by
the exerciser to get really good results. Secondly during
pregnancy, as the baby
grows inside the muscle (transverse) is pushed forward. A huge amount of
stretching is going on and tends to leave the muscle loose and hanging forward
after the birth. It is essentially the lack of strength left in this muscle
which allows the tummy to sit in that rather round forward position Mothers
would recognise from after birth.
In all cases it is the lack of exercise for this muscle which causes it to
become loose and give the ‘pot bellied’ appearance.
Myth No: 1 
By doing some midsection exercises one can reduce "love
handles".
Fact
You cannot reduce fat
from a certain targeted area of your body just by using exercise alone. And the
abdominal area is no
exception. So if you want to get a flat stomach and to reveal your abs, losing
the fat covering them is the way to go. And the only way to do this is to lose
fat proportionately from your entire body by burning more
calories than you consume.
Myth No: 2
You have to do tons of crunches.
Fact
Overuse of
crunches will only shorten your abs, pull your head forward and gives you a
bad
posture. To reduce fat in your bodies, you need to do cardio exercise and eat
nutritious foods in
reasonable amounts. In simple language "burn more calories than you consume."
The cardio helps to burn that stored fat and the lower calorie diet forces the
body to use the
accumulated
fat for energy. In addition, the crunches and a total body workout (with
weight
training) helps the body to increase
muscle mass.
Muscles burn fat; fat does not burn itself so, the more muscle we have, the more
fat our body uses for energy, so we lose
 weigh faster. If you only do crunches,
you will develop your
abdominal muscles and strengthen them. This will reflect in better posture
and less back problems,
but you will not be able to see your abdominal muscles because they will be
covered with fat.
Myth No: 3
Exercise is more important that nutrition
Fact
Diet is one of the key factor when trying to get a flat tummy. Plan your
nutrition in advance, to avoid dietary downfalls. Focus on
protein, green
vegetables, fiber-rich
fruits, and zero calorie drinks such as Green Tea and
water. Avoid all
sugar.
Myth No: 4
You must do train your tummy every day
Fact
You don't need to do direct tummy training every day. Instead, train them twice
per week and use non-conventional exercises such as Mountain Climbers and
Stability Ball Jackknives to reduce the stress on your low back. Avoid the
overuse of crunches and sit-ups in your training program. Instead, beginners,
should focus on abdominal endurance with planks and side planks, and work up to
more advanced exercises, but still avoid doing hundreds of crunches lying on
your back.
Concentrate on increasing daily incidental activity. Reduce the use of labour
saving devices like remote controls etc. Rearrange the house or office
environment so that it is physically inefficient making movement mandatory. Try
standing or, even better, pacing when chatting on the phone. Park further away
from the entrance of a shop, and use the stairs instead of the elevator.
- WF Team
Dated 07 July 2011
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