There are many exercises for developing your abs muscle. Crunches are probably one of the most common exercises done to tone up your middle. An effective way to tighten and strengthen your abdominal muscles is to do the traditional abdominal crunch exercises. They are very versatile and convenient because they can be performed basically anywhere whether it is lying flat on the floor, using a weight lifting bench, a Swiss ball or an abdominal exercise machine. It is important you work with your trainer to make sure you have the right balance of exercises to get the best workout, and to make sure you are doing it properly to avoid injury and get the best results.
The basic crunch is a vital part of any crunches workout. If done correctly, this exercise will help flatten and tone both your lower and upper abdominal muscles and you will be able to get hard rock abs. The key to getting the flat abs you want is to do the crunch correctly, making sure that you are really working those abdominals.
- Lie your back flat on the ground with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle, then place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
- Pull your belly button towards your spine, and flatten your lower back against the floor.
- Slowly contract your abs while bringing your shoulder blades just an inch or 2 above the ground.
- Exhale as you rise up. Your neck should be straight, chin up.
- Hold that position for a few seconds while breathing continuously.
- Slowly lower your back down to the floor but don’t fully relax.
- Repeat for 20 to 25 times with perfect form.
- For more variety, bring your knees and upper body towards the torso to perform a full body crunch.
- To make it more challenging, try the crunch while balancing on an exercise ball.
There are three main mistakes people make when trying to perform the crunch. The first is that they pull on their neck to get them up, rather than lift with the abdominals. In this instance, the best you can get is a sore neck instead of strong abs. Another big mistake people make is not breathing through the exercise. When performing the crunch, always exhale up and inhale down. Finally, many people attempt to just lift themselves straight up rather than perform the crunching motion. In a proper crunch the torso should be rolled up to the top of the movement, using your abdominals to do the lifting.
Other ab exercises to add to your workout routine include:
- Planks – laying on your stomach raise the body up supporting on your feet and forearms. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute, rest and repeat. Planks are an excellent core exercise and will strengthen your stomach muscles and your back.
- V-sits – while laying on your back with your arms above your head, lift your torso up keeping your back straight. At the same time bring your legs up until your hands are almost touching your feet. Lower your legs and upper body back to the mat and repeat.
- Knees to Elbows – hang from a chin up bar, keeping your stomach tight bring your legs up and lean your body back until your knees touch your elbows. Stay controlled while performing the exercise to prevent swinging.
There are many other great core exercises including moves and poses from Pilates and Yoga. Many machines in the gym can be used to strengthen your abdomen. To achieve that six pack abs or a flatter stomach, work with your trainer to work all the angles of the abdominal area. You must work different muscles with different exercises by using various resistance levels.
For more articles go to http://clubonefitness.lifestyleezine.com
Are you embarrassed by the way your arms look? Do you have that extra piece of skin under your arm that flaps when you wave? The female body is highly vulnerable to sagging because fat is deposited in the female body in three areas; the tummy, buttocks and the back of the arms. It’s time to get a great arm workout to remove that annoying double wave. 
What is dementia? It is simply the loss of cognitive ability. It can be a result of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, brain trauma, a brain tumor or other medical issues. It manifests as a loss of ability to remember and function with the severity of the symptoms slowly increasing over time.
All first time expectant and new moms whether they are 22 or 42 have the same emotional and physical challenges created by pregnancy and by raising an infant. There is also a growing trend to have babies later in age after education is finished and careers are established. There are many pros and cons for having children early in life, or waiting till 35 or 40 year old.
If you are single and you are losing all hope of finding love then you need not despair. You can take comfort in the fact that it’s much easier to meet someone today than it was 100 years ago. Not only do we have more opportunity to meet someone but it’s much easier. Meeting that special someone often happens by accident, but you can increase the odds of meeting someone you like by frequenting the right kinds of places. A place you enjoy, where you feel comfortable and safe, solves the problem of what to talk about. Meeting someone new is actually a lot easier than it may seem. And it doesn’t have to include trying to strike up a conversation over loud music and alcohol. 
Whatever the season, it’s always a nice treat to take care of you feet with a pedicure. Whether you do it yourself or visit a salon getting a pedicure will make your feet look nicer in the summer and you’ll be more comfortable in your winter boots with soft smooth feet.Try an at home pedicure. Begin with a long soak. Get your feet into a tub of hot water and soak your feet for at least 10 minutes. Take the dead skin cells off with a pumice stone. When done, make sure you dry your feet well. Moisturize your feet after their soak. Try creams that contain menthol or peppermint for a soothing feeling. The moisturizer will help keep your feet smooth and soft. Trim your toenails and hydrate your cuticles. And finish it all off with some polish. Bright colours can be playful, or chose a colour that will go with your outfit. Finish it with a top coat to protect it.
Sleep is so important in our health. And what we eat during the day can have a huge impact on our sleep. Food can affect how easily you fall asleep and the quality of the sleep you get. Some foods help your brain to calm down, while others stimulate it. If you have trouble getting to sleep or sleeping well, your food intake may be unwittingly causing problems.
You may have started to hear a new trend out there called Meatless Monday. There may be some validation to this new initiative. In 2003 Meatless Monday was restarted as a public health awareness program, and by 2009 has been gaining popularity with celebrities campaigning and supporting it. Meatless Monday is part of the Healthy Monday initiative. Healthy Monday encourages people to make healthier decisions at the start of every week. 
When you think of picnics you think of delicious food, family, friends, outdoor activities. It’s a great way to get outside to enjoy the weather and get some exercise.Many conventional picnic foods really pack a punch when it comes to calories, fat, salt and sugar. But you don’t have to ditch the picnic all together. Instead, try streamlining your picnic basket with some healthier food alternatives.
We already know how great aerobic activities are for your heart, body and mind. After all, regular cardio exercise has been shown to reduce body fat, decrease total cholesterol, boost mood, lower resting heart rate, and improve heart and lung function but how can we add to traditional cardio fitness to keep your workouts interesting.Try something fun, something that you wouldn’t really think is a cardio workout. Get your trainer involved too. They will keep your cardio routines fresh so you don’t start dreading it. You may not realize that a lot of the activities you may do around the house, or do with your kids are great cardio workouts. 