This is usually the time of year when we start looking at our waistline which has probably increased from all the good food eaten during the holiday season. The motivation for doing abdominal or ab exercise is no doubt augmented by the blizzard of commercials for products that will help us reduce our waistline in less time and more effectively. Giving us the "six pack abs" that we desire.
While many of the ab exercise products must be judged on their own merits, there are millions of Americans who do start or re-start an exercise program every year and often make serious errors in choosing which type of ab exercise to perform. There are exercises that can actually increase the size of our waistline instead of reducing it.
For starters, the right type of ab exercise will focus on the upper and lower abdominal muscles to strengthen the abdominal wall and help flatten the stomach area. This will not necessarily reduce the waistline however because while strengthening the abdominal wall is important, it is reducing the fat around the stomach area which will reduce the waistline in general. This means eating a healthy diet that promotes muscle building and fat burning so your ab exercise program has the correct effect - Flatter abs!
Once you have established a good diet that reduces carbohydrates and increases protein, the next step is avoiding the types of ab exercises that can either have no effect or can increase the muscle mass around the waist area.
|
