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Toned Abs & Compound Movements

April 15th, 2009

As people in developing countries become more affluent and westernized, they get more access to the same products and services long-enjoyed by folks in North America and Western Europe. Fast food is the most obvious cultural import from the West and its proliferation is causing obesity in more countries across the globe.

The most common mistake the figure-conscious make is relying on exercises that isolate the muscles of the midsection to lose excess fat. Though sit-ups, crunches and leg raises may be effective in strengthening the abdominal muscles, they don’t do much in melting belly fat and toning the abs.

Exercises that isolate the muscles of the abdomen are not totally useless of course- they serve to strengthen and develop the muscle tissue under the stubborn layer of belly fat. The only way to lose belly fat and get really toned abs however is to do exercises designed for fast body fat burn.

Studies have proven cardiovascular exercise that involves the whole body is most effective in losing excess body fat. The more muscles involved in movement, the more calories burned from stored fat. Eliminate enough body fat and that flabby belly disappears resulting in nicely toned abs.

Whole body exercises that get all the major muscle groups to exert effort get the cardiovascular system to work at high intensities. This not only strengthen the heart and lungs, they also dilate the blood vessels- improving elasticity and blood flow. It also elevates the body’s metabolism resulting in even more calories burned long after you’ve left the gym.

The human body’s ability to prevent fat-gain is improved significantly when our metabolism goes up. The higher our metabolism is, the more calories we can burn even while away from the gym. Everyone knows that weight-loss results from burning more calories than we consume from food each day.

Muscle building resistance exercises can also help fight body fat by enabling us to burn more calories. Muscles burn calories even while were not using them. The more muscular a person is therefore, the less time he has to spend in the gym working out.

Doing cardio exercises that employ compound movements are not only more effective in burning body fat, they are more fun to do as well. Dull, repetitive exercises cause people to get bored with their workouts and stop exercising after a month or so. Keeping your workouts fun and exciting is the secret to staying consistent with exercising and reaching your goal of toned abs with good definition.

About the Author:

Dan Solaris Fat Loss , , , , , , , , , , ,

6 Pack Abs - The Lifestyle

April 6th, 2009

It’s common knowledge that the road to 6 pack abs is filled with hurdles and dead-ends. A lean physique and a flat washboard stomach is something only a few fortunate members of society seem to be privileged with. Actually, staying fit and healthy has less to do with luck than dedication and knowing what it takes to keep fat at bay.

In this age of delicious, mouth-watering fast food in almost every corner, the temptation to indulge in gastronomic delight follows us like a shadow. A person that wants to get fit and achieve 6 pack success has to have the proper mindset and learn to avoid foods with high-cholesterol.

It’s not as difficult as it sounds however. Contrary to what most people think, a diet for 6 pack abs doesn’t entail munching on rice cakes and swigging non-fat milk every day. It’s actually more beneficial to eat a full, well-balanced meal three times a day- with snacks in between. One doesn’t have to be limited to a life of crackers and celery sticks to

A balanced diet that includes protein, carbohydrates, dairy products and fruits and veggies will ensure you the proper amounts of nutrients. Eating lots of the latter will particularly load your system with fiber and folic acid- proven effective in lowering deadly LDL cholesterol and homocysteine (a proponent in heart disease) respectively.

A common dietary mistake people do in their efforts to lose weight is skipping lunch or breakfast. This can actually go against the body’s ability to burn fat because it slows down our metabolic rate considerably. Experts say eating three full meals and munching on something healthy in between will keep metabolism high and prevent pigging-out during dinner when we’re least active.

Even if we don’t do it on purpose, we tend to over-eat when we sit down for a meal after going for several hours without food. Doing this repeatedly will result in an outsized gut because eating too much in one sitting causes our stomach to balloon out of proportion- the last thing we want on getting 6 pack abs.

Of course, healthy eating habits alone won’t cut it in the fat-loss department. Doing the right exercises that maximize calorie burn and fat loss will act like a N02 button that will propel you to your goal of that rippling six pack you’ve been yearning for.

A combination of body weight aerobic exercises like running or biking, core-strengthening workouts using a wobble board or an exercise ball and conventional bodybuilding have been found to be the best in burning the most calories in less time. The more calories burned, the more fat eliminated and a flatter, leaner midsection will result.

About the Author:

Dan Solaris Fat Loss , , , , , , , , , , ,