Top 4 Core Workout Exercises For Quick Results

 exercise, Exercise & Fitness, fat loss, health, Health & Fitness, Healthy Living, Strength Training, weight loss  Comments Off
May 022012
 

The top 4 core workout exercises for quick results are those that use your own body weight for resistance, and are integrated with an all-over-body conditioning routine.

Floor exercises that use your body weight are one of the most effective ways, if not the best way, to bring about rapid change to core muscles. When we speak of core exercises, we are referring to a workout that engages all major muscle groups, from the pelvic region, beyond the abdominals, towards the thoracic (chest) region, and includes the back muscles.

Primarily you are lifting a percentage of your own weight to increase stability and build muscle core. With some targeted core workout exercises gravity is an additional agitator to speed up results.

In performing core exercises prepare for a challenge, away from the basic “crunch” routine. If you are a beginner, plank exercises with extended variations, may seem exceptionally daunting. For this reason bodyweight push-ups and plank combinations are geared towards individuals who are at a higher fitness level to prevent injuries.

Top 4 Core Workout Exercises

Start exercises with 2 minutes of light stretches and warm up exercises to increase blood flow and flexibility in the joints muscles.

A floor mat is recommended, though not required.

Number 1: Elbow Plank Combo
3 Variations/50 Sec Count
• Get into a regular plank position on elbows and toes. Tighten abdominals, keep back straight and neck aligned
• Hold position for a count of 10 seconds
• Lift right leg up in the air for 10 seconds
• Return to starting plank
• Transition to left leg and repeat for another 10 seconds
• Return to starting plank
• Transition into knee-to-chest exercise, alternate each leg for a count of 20 seconds.

Rest for 10 seconds; start next exercise.

Number 2: Crocodile Crawl (Push-Up Position with Hand Crawl)
30 Second Count
• Begin in push up position
• Lower torso just inches away from the floor (don’t sag), hold for 10 seconds
• In the same lowered position crawl hands to the right, adjust legs to regain neutral position, hold for 10 seconds
• Repeat on the left, holding for another 10 seconds.

Rest for 10 seconds; continue with next exercise.

Number 3: Burpee
10 -20 Counts
• Begin in squat position with hands on floor in front of you
• Kick your feet back to a push up position
• Do one push-up
• Immediately return your feet to squat position
• Leap as high as possible from squat position
• Repeat 10 – 20 times

Rest for 10 seconds; continue with next exercise.

Number 4: Side Plank Variation
20 Count each side
• Lie on left side feet together. Left hand on the floor for support and right hand behind head, push off from hip to side plank position, body aligned
• Hold for 20 seconds
• Repeat on right side
• For more challenge lift the top leg off the ground. Try to keep balanced. Do not sag. Repeat
End entire workout with stretches. For best results, perform core exercises every other day in-between cardio exercises.
The plank is a good example of an isolation exercise used for developing core strength, and it really works!

The best part about a core workout is the freedom it gives in starting your exercise, anytime, anywhere and leaves little room for excuses.

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Margaret Le Monnier has over 20 years-experience as a qualified natural health professional in the UK. She is well known for giving intuitive and expert advice to people regarding natural approaches to correcting a wide range of illnesses and conditions. Margaret is now writing articles for a website solely devoted to bringing a comprehensive range of natural health advice to everyone. To find out more about core workouts visit her website at Natural Health 4 Life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7030125

Five Effective Ways To Boost Weight Loss Naturally

 fat loss, health, Healthy Living, weight loss  Comments Off
Apr 182012
 

The battle to lose the bulge is a long and often frustrating one. This effort becomes more complicated because one of the things that most humans like to do the most is to eat. Just think about it, we usually have something in our mouth when performing any activity (e.g., gum, snack bar, candy, etc.) Therefore, if we want to lose weight naturally, we must carefully plan our daily routine and eating habits. The following are five effective ways to boost your weight loss naturally.

First, make sure that your daily diet includes more proteins than carbs. When you consume more carbohydrates than you need, your body stores the needed carbohydrates in cells and converts the surplus into fat. Stay away from simple carbohydrates (refined foods) and consume ones that are rich in complex carbohydrates as the body metabolizes them more slowly and they are less likely to turn into fat. Refined foods are high on simple carbohydrates and primarily responsible for obesity and diabetes.

Foods such as fruits, dairy products, honey, and maple syrup have large amounts of simple carbohydrates, which provide these foods’s sweet taste. Conversely, complex carbohydrates can be found in starches and fibers, which occur in wheat products such as breads and pastas, other grains such as rye and corn, bean, and root vegetables (e.g., potatoes). Eat more of the latter and avoid the former.

Make sure to keep your stress level down. High stress levels make you eat more. Unfortunately, when you are stressed, one of the primary types of food you will ingest is comprised of simple carbohydrates. Your body craves them. Meditate and relax.

Get plenty of sleep. Ensure that you get at least eight hours of restful sleep every night.
Have that steak early in the morning. Eat your biggest meals in the mornings and save the smallest ones for the evening and night.

Lastly, exercise for at least 30 minutes three times a week or more. Walking is good enough. It helps you lose weight naturally boosting your metabolism.

Consequently, if you get to know your food, sleep well, keep your stress levels down, eat your largest meals before noon or at noon and save the small ones for the evening, do not live a sedentary lifestyle, and exercise regularly, you should be able to lose weight naturally and, most importantly, keep it down.

As always, consult with your doctor before starting any new diet program; especially if you have any medical condition or are on any medications.

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Learn how you can lose weight naturally. A program that allows for weight loss naturally is available on our website. Learn about natural supplements that can also help you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7008531

Easy Nutrition Guide to Lose Belly Fat

 fat loss, health, Healthy Living, weight loss  Comments Off
Feb 282012
 

A nutrition guide that is simple to understand and implement is your easiest bet to decide between baked potato chips, pita chips, or just baking your own potato chips at home! There are so many different weight loss meal plans, from the Paleo diet to the South Beach diet, how can you choose one that’s right for you?

What’s helped me is following simple guidelines about nutrition. Nutrient Dense Foods Nutrient dense foods are foods that are high in nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients. These foods are also low in calories.

I first learned about nutrient dense foods from Whole Foods Market. They have a scoring index called ANDI that they use to rank foods in nutrient density. ANDI stands for Aggregate Nutrient Density Index. You can learn more about it on Whole Foods Market’s website.

What’s great about nutrient dense foods is that they supply the nutrition your body needs at a very low calorie cost. And, if you’re wanting to lose pregnancy weight, but not by eating pretzels and water for lunch, here’s the healthiest way to go about doing it.

ANDI Scores

Start with eating foods with the highest ANDI score. Foods like collard greens, kale, watercress, and bok choy. Make the base of your meal with these kinds of foods. It could be a quick stir fry or even a salad.

Then, add whatever you like to your meal. Bean sprouts, red bell peppers, carrots, and cauliflower are a few options to choose. What’s also great about nutrient dense foods is that you can eat as much as you want, and know that you are not wrecking your weight loss goals.

These foods are naturally low in calories. One cup of kale contains 34 calories while a cup of white rice has 242 calories! You’d have to eat 7 cups of kale to get the same amount of calories!

Fat Loss Tips

A really great fat loss tip is to substitute your starches for vegetables. So, instead of eating your stir fry with white rice, try eating a side salad? You get more nutrients from the salad, without adding any inches to your waist line.

Another fat loss tip is to stick with more plant based foods. These foods are pure, all natural, and if you can, buy them organic. You don’t consume any pesticides, chemicals, artificial flavors, saturated fat, or any preservatives that can be found in packaged foods.

Eating directly from the source helps keep your waist small. Plant based foods include fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, nuts, and seeds. Having these kinds of foods as the foundation for your meals helps you conquer any weight loss struggles you may have had in the past.

A last fat loss tip to live by is to make your plate colorful. You eat with your eyes too. If the food looks good, it’ll taste good as well. And, when you have a variety of healthy foods to eat, you ensure that you are giving your body the nutrients it needs, and this helps to make you full.

So, stick with foods that are high in nutrients, low in calories. This generally means shopping in your produce section more so than the middle aisles of your grocery stores. Fresh, wholesome, natural food is the best nutrition guide to help you shed those after pregnancy pounds.

Want to find out the 18 weight loss secrets that caused me to lose pounds of fat fast and easy?

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Nutrition is part of the process. But exercising can supercharge your efforts too. Learn how I used running to lose weight and drop the last 12 pounds of pregnancy weight after my I hit a plateau.

Kristine Kay helps moms lose up to 25 pounds of belly fat in 90 days without military exercise, starvation diets, or expensive diet pills. Subscribe to her free newsletter at http://www.FatLossForMoms.com and get instant access to exclusive tips of her all natural approach to losing weight and keeping it off. Losing weight after pregnancy just got easier.

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