Stomach weight loss is a challenge for most people because your stomach is designed to store fat well. It is one area, too, that is not very receptive to toning. You could have fat arms and legs, but if you just start toning them, they will firm right up. Not so with the stomach. You must do cardio and lots of it. Toning alone will, indeed, give you great abs but no one will be able to see them without cardio because the fat will remain and hide your muscles.
The first place to begin and the most constant thing to maintain is your cardio exercise. Without cardio, your stomach will remain completely unchanged. Running, dancing, and biking are great ways to do this. Remember that it is the intensity of the cardio work out, not the length. Make sure you sweat and get your heart pumping. Let yourself be out of breath.
Simple lifestyle changes can really add up. If you take the elevator all the time, take the stairs. If you drive to the store down the block, just walk there. Walk your dog more frequently. Use an exercise bike while you read a book or watch television. Stand instead of sit whenever you possibly can. Even vacuuming or washing the dishes burns more calories than just sitting around.
Whenever you do any of this movement, hold your stomach in as much as you can and feel your muscle clench. This will get you in the habit of doing that. It keeps your abs taut and shapes them slightly while you do not realize it. It is a small technique that can be done anywhere and should be done everywhere. It will also give you a more flattering shape by holding your stomach more in.
When the time comes to begin toning, do crunches. These are the most effective–definitely more so than sit ups. Sit ups can hurt your back and neck and there are dozens of ways to do them wrong. Crunches are very simple. Lay on the floor with your hands behind your head and your legs up in the air. Your knees should be bent so your calves run parallel to the floor. At the same time, lift your shoulders slightly up off the ground and bend your legs in toward your elbows.
Sit ups can be bad for stomach fat because if you do it wrong and do not suck it, sit ups will not create lean muscle. It will make more bulbous muscle that will push your stomach out more. With the fat on top of it, your tummy will end up looking a lot bigger than it really is. You want to go for lean muscle.
To make your crunches more challenging, get an exercise ball. These are the large rubber balls that can be found in any gym store. You sit on the ball and lean back with your feet on the floor. You do just the top part of the crunches where you lift up your shoulders. You cannot lift your legs because they are needed on the floor to balance you. It will challenge you in different ways and allow other muscles in your stomach to get use.
These balls are great for almost any exercise and can target your abs in ways you never thought. It is good to get as much variation as you can since your body tends to get used to repetitive movements. Just be careful you do not lose your balance!
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