ABsolute Truth
As a personal trainer, one question my clients frequently ask is, “How do I lose this stomach?” The abdominal area of the core is the part of our bodies that almost every adult is seeking to refine when they get involved in a fitness program. My simply response is to encourage clients to tighten and tone through nutrition and exercise that includes strengthening and stabilizing the core.
The reality is, if it were that simple, they wouldn’t need my help. Truthfully, the core is far more complex and important to our body function than the physical aspect. There is no question about it. We all want nice abs, but contrary to what is saturated on the Internet, great abs with six packs are not as easy as it appears. It’s highly unlikely and unrealistic that you can erase years of neglect with products that promise results in six weeks.
As the central, most innermost and essential part of our bodies, the core area is more intricate than exercising regardless of how intense our workouts. Core muscles are actually a complex series of muscles incorporated in almost every body movement to help our organ’s function. Poor core muscles affect your balance, posture and spine among other health issues. Thus, it becomes essential to focus on the importance of incorporating a fitness program that promotes a well-balanced healthy lifestyle.
Still not convinced, Consider this? When we eat an orange, in order to get to the juice, we have to peel away the rind. As we continue to peel away the outside, we gradually begin to see the meat of the orange and are delighted at the expectation of the delicious juice we would soon taste. As with our core, in order to strengthen the core muscles, we have to peel away the fat tissues with proper diets and exercise to reach core stabilization.
Regardless of age, you can have success in strengthening and toning your core by following these lifestyle changes.
Eliminate high-fat diets
Incorporate a healthy diet with green vegetables and fruit
Build core stability with exercises that may include push-ups, prone plank and side plank. An alternate is standing core exercises like knee raises, side oblique bends or reverse chop.
Enhance your workouts with weight training, lunges and squats. A professional trainer will help you implement proper movements to reduce injuries and excess pain.
Your goal does not have to be centered on having rock-hard abs, but strengthening your core will help improve your posture, balance, back and pelvis muscles. Remember we want to look good, but more important, we want to feel good.
Help is Healthy!
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