Four Secrets to A Flat Stomach

People spend millions, if not billions of dollars, each year in the quest for a flat stomach. Right now there are about 200 or more ab exercise devices out there. There's the ab do-it, the ab rock-it, the ab roller, the ab dolly, and so many more. Most, if not all of these products, will do little or nothing to flatten your stomach. And that's because these exercise contraptions cannot eliminate the layer of fat that lies on top of your abs.

In order to be successful at thinning your waistline you must have a basic under standing of how the ab muscles function and how your body burns fat. The first thing that needs to be understood is the difference between fat and muscle. Fat is excess calories and is primarily stored in layers on top of muscle tissue. Muscle is made up of fibers that contract or shorten to produce movement. Fat cannot turn into muscle and muscle cannot turn into fat! However, you can lose muscle and you can gain fat. That's what happens to most people. So if your goal is to thin your waist line and have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease / eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. We all have a flat stomach; it's just some of oar’s are covered by excess fat.

The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel).

1. You must do some form of progressive strength training

The primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso forward. However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso. Often times you see people on their ab roller every day doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.
If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises:
• 1-2 forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)
• 1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)
• 1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)
The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be worked at most 3 times per week. You also want to make sure you are training them progressively, working them harder each time.

2. Use short, hard cardio workouts to increase metabolism.

Cardio workouts are important because they can, if done correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This means you are less likely to store any excess calories as body fat because they are more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more likely to burn off some excess body fat. Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.). Warm up at easy pace 2-5 minutes à Perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as possible) à perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath)à Repeat this process 6-10 times à cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes.

3. Stable blood sugar is the key and most importantly, you must stabilize your blood sugar!

This is by far the most important factor when it comes to burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently; like every 2-3 hours. The key is to give your body only what it needs at that time. Your body burns calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day? Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.). Many people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it is. Calories are calories and it doesn’t matter where they come from. If there’s extra… where’s it going? Yup, you guessed it… body fat!  This is not to say that what you eat is not important because it is, it just doesn’t have that much of an affect when it comes to fat loss. Try to make healthy choices whenever possible, but don’t feel like if you eat a cheeseburger it is guaranteed to be stored as fat.

4. Get the help of a professional

Unfortunately, most people don’t know enough about the human body, nutrition, or effective exercise to meet their health and fitness goals. Don’t depend on the information you get from magazines or from your local gym/ health club. A qualified fitness professional can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, and in less time than you would imagine.

A Healthy Guide To Good Nutrition

Correct nutrition can help to reduce the risk of a miriad of health-related problems, the most frightening of which are surely heart disease and cancer. Proper nutrition, however, entails eating many different foods, monitoring your consumption of some food and beverage items, and counting calories. Good diets offer balanced nutrition that reduces cholesterol, blood pressure, and helps with weight control.

To function properly, your body must have the correct combination of nutrients:

Carbohydrates. They are the primary source of ammunition in your diet. The body uses carbohydrates to build glucose which can be used immediately or stored in your body for later. Too much glucose, however, is stored as fat. There are two types of carbohydrates - simple and complex. Sugars are simple carbohydrates. Starches and fibers are complex carbohydrates.

Proteins. Proteins help your body build and maintain muscles and other tissues. They also function in the creation of hormones. Like carbohydrates, excess protein is stored as fat.

Animal and vegetable are the two major types of proteins. Too much animal protein can cause high cholesterol, as it is high in saturated fat.

Fat. Strange as it may seem; fat is another nutrient your body requires. It comes in both saturated and unsaturated forms. Saturated fat puts you at risk of health problems. Unsaturated fat is healthy, but if it goes through any type of refinement process, it can become saturated fat.

Vitamins. These are also required nutrients. Different vitamins perform different tasks within the body. They can work with the metabolism to help with energy levels for any task you can think of that you need your body to perform. It has also been noted that certain vitamins can prevent disease.

For example, vitamins A, C, and E, also called antioxidants, can assist with the prevention of coronary artery disease by keeping build up from occurring on artery walls. Vitamin B-1 is needed for digestion and proper nervous system function. Vitamin B-2 is needed for normal cell growth. Vitamin B-3 helps to detoxify your body. Folic acid assists with production of red blood cells. Vitamin D assists with the absorption of calcium. Vitamin K helps your blood clot.

Minerals and trace elements. These are another nutrient your body requires. Both are used in many different body processes. Minerals like chlorine help make your digestive juices. Phosphorus helps build strong bones. Both can be found in the foods we consume, but with a trace element, your body just needs a tiny amount. Salt is one final nutrient your body requires. You should not consume more than 2400 milligrams per day, though, as it might raise your blood pressure.

First, try to consume two and one half cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit each day. When making your selections for each day, be sure to choose a good variety. A good rough guide is to eat as many different colors as possible, this will help you to select from all five vegetable subgroups at least four times per week.

One should eat at least three ounces of whole grain products each day. At least half of your grain intake should be whole grain based. Milk should also be part of a healthy diet. Consume at least forty-eight ounces of low fat milk or milk products on a daily basis. One total fat intake should only be between ten and thirty percent of your calories. Most of the fats you consume should be in the form of unsaturated fats, as saturated fats can do much to damage your health. Meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products should all be lean, low-fat, or fat-free. Less than ten percent of your calories should come from saturated fats, and you should always try to avoid trans-fatty acid.

Fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains should be a regular part of your diet as should potassium rich foods. Alcoholic beverages should only be consumed in moderation.

Excellent nutrition is the basis of a healthy diet.

EVERGREEN ALLTIME EXERCISES

Evergreen, best, free time, inexpensive, all time exercises for people:-
1.  Crunch
Just lie down on the floor on your back with your feet up on the couch or anything.  Give support to your neck with the help of cushion.  Place your buttocks as near as possible to the couch.  Lock your elbows.  Now, slowly raise your head off the ground just a few inches.  Hold onto the raised position for two secs and then slowly come down.
Repeat this exercise 20-25 times to make one set.  It will really build your abs and you will feel it.  Just try this in morning hours on consistent basis.
2.  Raising your toes and then coming down.
Stand on a floor flat footed with toes pointing straight.  Hold onto chair to balance yourself.  Now very slowly, raise your toes as high as possible.  Hold on for two secs and come down very slowly slowly.  Repeat it 20 times to make one set.
3.  Push ups
Just lie down on the floor facing towards the floor with your body weight on your palms.  Now slowly, push your body up keeping your back straight and facing right ahead.  Hold onto two secs and then slowly bring your body back to the starting position.
Repeat it 5-10 times in the beginning and then try to practice this exercise 20 times per set.  Just two or three sets in a day help in strengthening up the body and keep the body healthy.
4.  Wall Squat
Stand straight with your back against the wall. Now, gently move your body down to the sitting position. Make sure your back is still against the wall.Hold on to 15 secs and then gently move up keeping your back against the wall again.
Repeat it 5-10 times in the beginning and then try to practice this exercise 20 times per set.
5.  Running
Apart from all this, running is still the best form of exercise with building an stamina for everything and keeps the digestive system in good health.
Treadmill is one other important option which works for you 24/7 and twelve months a year even in every weather condition.

WHEY PROTEIN

Whey protein is a high-quality complete protein found in dairy products.  It is a totally complete protein, provides amino acids, which helps to maximize and build the muscles.  In short, it helps in the traning program for muscles. 

Whey protein can be found in powders, drink mixes, energy bars, yogurt, and other foods. Whey protein powder is very convenient and can be added to oatmeal, smoothies, mashed potatoes, or other common home-cooked foods.

Whey protein is the best source of the branched-chain amino acid “leucine” to initiate protein synthesis in muscle. Most amino muscle tissue; however, BCAAs, like leucine, can bypass the liver. As a result, individuals who exercise regularly may in leucine to help speed the rebuilding of muscle after working out.

Whey protein is mostly favored by bodybuilders because it provides the necessary building blocks to produce the amino acids that the body uses to build lean muscle tissue. It is also thought that whey protein has a role as an anti-oxidant and immune system builder.  It is best taken in powder form mixed in juice or milk, spread throughout the day to maintain a positive nitrogen balance.  Whey protein is a relatively safe supplement but no more than 30 grams of protein should be taken at one sitting as excessive single doses could overload the liver.

Maintain a Healthy Weight: A reduced calorie, higher protein diet including whey protein may improve the quality of weight loss by helping you lose more fat and/or maintain more lean muscle.  Curb Hunger: Calorie for calorie, whey protein can help you feel full of energy than carbohydrates or fats.  Get Lean: Consuming whey protein and performing resistance exercise regularly can help build more lean muscle than resistance training alone or resistance training combined with carbohydrate consumption.  Enhance Recovery: Consuming whey protein after exercise helps to build and repair muscle.  Reduce Muscle Loss: Older people may be able to reduce the age-related decline of muscle mass by engaging in resistance training and consuming whey protein.

Choosing The Right Bodybuilding Supplement

Before wasting your money on a pile of bodybuilding supplements you really need to work out what you are hoping to achieve. Don't lose sight of the fact that sound nutrition forms the basis of any muscle building program and no amount of supplementation with the latest and greatest products will make up for bad eating habits. The bottom line is, bodybuilding supplements should be used IN ADDITION to regular food, not INSTEAD OF it.
Now that we've got that out of the way, let's go on to think about what supplements could be of use and this is something that can only be determined by your physical and performance goals. Don't make the mistake of copying your training partners or believing all the garbage spouted in magazine ads. Decide first what you want to achieve and then choose the supplements that will help you reach your goals.
Determined to build muscle? This cannot be achieved without dedication, sheer hard work and sound nutrition. With a solid foundation in place you can help the process along with supplements like creatine, whey protein, prohormones, testosterone boosters and amino acids.
Need to lose fat? There is no point in building awesome muscles if they're covered by layers of fat. Once again, the key to success is hard work but you can boost fat loss by using products from supplement categories that include fat burners, stimulant-free products, appetite suppressants and carb blockers.
Many more supplements are available to support your bodybuilding endeavors. These include energy boosters and products aimed at enhancing the condition of your mind and body. As we progress through this series of articles we'll look at each of these in turn.