alphabeat SuperGay - out! northeast magazine

Fabulous Stomach with Keith Wardhealthfeature25200sit upshelp ?may give you muscles you can crack walnutson, it will do nothing to reduce the amountWill 200of fat stored on top of them. This meansthat people are disappointed with theirsit-ups a results, and in some cases they succeed inmaking the area more prominent rather thanday help reducing it. Abdominal fat is there becauseof excessive calorie consumption, so theonly way to get rid of it is to burn off thoseme achievecalories by following a balanced diet andperforming high-intensity exercise such asa flat running, swimming, cycling or aerobics.stomach?The false belief that performing hundredsof sit-ups a day is all that is required togain a flat stomach is perhaps the mostpopular myth I have to deal with.By performing sit-ups or ‘crunches’ you arehelping to strengthen and firm up the rectusabdominus muscle, more commonly knownas the six pack muscle. However, while thisThere is one trick, however, which can helpto give the appearance of a flatter stomach,regardless (within reason) of how muchabdominal fat you possess. Lying below therectus abdominus is another band of musclecalled the transversus abdominus. Sometimescalled the corset muscle, it helps to keep theback strong and compresses the abdomen.By exercising this muscle regularly, it canhelp to improve your posture and make thestomach appear flatter, even though youmay not have lost a single pound.To exercise the transversus, all you needto do is:Suck in your stomach, drawingyour navel towards your spineWhile your stomach is sucked in, do not holdyour breath, just keep breathing normally.You will know that you are doing this properlywhen you begin to feel a minor burningsensation in the deep stomach. This is thesign that the transversus has been engagedand is being worked. Initially, this can behard to do as many people instinctively wantto breathe in as they draw in the stomach,but with practice it gets easier.This technique is by no means a miraclecure but by performing it regularly, suchas in the car, watching television or sat atwork, it can help both flatten your stomachand improve your posture. Good posture notonly makes you look slimmer, it also helpsprotect your back against injury.www.outnortheast.com 25. Out NorthEast