I want to share some of my Top 5 favorite CORE exercises with you.

Attaining a trim and toned midsection is by far the number one fitness goal held by most people.

There is just something so attractive about a small waist that appeals to the masses. The good news is that, no matter what you have been told,

YOU CAN HAVE THE ABS OF YOUR DREAMS!

(Believe me I was obese most of my life and it took me a LOOOOONG time to get a six pack, if you haven't seen my story check out the video below)

Before we jump right in to the 5 Golden Exercises,

we need to cover a few things that need to be put in practice.

 

While ab exercises are great for strengthening and

toning your abdominal muscles, solely doing these

exercises will not make your abs flat. In fact,

getting that perfect midsection is a process that

takes more than a little time sweating in the gym.

It takes hard work, and a game plan….

 

1) Participate in regular cardiovascular exercise.

2) Maintain a full body strength training routine.

3) Eat a nutritious, calorie specific diet.

You need to understand that first, before you move forward. It may seem overwhelming in the beginning, but the key here is to change your lifestyle

to one that promotes fat loss rather than fat storage.

The key that makes these exercises effective is the fact that, when done together, they use all of the muscles in your abdominal region. Often times

people will only do crunches, and while these are great, they are neglecting to strengthen the other 75% of their midsection.

There are four basic types of abdominal exercises.

1) Ones that focus on your upper abs

2) Ones that focus on your lower abs

3) Ones that focus on your oblique’s (sides)

4) Ones that focus on your entire core

It is extremely important that you do at least one of each exercise type every time that you workout.

This will give you the ultimate toned stomach look that you are going for!

 

 

Now on to the good stuff…

Exercise #1: The Crunch

The basic crunch should be a staple in your arsenal

of abdominal exercises. This classic movement

concentrates on your upper abs.



Starting Position: Lie on your back on the mat with your knees bent

and feet flat on the floor. Support your head by placing your

hands behind it, and keep your eyes turned up towards the ceiling

throughout the entire movement.

 

Movement: Exhale as you raise your upper body up a few inches

off of the mat by contracting your abs. Be sure to keep your back

straight and avoid pulling yourself up with your hands. Hold

yourself in this contracted position for a moment before slowly

lowering yourself back down to the starting position.

Exercise #2: The Oblique Crunch

The Oblique Crunch does just what its name

proclaims – works on your obliques. Make sure to do

an even amount of crunches on each side for a

symmetrical look.

Starting Position: Lie on an exercise mat with your knees bent and

hands behind your head. Lift your left leg so that your knee is at a

90 degree angle, and the lower part of your leg is parallel with the

floor.

 

Movement: Exhale as you bring your right elbow in towards your

left knee, while squeezing your abs. Inhale as you slowly extend

your leg back out to the starting position.

Exercise #3: The Exercise Ball Crunch

Exercise Ball Crunches are great for your entire

core. All of your abs are used in the stabilization

process as you crunch.

Starting Position: Lie with your upper back on an exercise ball and

your feet flat on the ground in front of you. Support your head by

placing your hands behind it, and keep your eyes turned up

towards the ceiling throughout the entire movement.

 

Movement: Exhale as you raise your upper body up a few inches

off of the ball by contracting your abs. Be sure to keep your back

straight and avoid pulling yourself up with your hands. Hold

yourself in this contracted position for a moment before slowly

lowering yourself back down to the starting position.

Exercise #4: The Toe Touch

This is another great exercise for your upper abs,

however, you can easily make this exercise more

challenging by lowering your legs with each

repetition. This will recruit the use of your lower

abs as well as your upper abs and will make for a

more strenuous workout.

Starting Position: Lie on an exercise mat flat on your back with

your legs up in the air and your arms outstretched above your

head.

 

Movement: Exhale as you raise your arms up and reach your toes.

Hold yourself in this contracted position for a moment, and then

inhale as you slowly lower your arms back down until they almost

touch the matt. Repeat your required repetitions before allowing

your legs to touch back down onto the matt.

Exercise #5: The  Leg Raise

While this exercise is very challenging and not

recommended for beginners, it is very effective. It

focuses on your lower abs, tightening that stubborn

area.

Starting Position: Position yourself in the roman chair by gripping

the handles and placing your elbows against the pads, or grip

overhead handles and allow yourself to hang.

 

Movement: Exhale as you raise your knees up towards your chest.

Remember to keep your back flat against the back pad, or if

hanging, try to keep yourself from swinging. Hold yourself in this

contracted position for a moment, and then inhale as you slowly

return your legs back down to the starting position.

So there they are…the top five exercises that will

take the waste off your waist. You ask “Is it really that

simple?” Yes it is, if you follow a structured

program designed by a knowledgeable fitness expert.  ( wink wink* )

Remember that healthy weight loss takes time, so be patient!

Make an effort towards your goal everyday and don’t get discouraged!

Now GO GET’EM!!!!!

Committed to YOUR Peak Physique, AJ Mihrzad

Make sure you check with a medical professional prior to starting any new exercise program

Check out my story, press play….

Video Produced by http://multimediaplus.com/

Did you know that cinnamon reduces blood glucose close to 30%!

In other words adding cinnamon to a meal will decrease your blood sugar levels and substantially reduce the chance that the meal get stored as bodyfat.

Cinnamon slows down the rate at which food exits the stomach , it similar to fiber in that aspect. So by adding cinnamon to a meal you increase the effects of fat burning and staying full long after you eat.

Cinnamon also…

• has postive effects on brain function and memory

• reduces cholesterol levels

• soothes the stomach, and may help prevent ulcers

• suppresses the bacteria that causes urinary tract and yeast infections

The secret is to obtain fresh cinnamon sticks as opposed the powdered version

- The active ingredients in powered cinnamon degrade over time.

Now its your turn to get creative and add some fresh cinnamon to your meal

I personally make sure to add cinnamon and fiber to my meals to make a powerful combo.

p.s- Don’t even think about these

I do not approve!!!

Sneaky Fitness Challenge for the week

Obtain Fresh Cinnamon sticks and take  them with as many meals as possible. Grind them or add them to hot beverages such as coffee or tea.

I usually let a stick sit in boiled water and take  shots of it throughout the day.

This week I am going to discuss the world’s most effective fat burning workout. It is also the fastest exercise method and it only takes 4 minutes.

This super sneaky technique is called the tabata method; it was developed by a Japanese scientist named Izumi Tabata. Dr. Tabata compared various types of cardio to see which one works the best.

Dr. tabata found the most effective interval for doing cardio is 20 seconds of intense activity and 10 seconds of rest.

You would perform 8 cycles (20 seconds intense exercise followed by a 10 seconds of rest) and it only takes 4 minutes.

That’s it!

The key factor is to go as HARD as you can for those 20 seconds with 100% maximal effort.

Then do absolutely nothing for 10 seconds.

Take a deep breath and repeat…

The tabata method has been highly researched and tested. This interval exercise ratio is super efficient. There are many ways to implement it so you can work out in the shortest amount of time.

I actually use the tabata method in when I train many of my clients. I personally use a gym boss timer which increases the accuracy of my intervals. And rest periods.

You can simply implement this cutting edge ultra fat burning method at home without a timer or any exercise equipment.

SNEAKY FITNESS CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK

Simply perform jumping jacks as fast as possible for 20 seconds, then rest and count to ten.

Perform 8 of these cycles and you will have the most effective 4 min fat burning workout possible!
If you can make it to 12 rounds I will be VERY impressed! : )

Make sure you check with a medical professional prior to starting any new exercise program or this Fitness Challenge.

Hey there

1. Please sign in below by posting a comment, you can also use your Facebook account.   My email box is usually flooded so easier for me to answer and help you here.

2. Follow this for the next 5 weeks.  Then each week you add a new Sneaky Tactic to your lifestyle and experience ridiculous results…Remember its only 5 weeks so do your best and take ACTION!

3. This Challenge is open to everyone, get your family members and friends to participate and please share your feedback/results with the comment section.

4. Make sure you check with a medical professional prior to starting any new exercise program or this Fitness Challenge.

You can watch the Video or Follow the Directions I wrote below…

The there many benefits to increasing our fiber intake such as lowering the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and of course keeping our plumbing running smooth.

Rather than getting into the boring stuff , we will discuss how to lose fat by boosting Fiber.

It works by

1. Keeping us full for longer periods of time and decreases our caloric intake.
2. Lowering our blood sugar and slowing down digestion so there’s more of chance our food gets used as energy rather than getting stored as fat.
3. Decreasing our Cravings so we make better choices all day long.

Continue reading “Sneaky Fitness Tactic 2- 007 Fiber Method” »

Heyyy

Welcome to Week 1 of the Sneaky Fitness Challenge

I will post up a Sneaky Tactic on my blog every week and all you have to do is implement it into your Life and Jump Start your results for the New Year!

Guidelines

1. Please sign in below by posting a comment, you can also use your Facebook account.   My email box is usually flooded so easier for me to answer and help you here.

2. Follow this for the next 5 weeks.  Then each week you add a new Sneaky Tactic to your lifestyle and experience ridiculous results…Remember its only 5 weeks so do your best and take ACTION!

3. This Challenge is open to everyone, get your family members and friends to participate and please share your feedback/results with the comment section.

4. Make sure you check with a medical professional prior to starting any new exercise program or this Fitness Challenge.

You can watch the Video or Follow the Directions I wrote below…

Cold Exposure

This is the reason why Michael Phelps can eat 12,000 calories a day and not gain any body fat.  Losing weight through exposure to cold weather has been researched and scientifically proven by the military, NASA and recent experiments in the medical field.

I am not going to get into the exact science behind how it works in this post, however if you are interested I will gladly provide all of the documentation and studies done on the effects of Cold Weather and Weight Loss.

I want to show you how you can utilize this Sneaky method to accelerate your progress and reach your fitness goals as FAST as Possible!

Cold Exposure Strategies from the most difficult to the easiest

(Add them into your lifestyle as often as you can)

1. Lie in a tub filled with water and ice- 20 mins a day

2.  Take a cold shower – 15 mins Twice a day

3.  Sit with Ice pack or frozen veggies around your neck for 2-3 hours a day

4.  Drink ice cold water all day long- Focus on having 8 glasses a day

 

Your Sneaky Fitness Challenge for the week

Walk 30 mins 3 times a week in cold weather – Preferably with an empty stomach first thing in the morning.

• Walk as if you are late for a meeting.
• Jogging is optional.
• Wear a jacket but just enough to get a light shiver.  Shivering is a sign that your metabolism is being boosted and you’re burning fat.
• Make sure to wear gloves and a scarf to avoid frostbite.
• As long as the temperature is above 0 degrees Fahrenheit you’ll be fine.  Remember its only 30 mins. 
• Listen to an ipod and enjoy!

P.S- The Super lazy method is to simply turn the heat off at your house (Just Kidding)

P.S.S- Dont mind my cheesy expression below

Credit goes out to Tim Fenris- 4 HOUR BODY

 

 

new york fitness