Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Abdominal Exercises

A man lifts his shirt up to expose his well-de...Image via WikipediaIf you have lost weight, or if you have just recently put on a few pounds, you probably complain about your mid section. This is where we tend to put on weight first, and is one of the toughest spots to flatten and tone near a goal weight when dieting. If you are struggling with this area, you can do some abdominal exercises to help your waist get smaller. However, don't think that this will solve your problem. You still have to lose the overlying fat. Once that is gone, you can show of your hard work with rock hard abs and a trim waist. Sounds good, right?

Some believe that spot training with abdominal exercises will get rid of those last, pesky five pounds that want to hang around in that general area. Sadly, spot training is not really about getting rid of that fat, but it can help you tone the muscles in that area, and can also help your skin to tighten up a bit from your weight loss. Abdominal exercises are going to do you a lot of good, but your hard work will only be visible once you have reached your goal weight. These exercises go along with a healthy diet that helps you lose inches and pounds.



You can do simple situps for abdominal exercises if you wish. Some people find these to be hard on the back though. If you do them and they feel good, that is just fine for you. You can also do basic crunches, which are not as hard on the back and are more readily recommended than full sit ups by some fitness trainers. As long as you are feeling the right muscles tighten and burn, whatever you choose is good enough to help. Just make sure you use proper form and that you watch for pain signals in other parts of your body. These help with back muscles as well, which is a great idea for the health of your body and spine in the long run.

There are other low cost abdominal exercises that you can do on your own. Some like to use a medicine ball to help with supporting the lower back with modified situps or crunches. Some like to do exercises that twist the torso. Do not do these with a bad back. These not only help with abdominal exercises, they also work on the sides and the back muscles all at once. The core muscles that hold your body up right and that support much of what you do each day are included in these activities, so make the most of them and you'll be slimmer and feeling better in no time.

Situps and crunches are not for everyone. If you are one of these people, you can find help with abdominal exercises. There are quite a few home gym items that you can use that do not cost you a lot of money to buy. You can search them out and see which looks like something you want to do on a daily basis to work on toning your body. You can also find great ways to get in your ab exercises at your local gym. Sometimes, the whole body workout is the answer, even when you think your abs are your biggest problem.
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Anyone can Train for a 10K Race. Honest!

Running girls to finish of Hrádek race in Třeb...Image via WikipediaYou have been shut up all winter and you probably can't even remember what the outdoors look like. Here's a crazy thought - how about you get out there in the month of May to celebrate the arrival of spring and warmth with a 10k race? Yes, it sounds crazy; especially considering that you've never done anything more in the running department other than, say, an occasional jog around the park. The thing is, it can be really motivating to have something to shoot for. It certainly can be done; even if your entire training unit consists of one skinny friend. If you could rope a friend in and get started on her training, you could probably cheer each other on and actually do it. And here's another thing that will probably cheer you up - training hard the way you will need to complete a 10k race actually gives you a drug-like boost. It's real, it's proven. And in the end, you'll probably have a far better figure to boast of (if you are a woman, that is).

If you have had practically no experience with anything like a 10k race, you need to make sure that you don't push yourself too hard. Doing that when you are out of practice can end up laying you low with all kinds of injuries. If you feel like signing up for a race to give you something to aim for, you probably don't want to sign up for anything that is any closer than two months away. Your body certainly needs that amount of time to get used to those kinds of demands. And then, since you are not trying to be a dedicated amateur or anything, you probably need to allow for a few off days - in case work pressures come in the way or something. Ten kilometers work out to 6.2 miles. It can be quite a demanding thing to prepare for to run that far.  If training for this much in a mere eight weeks seems like too much, you could conceivably opt for the 3.5 mile distance first. As you train, make sure that you don't do any more than 3 miles at your target pace. Once you reach that mark, you can half-walk and half-run the rest of the way. Once you reach 10 miles, you want to keep running that way until the day of the race. You need to give your body's reserves a bit of time to build up. In the last week before the race, be sure that you cut down your practice distance by about 20%.



Some people tend to feel that going out on a group practice run with your friends can distract you from the goal at hand. While there might be something to that, this kind of thinking should only apply to professional athletes or serious amateurs. For anyone who's trying to get into shape for the first time, the kind of inspiration and motivation that fellow runners can bring can be invaluable. Having friends to answer to can also make it impossible for you to not show up one day just because you don't feel like it. Of course, you need to pace yourself to the speeds that you are comfortable with.

On the day of the race, remember that it's your first race. You don't have to push yourself to finish in record time. You only need to push yourself to finish. If halfway through the race, you feel panic setting in, all you need to do is slow your pace down. Sometimes, it can even be acceptable to walk to the finish. Just as long as you make a decent attempt.

Friday, June 24, 2011

sheryl crow show pants

Sheryl, sitting on a stool during a short white skirt to duet with Kid Rock, briefly flashed the camera as she stood up at the CMT (Country Music Television) awards – prompting a viral sensation on Twitter.

The All I Wanna Do singer acknowledged the moment concerning an hour later when she and musician Sara Evans presented a gong.

“Well, at least you were carrying underwear,” Sara told Sheryl.

“I was wearing underwear as a result of I’m good, clean, wholesome family fun,” the star joked.

Taylor won video of the year for her song Mine because of her fans. Meanwhile, The House that Built Me singer Miranda Lambert took feminine video of the year and her new husband, Blake Shelton, was the night’s only multiple winner.

Taylor joined Shania Twain for their pre-recorded faux promo recreating Thelma and Louise that included guest appearances by Donald Trump and Kenny Rogers.

Near the tip of the show, fans audibly gasped as Twain slipped and fell on her means to the stage to form an introduction.

And Justin Bieber induced tears from teenagers as he walked the red carpet with Rascal Flatts. The combine took home best collaboration for That Should Be Me.



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