Top 10 Best Fitness Tips and tricks of All Time

If we go with the words of Hannah Green, a well-known American author, “Health is not simply the absence of sickness”, clearly indicates that just because you are not ill, does not mean that you are completely healthy. At times, we feel that we are totally fit and fine, but there are things that we might have overlooked. 

Sometimes, there are symptoms that we ignore, just because they are not hampering our daily routine. It is unless and until we are bothered by something, we pay attention to it. Majority of us do the same in case of our health. Busy lives and hectic schedules are the major reasons so as to why we fail to notice our fitness issues. 

However, following some simple tips and keeping a few important factors in mind, one can improve and focus better on his overall health. Let’s have a look:

1. Try to drink plenty of water and other fluids in your daily routine, as it helps in keeping your body optimally hydrated. 

2. Performing a few light exercises such as walking, aerobics, a few push ups, early in the morning can help you remain fresh all the day. 

3. For those who want to get toned body, can go for high-intensity cardio and strength improving exercises. However, the intensity, frequency and duration of workout should be in accordance with your physical capabilities.

4. After you workout, make sure your body gets adequate nutrition within 30 minutes. Recovery drinks such as protein shakes can be much useful. Moreover, give your body time to rest and recover after exercising. 

5. Communicate your ideas and thoughts with someone you feel comfortable with. This will help you in gaining positivity and you will feel more confident than ever. 

6. Try to adopt proper eating habits in your daily routines. Make sure you are consuming fresh eatables every time and avoid processed foods. You meals should be small and frequent.

7. Control the caloric intake in your daily life. Try to eat foods having low glycemic index, so that your sugar levels do not rise abruptly. 

8. Keep yourself away from stress and anger. Practice yoga or meditation for a few minutes, to relax your mind and body. 

9. Make a routine and set your deadlines to achieve certain health targets. This is an effective way to remain focused and productive. 

10. Try to add small changes in your fitness routine, as it will help you in maintaining your interest and will keep you motivated. You can shift from one set of exercises to other level or try new varieties of nutritional foods. 

True fitness is only achieved when you are healthy from both your mind and body. No matter what sort of efforts you are making for your health; make sure you are doing it with absolute dedication. Plan out today!

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Top Exercise Questions with Answers

Ask The Trainer: Top Exercise Questions, 
Answered by Julio A. Salado, NSCA-CPT., USAW Coach. 



I was recently asked by a publisher to answer a slew of popular questions regarding fitness, nutrition and personal training. The questions ranged from "Is it safe for pregnant women to workout?" to "Is it better to perform cardio before or after lifting weights or should
cardio be done on a completely different day?" to "What should a personal trainer take into consideration when working with each individual client?".

My answers are based on exercise science and collective experience of other health and fitness professionals. Due to space, I focused on the most important aspects of my answers, if you need further explanation or have your own questions, please do not hesistate in contacting me.

Is it true that some exercises produce results faster than others? Is so,
which exercises provide the best and worst "returns on investment"?

Great question! First you must ask yourself "what results you are looking for?" I always tell my clients "you are investing your money (monthly dues/pt training) and TIME into this journey. What are your goals?" . 

Once you know your goals, we can start the process of elimination of what exercises NOT do! Secondly, after you know your goals a proper fitness evaluation should be done. Again, if you are investing your time and money then let's take it a step forward and get some baseline of your current fitness.

For example, bodyfat to lean muscle percentage, musco-skeletal assymetries ( Hip hike, right shoulder internally rotates significantly more than left), cardio vascular testing, listing past injuries etc. After this is established and factoring your current lifestyle (sedentary, active), you can begin to select exercises that will maximize your time. 

Another example, if it is weight loss then you want to work more muscles per movement, we call this compound exercises e.g. squat to bicep curl to overheard shoulder press. Focusing on a single muscle group such as abs, biceps especially within the first 90 days will not yield the same caloric expenditure as when you perform compound movements. 

Lastly, I highly recommend learning how to move/exercise in all anatomical planes. The majority of the population work mirror muscles train in a linear pattern e.g lunges, squats, chest. If you introduce movement in all planes of motion such as side to side, rotational exercises, hip dominant exercise, single leg exercises, up, down, left , right, forward, reverse and circular. Your body will be using more muscles than ANY nautilus machines.

Worst "return on investment" nautilus machines best "return" bodyweight, free weight, cross train with kettle bells etc.... machines may compliment a program however it should NEVER substitute free form training. 

Yes, free form training requires more time to learn correct form however combined with appropiate intensity, rest and nutrition, your investment will yield results!

Is it a good idea for someone to workout if they have a cold?

I do not recommend working out with a cold. I believe the calories you use to workout would be best utilized by your immune system to fight the cold. You may be prolonging your cold by continuing to work out. The rest, hydration and proper care of your cold will allow your body to recover. Injuries and hitting a plateau are more likely to occur if you workout under the weather. Use discretion and common sense. 

If your cold stays with you for over a week and you were working out then connect the dots and stop exercising! Stick to walking, stretching or foam rolling till you feel better. 

Is it better to perform cardio before or after lifting weights or should
cardio be done on a completely different day?

There are many opinions on what comes first. I apologize in advance because I am going to repeat what I said earlier....it depends on your goals and current fitness level. 99% percent of my clients will do cardio after their workout the 1% is my mature/senior clientele 70,80,90+ yrs old. Cardio raises your core temperature and does NOT prepare the muscle group/joints for the workout ahead. 

However, "dynamic warmups" which last 5-10 minutes will MAXIMIZE your potential, a few benefits: raise your core temperature, lengthen muscles, stimulate the nervous system, assist in improving joint mobility/stability, increase blood flow, improves mind/body connection, injury prevention and prepares the body for the workout ahead.

On strength and conditioning days, my clients will do cardio for a minimum of 20mins and max 30. On cardio days, they will still do the "dynamic warmups" and cardio time is usually 45mins-1hr. If their goal is to develop lean muscle then the cardio time and intensity will be significantly reduced, because resting is a major factor in developing lean muscles.

If its bodyfat loss, their cardio programming needs to have combination of high intensity cardio training with a shorter time and days of long cardio with lower intensity. Knowing how many times my clients can realistically go to the gym is another factor of cardio programming. 

I will end with this fact, cardio does NOT increase metabolism only strength training and too much cardio may lead to weight gain if the body adapts, this is called hitting a plateau.

If someone doesn't have the time to spend hours cooking healthy meals, how
can they still eat healthy?

I believe once you know your caloric intake, macronutrient percentage and weekly workout plan and it is written down on paper your motivation to eat healthy will improve. It is a lifestyle change and it does not happen over night.

I am not a diet fan, I believe in eating healthy nutrient dense foods. If diets worked, everyone would be thin! In other words, eat nutrient dense foods. For example, compare the calories and fat grams in a fast food burger, the total calories is easily above 500 calories. Now, you can eat more with less calories e.g. lean deli meats such as turkey breast over a salad (low-fat dressing) with a slice of whole grain bread. It's not about time, it's about changing behaviors. 

Most restaurants offer low caloric selections and provide the nutritional value of their menu. It is up to the individual to repeat old behaviors or start new healthy behaviours.

A motivated individual looking to sculpt their body will take the extra step to learn about food nutritional value. Now, if you are overwhelmed with my first suggestion then start to significantly reduce or eliminate white sugar and white flour from your daily food intake. Be wary of prepackage food because they may have high sodium and preservatives, this is also true for fast deep fried food. You can also really rack up the calories with sugar laden drinks such as sodas too, cream in coffee and white flour baked goods. 

When in doubt more veggies, lean protein, less starch and more water intake.

If someone has a job where they don't move around a lot, what can they do
to increase their activity during the day, when they're not working out?

The human body was designed to move, not to be in a seated position for long periods of time. However, many jobs today are sedentary which leads to muscle dominance in the kinetic chain. When this occurs low back pain, stiff neck, plantar fascitis arise from this sedentary lifestyle... here are couple of tips. If you take public transportation get in the habit of standing up rather than sitting.

After each meal, plan a 10-20 minute walk, bring a coworker. While at work, learn some stretches for your neck, shoulders, low back, hips and calves. Every movement that you do can counter the adverse effects of having a sedentary lifestyle. It's worth the investment. 

Is it safe for pregnant women to workout?

First, consult with your doctor before beginning a fitness program.

Women who led a more sedentary lifestyle prior to their pregnancy should first seek assistance from a health professional. Women who HAVE participated in a long term physical training program prior to being pregnant. That being said here are a few tips for the woman who HAVE participated in long term physical activity prior to being pregnant.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The first trimester is a very susceptible time for the fetus. The fetus is unable regulate its own body temperature to that of the mother. During this trimester pregnant athletes should avoid exercising in hot conditions and for duration exceeding 60 minutes. 

Consistency of your training program is very important.
3-5 times per week is sufficient. 
Includes any physical activities (25 minutes or more).
Heart Rate: Your target heart rate zone is 60%-70% of your resting heart rate ( non-athletes should not exceed 140BPMs). You should take your pulse during your training. You may use a heart rate monitor to detect your heart's beats per minute. Please note: Heart rate will NOT be 100% accurate due to the physiological changes occurring in your first/second trimester. 
More importantly, your perceived rate of exertion is key ( stay within a comfort zone). 

You will want to be mindful of your internal temperature and levels of stress. 

There are other important variables to consider and it changes dramatically from your 1st trimester to the 3rd. For example, After the first trimester you will need to modify your exercises and stop supine or exercises on your back. Lastly, you will also need to minimize standing exercises during your third trimester.

If you decide to work with a trainer make sure they are prenatal-certified and experienced.

What should a personal trainer take into consideration when working with
each individual client?

I love this question. Basic considerations. Learn the client's short term goal (3-6months) and long term (6 month-1year) goals, age, current lifestyle-sedentary or active, past medical and injury history from childhood to adulthood ( everything from plantar fasicitis to carpal tunnel syndrome), past and current physical activities, realistic weekly committment to participate in a training program, discuss current food selections, cardio vascular capacity, medication that may interfere with training and ask when in their life "were you in the best shape of your life" and why? Lastly, there should be 110% focus on the clients form, breathing and feedback during the session.

I do not believe in "cookie cutter" workouts. Meaning having your clients do exercises that you enjoy doing or what you read in the latest fitness magazine or book. 

Another important factor in developing a solid customized result driven program is having a timeline and having the client do a "movement screen" which will help identify any musco-skeletal assymetries. No client should ever began a training program without a thorough fitness evaluation.

Programs should be reviewed every 30 days and progress tracked to ensure program is working.

Again, if you need further explanation or have your own questions, please do not hesistate in contacting me. 

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A Nice move for Smart Phone Users

Do you suffer from rounded shoulders, neck pain, mid and lower back discomfort and in some extreme cases, numbness in the hands? You are not alone. These are some of the symptoms that may arise from continuous extended periods of smart phone or hand held devices usage. Without corrective exercises this may lead to kyphosis: an excessive rounding of shoulders that arises from repeatedly leaning forward, gazing down at the screen and holding the device in your hand in a supine position (facing up). I usually describe “kyphosis” by drawing the image of the character from the Simpsons “Mr. Burns”.

Does this sound familiar? Take a look around and you will see many smart phone users with the “Mr. Burns” syndrome. Are you one of them?

There is hope! Here are 4 simple smart moves you can do NOW to help reverse and prevent this debilitating condition. Remember this acronym 

R.A.M.P. 
Rest: Avoid 30 minutes or more of continuously looking down at your device.
Awareness: Be mindful of any neck, mid or lower back pain. This is a signal to rest and/or to do some corrective exercises.
Move: Specific movements can go a long way in relaxing overactive muscles and improve joint integrity.
Posture: Sit up straight! Stand tall. Consider getting a posture pal, a friend who will tell you when you are slouching.

Here are 4 simple exercises you can do NOW for FREE! 

1.Clearing the neuro pathways. 3 Wrist movements for neck tightness.
Keep this stance for all 3 wrist movements. Stand tall and laterally extend your arm to side at shoulder height. Look straight and set your palm position as if you are holding up a wall. Hold for 10 seconds. Next, flex the wrist down palm facing you. Hold for 10 seconds. Lastly, have your palm facing the wall upside down, finger tips facing the floor- keep flexed for 10 seconds.

4 Neck Movements for the cervical spine.
Exhale while doing each movement, keep your arms relaxed and by your side and hold each position for 10 seconds. Chin touches chest, chin touches right front shoulder and left front shoulder. Lastly, slowly look up and hold for 10 seconds.

2.Shoulder blades exercises.
Arms extended out in front of you with palms facing up. Slowly, extend through your finger tips and open up the chest by bringing the arms back as if the thumbs are going to touch the wall behind you. Exhale as you do the movement and focus on pinching the shoulder blades and not shrugging. 

Second movement, arms extended out in front of you with palms together. Slowly, extend your right arm diagonally upward and the left arm diagonally downward. Palms should be opposites. The right palm facing up and the left palm facing down. Extend through your finger tips and imagine your right thumb is going to touch the wall behind you and your left pinky the wall below. Exhale as you do the movement and focus on not shrugging.

3.Reverse prayer position. Advanced stretch for chest, shoulders and scapular retraction.
Have your finger tips touch behind your lower back and bring them into a prayer position. Exhale and slowly walk your hands up to your mid back. Hold for 10 seconds.

The reality is that you are not going to give up your smart phone so it would be in your best interest to do these simple exercises that allow you to use your favorite hand held device. Invest in your health the same way you invested in your device, a few minutes a day may keep the doctor away. Your exercise prescription for this preventable condition is to pause and R.A.M.P! 

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10 Best Tips For Gaining Mass

Are you a hard gainer? 
 Or are you someone who is having the desires to be big, huge or just want to stand out in a crowd? No matter what your reasons are for gaining size stop reading articles and workouts out of a magazine! Stop spending money on all different types of supplements (without knowledge of which ones actually work) that may or may not work for you! Follow these 10 steps for gaining mass and continue on the path of natural growth: 

1. Remember the old adage of “you are what you eat.” Well remember this the next time you drive by a fast food establishment, gas station market or the likes. If you consume garbage that is processed then your body will resemble processed garbage. 

2. Know your metabolism. If you have a slow metabolism, then eat for a slow metabolism. 

3. Reps for weight lifting should remain in the 4-8 category with heavy weights.

4. Keep your tempo for weight lifting as 3-1-3 to 4-1-4.

5. Keep weight lifting tension to 60 seconds or less. This will allow you to produce more testosterone. 

6. LESS equals MORE! Keep your workouts to more than 45 minutes when lifting heavy weights. 

7. Cardio is a must. Cardio will allow you to shed the unwanted Body Fat and allow you to appear bigger. 

8. Lift according to your fitness goals. If you tend to be more “toned” than “huge” lift with higher reps with lower reps. If you intend to be “large” then lift heavier weights with less reps. 

9. Supplements and other muscle building products can help you achieve mass. 

10. Mass is easy to gain when you lift correctly, don't waste years trying to reach your goals. Set up a workout plan and invest in supplements that work. 

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How To Gain Weight - Best Advice For The Hard Gainer

First off all let's discard that first complaint you are likely to give: “Nothing seems to work, I can eat tons and no matter what I don't gain weight!”. Trust me when I say this, unless you have a tape worm the size of a baby's arm or a serious medical condition you will gain weight and I guarantee that you are not eating enough if you aren't putting the weight on. I thought at one point I was eating a lot, until I was shown the light. Gaining or losing weight is as simple as math, if you take in more calories than you burn you will gain weight, if you take in less you will lose weight. Along with eating the right amount of calories and the right kind of food, there are some other things you need to practice on a daily basis.


Make your workouts short but effective
Your workouts should never be longer than an hour, I had mine down to 40 minutes, they were high intensity, but quick. When I was trying to gain weight I didn't spend any time on the treadmills, exercise bikes or climbers, sounds harsh but if you want to gain weight you need to spare your calories.

Be lazy when you can
Getting advice to be lazy may sound weird but I remember one of my trainers saying to me that I needed to take it easy when not training...reduce my activity where I can. He also told me this: “Don't run when you can walk, don't walk when you can stand, don't stand when you can sit, and don't sit when you can lay down”, that has stuck with me all this time.

Eating has to become a habit
You are both blessed and cursed with the high metabolism and this means that even if you are eating 3 large meals a day, you are burning through them, you need to space your meals out, have 5-6 a day, of course they will be slightly smaller but at the end of the day you need to be eating more calories than you are burning. Because everyone is different I can't tell you how many calories you need consume, but you can start by finding out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is the amount of calories it takes to keep you alive in a rested state, but you will need to add calories for all the other stuff you do on a day to day basis. The simple rule is if you are not gaining weight you are not eating enough, even if you think you are. I found it hard to fit all those meals in because, who wants to make them all? Well I got to the point that some of the stuff I made was so simple and full of bulk that it was almost like going through the motions and became a habit rather than a chore. Sometimes it wasn't pretty or even all that flavorful but in the end gaining weight was my goal and I stuck to it.

Don't Rely on Supplements
Supplements are just that, supplements, they should not be used as replacements for the real thing...food. However with that being said, adding in a weight gainer product in addition to your regular meals may help, so long as its not replacing a meal of real food. One thing a doctor told me to do was to have a big protein or weight gain shake before bed time as the body will slow down in sleep and burn less calories...this may not agree with you at first or at all, but it's an option that seemed to work for me. Also avoid supplements that may have fat burners in them, or don't contain extra calories...I remember someone telling me they were trying to gain weight but were taking a protein cocktail that had fat burners and things like caffeine in them...I was shocked, but he just didn't realize that some of those ingredients are things that will make you burn more calories or make it harder for you to eat because of their appetite suppressing qualities. Be sure to ask someone knowledgeable about any product you plan on using before you buy it.

Vary your workout
This is good advice to anyone training, hard gainer or not. Vary your workouts, either by exercises, rep ranges, or weight every few weeks, this will help you avoid those nasty plateaus.

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5 pushup you have to know

“I can do 50 push-ups! How many can you do?!” Ah yes, the age-old challenge issued by thousands of retired jocks and drunken teens across America in real-time as I write this post. It would seem that push ups tend to be the universal default measurement of strength when a vacant bench press is not available. The physical reality of the 50 push up claim often ends up looking more like a beached epileptic seal on amphetamines and less like a strong, stable athlete expertly executing an exercise. My advice with push ups is simple: ditch the numbers game and focus on form. Here are 5 tips to make your push ups more challenging, and you significantly stronger in the process.

1. ELBOWS ON A 45 DEGREE ANGLE

A common technical mistake on push ups is to flare the elbows directly out to the sides. When the elbow stays fixed at a 45 degree angle there will be more shoulder and triceps activation. Also, the body will be forced forward to achieve the elbow position which puts more weight directly over the muscles being worked. Much harder.

2. SQUEEZE ABS AND BUTT BEFORE COMING UP

One of the most common cheat mechanisms during the “up” portion of the push up is the act of arching the lower back, lengthening the abs, and dropping the belly to the floor. This causes the weight of the lower body to stay below the muscles being used and therefore subtracted from the load on the involved muscles. Also, the rib cage arches upward putting less stress into the chest, shoulders, and triceps; while overloading the lower back. By squeezing the butt and tensing the core, it is much harder to arch the lower back and the abs prevent the rib cage from arching.

3. SET THE BLADES AND KEEP THEM SET

This is the key to seeing more chest and back development. Your shoulders should not be whispering sweet nothings in your ear during the push up. Instead, set the shoulders back and away from the ear lobes; thinking about digging under the arms and moving your blades back towards your hip bones during the entire push up movement. Your chest will burn more.

4. ELEVATE FEET WITH POINTED TOES

Push ups can be a leg exercise. What?! It’s true. I have witnessed many people initiate the “up” portion of the push up from the balls of their feet. I see this especially during plyometric/clapping push ups. One of the best ways to make the push up more of an upper body exercise is to point the feet and rest them on top of a ball or in the straps of a suspension trainer. This takes away all leverage from the lower body and also adds a balance component to the upper body that is challenging. Wobble wobble. :)

5. MOVE THE HANDS BACK FURTHER TOWARDS CENTER OF GRAVITY

This one is the best! Gymnasts arguably have the highest level of relative strength in comparison to any other athletes in sport today. Relative strength is simply the amount of force they can generate relative to their body-weight. The gymnast push up is executed with the hands as close to the hip bones as possible. It it commonly used as a bridge to another move called a planche. The planche is similar to the position of a push up, but with both feet suspended freely off the ground! The closer the hands are to the hips…the further the body weight is shifted forward and the harder the push up becomes. When combined with the above tips, this one is really challenging.
Armed with these tips you are now ready for the hard part; actually doing them. Good luck!

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Any Thing You Need to Know to Lose Belly Fat

How to Lose Belly Fat

The first time it happened I was in my early twenties, straphanging in a crowded New York City subway car on my way to work. I was wearing a slim-fitting T-shirt dress, one that for reasons that will soon become horrifyingly clear, I subsequently used to scrub out the litter box and then tossed. The seated woman I was standing in front of met my eyes and smiled. Then she stood up. I smiled back and stepped to the side so she could make her way to the door. She stood right next to me.

"Would you like to sit?" she asked kindly. "I remember how tired I was during my pregnancy. You look like you're into your second trimester; it gets easier."

If I had been pregnant, her act of generosity would probably have sent me into early labor right there on the F train.

But I wasn't. (Even so, I took the seat.)

Once in a while I'm still offered a seat on the train, thanks to a belly that seems to always enter a room a split second before the rest of me does.

Tummy Trouble

Every woman's got her own hang-ups about some body flaw, but flabby abs seem to be a universal sore spot. In a recent FITNESS poll, they ranked number one on the list of trouble zones women wanted fixed. Not only has my apple-shaped middle been a preoccupation of mine since I was a tween, it's also been the subject of articles I've written (like this one) and the object of literally hundreds of attempts on my part to accept and/or flatten it. It was only after having twins that I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that my belly was jelly for good.

So when my editor at FITNESS read on my blog that I thought my abs were permanently "stretched out" and I'd abandoned the abs DVDs she'd given me, she asked if I wanted to take a more scientific approach. I thought, sure. Lord knows, endless crunches haven't gotten me far. She set me up with an appointment at the renowned Women's Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, where I would get an ultrasound and find out what's really going on with my middle.

I was all over the idea of getting a scan. I strongly suspected I had what many women who have been pregnant have, diastasis recti, or separated abdominal muscles. That wouldn't explain why I've always had a pooch, but it could partially explain why I had one now. "Diastasis recti occurs when the abdominal muscles separate along the midline because of an enlarging uterus," says Virginia Lupo, MD, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. "It's unrelated to whether or not the muscles are strong." That means it makes no difference if your abs are made of steel or mush; the chance that they'll pull apart depends on the strength of the connective tissue that fuses them. In a study of women not long after they had given birth, 68 percent had the condition above their navel and 32 percent below. (Deep breath: Most women's abs will move back together again naturally after a while even if we don't rush to Pilates class the minute we get the okay to exercise.) The more pregnancies a woman has had, the more likely she is to have diastasis recti. I've had only one pregnancy, but it was a double, so the odds were good that this was part of my problem.

What's Your Belly Type?

Let's get one thing straight: Gisele Bundchen and I — and you, for that matter — have more or less the same ab muscles. The main thing that sets us apart, besides those Victoria's Secret catalog covers, is the amount of fat we pack on around them. Apple shapes, like me, are genetically predisposed to carry extra pudge around the mid?section rather than in the butt, hips, and thighs, as do pears — not that we get to pick. If we could, we'd all choose a third type: Gisele's seemingly fat-free physique. (There's more to how your middle looks, including long-waistedness and wide hip bones, but we're talking fat and muscles now.)

Flip open an anatomy book and you can see what would be behind a six-pack if you had one. Below the skin and any underlying subcutaneous fat, you get to the muscles; the top one that runs down the front is the rectus abdominis. Because it's the showy, six-pack muscle, closest to the skin's surface, you may think that the rectus is the key to how flat your belly looks, but that's only one layer of the onion. The internal and external obliques run up the sides and not only give you those nice ripples but also hold in your waist a bit; the transversus abdominis is a deeper muscle that encircles and cinches your center like an obi. All those muscles figure in how your abs look (we'll get into how to work them later). Then you have connective tissue, the fascia, which holds everything together.

Research has focused on two types of ab fat: The subcutaneous fat previously mentioned is the rolly squish on top of your rib cage and waist that you can grab and that vanishes when you lose weight. Visceral fat, which accumulates around your organs, is associated with all kinds of metabolic problems that can increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease. According to a Canadian study, some of us are more genetically prone to visceral fat, which can "push the abdominal muscles outward," says Thomas Nesser, PhD, associate professor of exercise science at Indiana State University in Terra Haute, giving you that rounded look. As for me, I am at my thinnest these days — which, while not skinny, is pretty thin — but I still have a few rolls of the relatively benign sort of fat. I wouldn't know if I had the other kind until the ultrasound scan.

How to Get Flat Abs

The biggest reason people who aren't overweight don't have tight tummies is that their ab muscles are weak, pure and simple, Nesser says. In other words, ab muscles in couch potatoes are like a girdle made of wimpy fabric instead of industrial-strength fibers. But what about women who, like me, are seven years postbaby and the Queen of Crunches? Turns out I tend to do a lot for my rectus abdominis but largely neglect my obliques and deeper transversus abdominis.

To pull in your mid?section, you also have to target these overlooked areas and even your lower back, Nesser reminds me, and none of the above are taxed during your typical crunch. That crunch time is better spent doing the exercises that leave no muscle in your middle untoned.

Try these ab exercises for firm, flat abs

Can These Abs Be Saved?

As I lay on an exam table at the Women's Sports Medicine Center, I asked Marci Goolsby, MD, the lovely flat-ab'd doctor I got to visit, about diastasis recti. She had me do a half crunch on the table and pressed with two fingers just below my sternum. "I don't see anything," she said, explaining that when someone's rectus abdominis muscles are very separated, they pop out like an upside-down V and the space between them is often visible. "We'll know more at your ultrasound." (When I told Dr. Goolsby that my comment about having "stretched out" abs landed me here, she countered, "Ab muscles are not like ligaments, which can lose their elasticity when stretched beyond their limits. Muscles are more likely to retain the ability to be firmed back up.") It felt perverse to hope the ultrasound would uncover that I had a severe case of diastasis recti. Still, I thought that it would let me and my pooch off the hook a little.

One thing I can blame on my daughters (not that I ever would out loud) is loose skin. I had my twins when I was 36, which is on the older side, statistically speaking. If your skin becomes distended when you're young, it stands a pretty good chance of bouncing back, because its elastin, the main ingredient in elastic fibers, still has that bungee quality. But with time, skin is less able to recover. Likewise, your connective tissue, such as the fascia that surrounds the muscle, also loses elasticity.

Theoretically, I asked Dr. Goolsby, if your connective tissue was all loosey-goosey, couldn't that explain why your belly won't stay in? She dismissed it as unlikely. Besides, "building stronger abdominal muscles will support those ligaments," says FITNESS advisory board member Michele Olson, PhD, who has done extensive research on abs at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama. This means that your muscles can make up for the tautness your middle is missing from any overstretched ligaments. I moved "loose connective tissue" to the "Not the cause of my pooch" column.

In the other column ("Buy Spanx"), I put the "excess flesh" and "excess skin" that I do have around my middle. As I hopped off the table to head to my scan, Dr. Goolsby pointed out that my posture is lousy. She didn't say it that way, but she demonstrated how I should stand. "Remember ABC," she said. "Pull in your abs, tuck your butt, and put your chest out with your shoulders down." Ta-da! Flatter-looking abs. It even felt more comfortable for my back.

The radiologist slathered some cold gel on my belly and gave me a guided tour of its inside. "Your muscles look pretty good, actually," he said, estimating that there are 12 millimeters between my recti. The norm is around 10, so the verdict is, I can't blame separated muscles for my apple shape. "And you don't have a lot of visceral fat," he said. "From where I'm standing, you have great abs."

I suppose I could tape a printout of my scan to my Miraclesuit with the super tummy-control panel. Or maybe I could get a T-shirt that reads "My Radiologist Insists I Have Great Abs," for all the good it would do me on the beach. Or I could relax, stand a little bit straighter, and do exercises for my obliques and deeper abs. After two workouts, I'm already feeling tucked in, so there may be something to this. In the meantime, it doesn't feel half bad to be scientifically declared beautiful on the inside.
Article from : http://www.fitnessmagazine.com

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