We all have abdominal muscles. You might think that you don’t because they can’t be seen, but they are there. To bring them out, learn how to tone your abs.
The Toning Equation
There is a method to the madness here. Toning is a combination of burning the fat and challenging the muscles. To burn the fat, you will need to get your heart rate up and lower your caloric intake.
To lower your caloric intake, keep a food diary for a week to see exactly what you are eating. Don’t feel pressured to change what you eat during that week. The idea is to do what you normally do and then evaluate what changes to make. By cutting portion sizes, drinking more no calorie drinks, and making better food choices, your food will come in line with what it takes to tone your abs.
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The other part of the equation is burning the fat. That comes from exercise. There are two types of exercise for the abs:
• Aerobic exercise
• Weight bearing exercise
Aerobic Exercise
Burn baby burn! Take a dance class, aerobics class, spinning class, or take a brisk walk around the neighborhood. The object is to burn the calories and the fat. As the fat disappears, the definition of your muscles can be seen. You’ll think that you are seeing results faster from lifting weights, but it is the combination of fewer calories and more calorie burn that is doing it.
Weight Bearing Exercise
This is where those abs get toned. When the fat is gone, you will have a flat stomach but it won’t necessarily be toned unless you add some weight to the workout.
1. Weighted Crunches – Perform your crunches on a bench or on an exercise ball. Hold a weight or a weighted medicine ball to your chest. Perform a crunch with the weight. Hold at the top for two seconds and then slowly curl back down to the start position. For a more challenging crunch, lay in the opposite direction on an incline bench so that your head is at the bottom. Perform your weighted crunches with your feet under the foot rest so you don’t slide off the bench.
2. Oblique Crunches – Don’t forget about those love handles. As you crunch make a slight twist to one side. Hold for two seconds and return to starting position. For a bigger challenge, hold a weight in both hands. As you twist, place your hands to the outside of your knee for a deeper oblique crunch.
3. Weighted Knee Lifts – Knee lifts work the lower abs. To add a challenge, strap ankle weights on your legs. You can start with as little as one pound and go up from there. Alternate knee lifts and see the difference. Be sure to engage the lower abs and lift the knee at least to the height of your belly button.
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Toning the abs involves burning the fat and showing the muscle. The exercises above can be done at home with minimum equipment. You don’t need to belong to a gym to tone that midsection.