Make Your Waist Look Smaller

One of the best ways to avoid looking fat around the middle is to hold your stomach in. The act of doing this is actually as isometric exercise and its a good way to tone a variety of muscles. One of the problems in doing this is feeling bloated. The last thing you will want to do when you feel bloated is to suck in your gut. One of the best ways to eliminate this feeling is to eliminate salty foods. This includes but is not limited to olives, salted nuts/pretzels, soups, pickles and even many dairy products.
Also eating many white flour foods, large meals and simple carbs tends to increase the production of insulin. This in turn reduces the body's ability to excrete sodium. Exercise can help reduce sodium levels which is way you may of noticed that sweat is salty. This is accomplished by helping the lymphatic system reduce fluid from the tissues. Dehydration on the other hand, is caused by lack of fluids or excess alcohol. This will make the body preserve extra fluid. You can actually get rid of excess water (or bloating ) by drinking extra water. Potassium and magnesium also help regulate body fluids. You may want to help yourself to some cantaloupe and bananas or try a vitamin supplement.

Six Pack Abs ?

Most people just want a flat stomach. Some more advanced want what is called a six pack( or the definition that separates the abdominal muscles.) Both are achieved the same way and it isn't sit ups. The first thing is diet. You need to burn more than you eat. This is usually the biggest problem. All the common sense choices apply . Avoid desserts, stick to lean protein, avoid starch (rice, bread, pasta and even corn), and eat several small meals not one big and two small.
The second is more cardio. If you don't do any walking or stationary machines...start. You need to get you heart rate up for 30 mins. at a time and you need to do this several times a week. This will not only help you burn more calories but it will also rev up your metabolism.
The third is crunches not sit ups. Sit ups work the hip flexors more than the abs. Crunches are done with less range of motion and more concentration. Lay on your back with your knees bent. Reach over you knees until your shoulder blades come off the ground. You should feel this in the upper stomach not the back. When you have this down, try the same thing with your feet up in an L position. This works the lower abs more than the upper.

Eating Too Little Can Make You Gain Weight

What most people find in conventional diets are quick weight loss followed by an eventual plateau. What also unfortunate may follow is weight gain. The reason for this is something called starvation mode efficiency. The body reacts to a sudden calorie deficit by slowing its metabolism down. This has been done over the centuries as a survival mechanism. The body begins to conserve energy and store fat as it sees that calories have become scarce. If you were used to 2500 calories and then go down to 1500 you will initially lose weight. The body in time will learn make that 1500 a set point to maintain body weight. For additional weight loss you will need to cut the 1500 down to 1200 or even 1000 calories a day.
For most people, after a few weeks of starving yourself, the willpower will wane. After you went to 1500 calories you may start to inch up to 1700 or 2000 calories a day. The upshot is, what used to make you maintain weight will now make you gain weight.
The simple answer is never cut your calories by more than 500 at a time. Slow weight loss can be permanent weight loss. Quick weight loss is usually followed by quick weight gain.

Burn More Calories and Have Some Fun

If you want to improve your balance and at the same time increase your strength, the Bosu Ball is the answer. To keep my certification current I recently became certified as a Bosu Instructor. What I learned has become invaluable to not only my older clients but also to my most fit devotees. The thing I like best, is all that all the exercises can be done with various degrees of difficulty. You can do almost all the traditional exercises while standing (one or two feet) or while kneeling (one food up or two feet up). What you wind up doing is working the core and your balance in addition to the muscle you would be working anyway. For those of you who may not know. The Bosu Ball is a half dome ball that you can stand on. It has air in the middle and stands about 12" high and is 2 feet in diameter. If you don't have much room for equipment and want to workout at home, this is a good way to go. If you already know proper exercise form, try the same things but standing on the Bosu. If you want to take it up a notch, take a few lesson from a Bosu Certified Instructor. You'll be pleasantly surprised how much you like it.

Atkins, Zone, Jenny or Common Sence

There is one thing that all the major diet programs have in common. They all restrict calories. There is no magic eating program. If you need some structure to get going, it may be a good thing to give one of the above a try. When you first begin most diet programs there is an incubation period. This means it takes a little time before the body switches from fat storing to fat burning. Unfortunately most people are inpatient and want immediate results.
What you get with any of the major diet plans are quick results. In the first few weeks you will usually drop noticeable weight. What you get as a byproduct is usually some muscle loss. Fat will not be the only thing you will lose when you step on the scale. It's not fair but muscle burns more easily than fat.
If you want to lose fat and can hang in there for the long haul, take your time and eat smart. Most people know what to eat and what to avoid even if there are some sneaky exceptions. One thing to avoid however is starch based carbs. (bread, pasta, white potatoes, rice etc.) You can have starch but scale down the portion sizes. What you need to do is concentrate on water based carbs. (fruits and veggies) and lean protein and keep up your activity.

Will Sit Ups Give You a Flat Stomach

For years people have asked me for an abdominal routine to make their stomach flat. There are also countless women who want a magic exercise for a smaller butt and thighs. The sad truth is, there are no exercises to make anything smaller. You can encourage muscle growth to make your arms bigger. You can tone up your abs or thighs, but you can't spot reduce any body part. Some people spend a half hour on crunches and can actually increase their waist size. ( They wind up building muscle under the fat they're trying to lose)
Trainers may differ on their approach to fitness but most everyone agrees that the best way to decrease a fat body part is a combination of cardio and nutrition. It is important to include weight training but not for melting away a keg and turning it into a six pack.
If you want to get the best use out of a half hour, try 5 minutes (with a variety of crunches) after 25 minutes of cardio. Even better yet wear a heart monitor and stay in your target heart zone for a half hour while including your ab routine during your aerobics.

How To Improve Balance

Most people first begin an exercise program to look better or to lose weight. The things that you improve first, some may find surprising. Along with increased energy, better sleep and a better attitude, you can also improve your balance. A good trainer will do a variety of exercise that you may see others doing in a gym, but will a balance challenge. What this entails is performing an exercise while standing on one foot or while seated on a Swiss Ball. You can also try to do some of the good old standards (curls, lateral raises or d/b presses) while standing on a Bosu Ball. This is one of my favorites. This devise is a half dome ball that can add variety and intensity to almost any routine. The idea is to challenge the body now and force adaptation so as we age we don't find, "We fallen and we can't get up".
What is very encouraging is how quickly people can improve. In under three weeks I have introduced a balance challenge routine to a lady I work with over 70. Things that she didn't even want to attempt before are now a breeze. The best thing is its fun. Any time you can put exercise and fun in the same sentence, its a good thing.