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Flat Belly Facts

Posted by onepieceswimwear on Aug 19th, 2009 | no comments

by Laura Dayton

The Body’s Centerpiece

The body’s torso—that area so totally on view in a bikini—is important not only for a toned, attractive female figure, but also for a healthy body. The torso houses your body’s organs: liver, kidneys, heart and ovaries, just to name a few. We all know that organ health is directly proportionate to our health.

The abdominal muscles are partly responsible for protecting those organs. You’re not going to like this, but helping them do their job is fat: nature’s natural cushion. Obviously, a toned and flat midsection is always going to be a battle for keeping body fat low, and abdominal strength high. At times in a woman’s life this is very difficult; but we all do our best.

What You Can Expect

Six packs, washboard abs, or whatever you want to call a defined midsection has become the sign of a truly fit and attractive body. Like every personality, everyone’s abdominal structure is unique.

The abdominals consist of a wide swath of muscles that generally appear like an 8-pack down the center of the torso. The upper portion is responsible for bringing the shoulders toward the knees; the lower portion is responsible for bringing the knees to the shoulders. Not every body has a perfectly balanced set of abdominals.

UjENA TIP: You don’t want to exercise your stomach for a flat tummy. Your stomach is an organ and the only exercise it gets is digestion. You want to exercise the abdominal muscles, or abs, to get a more defined and toned torso.

One thing every body has is abdominals; you just might not be able to see them. The abs hold the body upright. Without abs, you would collapse like a noodle.

We each have different body types. A person with wide shoulders and narrow hips is probably more likely to achieve those etched abs than a woman with narrow shoulders and wide hips. The object is to achieve a healthy, flat belly—those ripples of muscle just may not be in the cards for some of us!

Abs Aren’t Like other Muscles

Your abs work all day long, unlike your arms and legs. Exercising these muscles is different than most other skeletal muscle in that the abs can take a lot.

Exercises like sit-ups and leg raises are great. I personally love ab work performed on stability balls because it helps work the muscles on the sides of the abs, the obliques, as well. My one rule of thumb for all ab exercises is to perform them to FAILURE, or to the point you can’t do one more repetition.

I like to add to that rule the word boredom. The abdominals can sometimes be difficult to isolate and we may be using other muscles to perform the movement. In some cases, an improperly performed exercise can be done without fatiguing the muscle. When that happens, give it up and find another exercise.

UjENA TIP: Give your abs some extra work, and give your spine a rest! Americans notoriously “rest” on our spines by slouching, while standing or sitting. Picture a crown above your head and practice lifting your head inside it: your abs and back will love you for it!

More in this series: Truth About Belly Fat, Body Fat and Flat Bellies, 30-Second Ab Fix

About the Author:

Laura Dayton is the author of several books and one of the country’s leading authorities on women and weight training. Her philosophy also includes integrating fitness into one’s lifestyle through daily activity. To that end, she has three showdogs/sheepdogs in the Napa Valley, pictured here with Laura is Champion Lonetree Step in Time when she was a pup.

Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, or for medical diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, or a qualified health care provider before starting a new diet, treatments or exercise programs – or consult with your physician about questions regarding a medical condition. If you are pregnant, always seek the advice of your physician before starting a new diet, treatments or exercise program.