Kick Start Your New Years: Exercise Day Eight: Crunches

Day Eight Exercise:
Crunches

• Lie on the floor face up with hands behind the head. Don’t clasp the fingers behind the head. The hands should not propel the head forward in this exercise.
• Legs are bent at approximately right angles at the knee with feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart.
• Brace the abdominal muscles and hold a neutral spine position with a slight natural curve in the lower back (lumbar) region yet with the back firmly against the floor.
• Move the shoulders upward and curl slightly forward as you contract the abdominals until the shoulder blades are about two to three inches (5-7 centimetres) off the floor, or about 30 degrees; hold for about two seconds.
• Exhale as you come up and inhale as you return in preparation for the next repetition. Don’t hold the breath on the up movement. Contracting the abdominals does not mean holding the breath. The head should be kept straight and the chin should not drop to the chest.
• Return to the starting position under control. Don’t flop down. Try ten repetitions for three sets starting out and increase it as you get stronger.

Crunches are a very simple exercise, but so oftentimes done wrong.  When done wrong, they can do a lot more harm then good.  These work your basic ab muscles, but doing things like twisting one elbow up to meet a knee while doing the crunch work on other ab muscles as well.  When doing crunches, it's a good idea to get more burn by sucking in your stomach as you do them. 

Thanks, About.com!

Day Eight:  Easy Exercise Tip:

• Walk around the house while talking on the phone.  Instead of sitting on the phone, get up and walk around.  You can walk up and down the stairs while chatting for even more burn!  It's a great way to be productive and not feel so guilty while you are doing something so seemingly "lazy."

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