Seven: Hanging around! We’ve already addressed those pesky love handles, so now let’s talk about that nagging lower abdominal region. Much like the oblique muscles, the lower abs will become an afterthought if we only do standard crunches and sit-ups. So, we need to target that area!
Hanging leg lifts and ab crunches are amazingly effective ways to address those lower abs. As the name might suggest, we need to get ourselves into a hanging position, which we can accomplish on a pull-up bar. Once we’re hanging, the first exercise is to keep our legs extended and lift them as far as we can toward the ceiling. Alternatively, we can bring our knees up toward our stomach, simulating a crunch instead. In both situations, we want to lower our legs slowly back down to maximize the effectiveness!
Eight: Sugar, You’re Going Down! America is addicted to sugar! If we could all just cut down on our sugar intake, not only would we be a much healthier country, but we would be a much fitter country! Even if we build strong abdominal muscles, sugar alone can put a fluffy blanket right over the top of them and throw those efforts to waste!
No, we don’t need to kick sugar entirely out of our diet, but there are much better sources than what we are used to! Fruits still put sugar in our diets and keep us away from those dangerous refined sugars. Remember, we are creatures of habit, so once sugar is out of our daily habit, we will no longer crave it and it will be a thing of the past with our abs being the thing of the future!
Nine: Climb Mountains! Well, not literally, but mountain climbers are a killer core workout that will spike your cardio levels like you wouldn’t believe! Toss these into your workout routine and watch the inches melt away!
Here’s how it’s done: First, get your body into a plank position. Next, drive your knees up toward your chest, one at a time, all while keeping your back flat. The more you pick up the pace, the better the workout. If you can picture yourself vertically, you’d look like you were climbing a mountain!