OV Slimming Club part 2

[fiona]

My 2 cousins live in Melbourne Twiglet, the whole family were out there, having emigrated in the early 70's but since my aunt sadly died at the age of 58 of bowel cancer they have split up a bit, and one of the boys now lives in the UK.

Still very little voice, temperature raging, horrible hacking cough blah blah deadly boring. Staggered out with the dogs this am who have been very patient with me with their late walks. Living off hot water with lemon and organic honey. Have made great effort with lunch and made tuna with extra low fat mayo mixed with tomato, spring onion & cress, on piece of toast. Supper will be salmon with new pots & beans. Going to M&S and buying one of their packs which has only a few syns in the new booklet we were given a few weeks ago. Then I am back to bed!

Fiona its really dragging this cold of yours, sounds more like you have had full blown flu!!!

I have had porridge with banana, chicken flat bread for lunch and not sure about tea yet[msnwink]

Not weighing in until next week though as I am sure I have stayed the same, going to join SW on Tuesday which should help too[msnwink]

[julieanne]

I burnt my lip on my porridge this morning - and now it's starting to swell [msncry]

[julieanne]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Aiminghigh
Not posted for a few days[msnembarrased]

Ok week. Stuck to SW again(Ithink!!!)Will wait till next week to get weighed but hoping to be just about at my target! <span style="color:red">Julieanne-I'm trying to firm up my stomach at the moment, it's hard to find exercises which feel as if they work. The best for me right now seem to be weighted sit ups on the fitball [msneek]</span id="red">

Still keeping up with (very) early morning powerwalks and cross trainer sessions before the family are up and about, and before I go to work.

Mizzy-glad you're feeling better this morning.
Liesa-let us know how you get on with your new piece of equipment!

Carole
[/quote]

Carole

I just can't seem to get away with the fitball - I just do lots and lots of sit ups both with and without an ab-cradle.
It's not working yet though [msnsad] [msnscared]

Carole and Julie my tummy is my problem area too[msnsad] Found this its very interesting...

Abdominal training is very misunderstood. Many people place a lot of emphasis on abs without understanding how the abs function or why they are even training in a certain way. Let’s explore the correct way to train abs for the results that you want!

Having visibly appealing abs - the so-called “six-pack” - has almost nothing to do with training abs! The key to seeing your abs is low body fat. Someone with very muscular abs who has high body fat will not see any definition, and someone who has not trained their abs at all with low body fat will see plenty of definition. In order to see abs, most men have to reach at least 10% body fat or lower, while women must reach 14% or lower.



The abdominal muscle is a large slab of muscle. The shape of the six-pack is due to tendons that stretch across the muscle. You cannot change a tendon’s size, position, or shape through training, so the shape of your six-pack will not change.
Protruding Abdominals?


Abdominal muscles bulge in their relaxed state. The abdominal wall is pulled flat when it contracts. If you improperly train abs, either by training to add significant mass and/or by neglecting other supporting muscles, your abs will protrude. You can see this in certain sports, such as professional wrestling - certain athletes is so lean that you can see their six-pack, but their stomach protrudes as if they have a beer gut! While it is possible to store fat internally (i.e. “beer gut”) and still have little fat underneath the skin, this condition is more than likely due to overtraining the abdominal wall while neglecting supporting muscles.
Ab Muscle: The Pelvic Girdle


The pelvic girdle is a group of internal muscles that support your internal organs. When you perform abdominal work, your internal organs can shift and change your center of gravity. This is most evident when someone is performing hanging leg or knee raises and begins swinging.

By engaging the pelvic girdle during abdominal training, you not only strengthen your center of balance, but force more tension on the abdominal wall.

The pelvic girdle is tightened by clenching your insides - squeezing your rectum or performing the same action as cutting off the flow of urine. This exercise is known as the Kegel, and men as well as women can perform these. By performing a Kegel during abdominal work, you ensure not only that the pelvic girdle is strengthened at the same time, but also that you are building a strong core or center of balance.

A proper hanging knee raise or leg raise will result in no swinging whatsoever - the torso will remain still and movement will be only around the pelvic area and through the legs.

Ab Muscle: Transversus

The transversus is another internal muscle that serves to pull the abdominal wall back. The transversus is contracted when you suck in your gut or try to pull your belly through your lower back.

If you work your abdominal wall without working your transversus, the abdominal wall may increase in mass and begin to bulge or protrude. By keeping your stomach pulled in and tight during abdominal training, you strengthen the transversus at the same time.

You can also perform an exercise known as the “vacuum” frequently to further strengthen the transversus - vacuums (where you simply pull in your gut and keep it pulled in while breathing slowly) can be performed while driving or even standing in line at the supermarket.

Ab Muscle: Obliques


The obliques are muscles that run diagonally across the abdominal wall and are attached to bone at your sides. Increasing the size of your obliques can increase the width of your waist, but not necessarily the circumference.

These are “muscular love handles.” Some people avoid training obliques for that reason. There are many sports-specific applications for working the obliques - contact sports such as football require the ability to maintain balance while twisting, and strong obliques are critical for t

[julieanne]

[:O] [msneek] [msnoo]

Julie - all I want is a flat tummy [msnwink] [msnwink]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by julieanne
[:O] [msneek] [msnoo]

Julie - all I want is a flat tummy [msnwink] [msnwink]
[/quote]

I know sorry its a bit long winded[msnembarrased] but interesting though, and the holding the tummy whilst sitting really works[clap]

[Macka]

I'm hoovering as we speak.[msneek]

[LiesaAnna]

am sorry your not an awful ot better yet Fiona[grouphug] think it calls for flowers!!


Theresa send us some heat please, have heard we're in for a cold snap this weekend!!

nice to see you again Carole, have got my large piece of equipment in the sitting room!looks interesting, will have a read of the instruction booklet first!! but am looking forward to trying it!! will post a piccie when sorted!!
and poor old Julieanne burning your lip on your porridge, i sipped some hot chocolate the other day and burnt my tongue!! arent we silly![msnwink][msnwink][msnwink][msnwink][msnscared]

oh and by the way, anyone interested i have an appointment through already for physio next wednesday afternoon at 3pm

[Aiminghigh]

Good luck with physio, Liesa!Looking forward to piccie of new piece of equipment!

Julie-that piece on abdominals was really interesting. The first (and only)time I really had what you could call good "definition" was last year. I put it down to my overzealous abs exercises, but having read that piece, I really think now it was because I had just lost so much weight.(I put most of it back on though, as it probably was an unnaturally low weight for me). It's making me think now that unless I lose more weight, I'll never get that same definition, whereas I've been thinking that it would come with the right exercises. Food for thought certainly.(only Free Food though [msnsmile2])

Carole