5 Day Killer Ab Workout

We all know that abs are made in the kitchen. However, there are specific moves that you can do to make those muscles defined and give it a little “pop.” Whether you are going on a summer cruise or just headed to your neighbor’s pool party, here is a 5 day total ab workout plan to get your abs to where they need to be! Be prepared to sweat a little!

Monday

1. 20 Reverse Crunches
2. 30 Russian Twists
3. 40 Second Side Plank
4. 30 Mountain Climbers
5. 20 Scissors

Tuesday

1. 20 V-Ups
2. 30 Mountain Climbers
3. 40 Side Jackknives
4. 30 Burpees
5. 20 Second Side Plank

Wednesday

1. 20 Second Plank
2. 30 Scissors
3. 40 Reverse Crunches
4. 30 Sit Ups
5. 20 Bicycle Crunches

Thursday

1. 20 Bicycle Crunches
2. 30 Side Jackknives
3. 40 Burpees
4. 30 Second Side Plank
5. 20 Scissors

Friday

1. 20 V-Ups
2. 30 Russian Twists
3. 40 Reverse Crunches
4. 30 Sit Ups
5. 20 Side Jackknives

Demos

Reverse Crunch:

1. Lie on the floor and place hands on the floor or behind the head.
2. Bring the knees in towards the chest until they’re bent to 90 degrees, with feet together or crossed.
3. Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling.
4. Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.
5. It’s a very small movement, so try to use your abs to lift your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum.

V-Ups:

1. Lie on a flat surface with your lower back curvature pressed against the surface. Hold on to a fixed and sturdy object behind you (such as one of the beams from a squat rack) or you can just have your arms by your side with the palms facing the floor. Your feet should be straight in front of you and the upper torso should be aligned with the arms behind you holding on to the fixed object.
2. Raise your legs to where they are off the floor. This will be your starting position.
3. Raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second or so.
4. Go back slowly to the starting position as you breathe in.

Russian Twists:

1. Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your heels about a foot from your butt.
2. Lean slightly back without rounding your spine at all. It is really important, and difficult, to keep your back straight, but don’t let it curve.
3. Place your arms straight out in front of you with your hands one on top of the other. Your hands should be level with the bottom of your ribcage.
4. Pull your navel to your spine and twist slowly to the left. The movement is not large and comes from the ribs rotating, not from your arms swinging. Inhale through center and rotate to the right. This completes one rep.

Sit Ups:

1. Lie down on the floor placing your feet either under something that will not move or by having a partner hold them. Your legs should be bent at the knees.
2. Place your hands behind your head and lock them together by clasping your fingers. This is the starting position.
3. Elevate your upper body so that it creates an imaginary V-shape with your thighs. Breathe out when performing this part of the exercise.
4. Once you feel the contraction for a second, lower your upper body back down to the starting position while inhaling.

Side Jackknife:

1. Lie on your left side on an exercise mat with your legs extended straight downward and the right leg on top of the left. Place your left hand on your abdominals. Place your right hand behind your head. This is your starting position.
2. Raise your right let straight in the air while simultaneously raising your torso, bringing your right elbow toward your right leg.
3.  Hold for a moment and then return to the starting position.
4. Repeat for a complete set and then switch sides.

Mountain Climbers:

1. Start the exercise by lying face down on the floor.
2. Straighten out your arms and then touch your knees down to the ground or floor.
3. Now you are ready to lift yourself up into position. When doing this, be sure that your hands are directly under your chest at a width that is slightly more than your shoulder length distance.
4. Once you have settled into position and checked the position of your hands you should be sure to keep your legs stretched out, ensuring that they are properly lined up with the rest of your body. Pay special attention to your knees as many people tend to create a gap here but that should be avoided. If the recommended position is uncomfortable for you, it is alright to modify it slightly as long as you maintain the correct posture.
5. Now you should stretch out your left leg for stability. Bend your right knee and bring it up in the direction of your right hand. At this point, you should be in a similar position to the one you would be in if you were climbing a mountain or tree (hence the name) except horizontal instead of vertical.
6. After bringing your right knee up, return it to the original position and do the previous step with your left leg. (Once again, bend the left knee and bring it up towards the left hand mimicking the actions of a mountain climber)

Scissors:

1. Lie flat on your back. You can extend your arms so they’re against the sides of your body with your palms pressing into the floor, or you can bend your elbows and place your palms under the back of your head.
2. Bend your knees and draw them into your ribs. This will make it easier to pull your navel in towards your spine and actively press your lower back flat on the ground.
3. Lift both legs straight up toward the ceiling, continuing to engage your abs and press your lower back into the ground.
4. Keeping your core strong, slowly lower your right leg down toward the ground, until it is a few inches above. Then scissor your legs, so you lift your right leg back up as you lower your left leg down towards the ground.
5. Keep the movements slow and steady, moving with control, and keeping your core engaged the entire time, and your lower back pressing into the floor.

Side Plank:

1. Lie on your left side with your knees straight.
2. Prop your upper body up on your left elbow and forearm. Position your elbow under your shoulder.
3. Brace your core by contracting your abs forcefully as if you were about to be punched in the gut.
4. Raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. Your head should stay in line with your body.
5. Hold this position for the prescribed amount of time while breathing deeply. That’s one set.
6. Turn around so that you’re lying on your right side and repeat.

Plank:

1. Start off on a yoga mat in the pushup position. Starting with the pushup position is the easiest way to get into the plank.
2. Lower both your forearms to the ground so that both your elbows and fists are flat to the ground. Your palms should be balled up, and directly underneath your shoulders.
3. Curl your toes under and engage your abs by tilting your pelvis and pulling your belly button toward your spine.
4. Straighten your body but keep your neck and spine neutral. Imagine that you’re a plank of wood, and that you’re straight as an arrow.
5. Flex your abdominals and squeeze your glutes. These are the two major muscle groups you’ll be working out in this exercise.
6. Hold this position, also known as the plank, until after the burning begins. Keep your eyes on the floor in front of you. Avoid raising your behind. Your body should make a straight line from your heels to the back of your head.

Bicycle Crunches:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground and contract your core muscles.
2. With your hands gently holding your head, lift your knees to about a 45-degree angle.
3. Slowly, at first, go through a bicycle pedal motion.
4. Alternately touching your elbows to the opposite knees as you twist back and forth.

Burpees:

1. Begin in a standing position. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart. Now, lower your body into a squatting position, placing your hands on the floor in front of you.
2. Kick your feet back so that you are in push-up position. Keep your hands firmly on the ground to support your body.
3. Lower your chest to do a push-up. Bring your chest back up.
4. Kick your feet back to their original position. Stand up, and then jump into the air while clapping your arms overhead.

12 Ways To Make Your Belly Flatter By The End Of The Day

Slimming down takes time and dedication, but with a few quick tricks you can look like you have lost weight in just a few hours.

Read on to find out how you can make your belly flatter by the end of the day!

1. Drink hot water and lemon

This drink is fantastic for revving up your metabolism and digestive system first thing in the morning, and can even help with inflammation!

Lemon juice is also great for giving you an energy boost, so try swapping your morning coffee with hot water and lemon and, not only will you be feeling much healthier, but you won’t experience the caffeine crash.

2. Try a day going gluten-free or dairy-free

Many people suffer from food intolerances without even realising. A great way to test if you are intolerant to any foods is to remove them from your diet and monitor your symptoms; this should ideally be for a few weeks (if not more), but starting by cutting them out for one day could help to reduce your risk of bloating or discomfort later that evening.

3. Replace your usual snack with pineapple

Bromelain, the enzyme in pineapple, is thought to assist in digestion by breaking down proteins in the stomach, according to the American Cancer Society. This helps to banish bloating.

Papaya is also a great fruit for reducing bloating, so snack on a bowl of tropical fruit when you get peckish.

4. Keep an eye on your sodium intake

Salt is often in far more foods than many people realise; processed foods typically contain a large amount of it. This is one of the main culprits for bloating.

If you want your belly to shrink by the end of the day, check the sodium levels on your food and don’t eat more than 6 grams of salt per day.

5. Eat slower

You may not think this matters, but when you eat food at a fast pace this can cause air to be trapped in your system, resulting in bloating.

To reduce this risk, chew your food slowly and take your time to finish your meals. This is also a great way to reduce the risk of overeating.

6. Stop chewing gum

Although gum is a great way to keep your breath minty fresh, it is also sadly a great way for you to swallow even more air.

Many gums also contain sugar alcohol which is also a contributor to bloating, so cut gum out for the day and see if it reduces your inflammation.

7. Stay away from fizzy drinks

Fizzy drinks are a big cause of bloating as they can cause gas to get trapped in your body. To prevent this, stick to water for the day.

7. Drink more water

Picture credit: http://www.joyamartin.com/habit-4-hydrate-your-body/

I feel like I’m constantly telling people to drink more water, but that’s only because it really is essential, not just for weight loss, but for general bodily function.

Water can also help to reduce bloating though as it flushes out toxins, so increase your intake of water for the day and watch that puffy stomach shrink.

8. Eat more fibre

Increasing your intake of fibre could help to banish bloating as fibre reduces inflammation because it helps your digestive system to run smoothly. If your digestive system is functioning to its full potential then you are less likely to experience bloating or constipation

Remember to avoid certain fibre-rich foods such as beans and cruciferous vegetables though as these could actually make your bloating worse!

9. Keep an eye on your portion sizes

If you regularly suffer from bloating after a meal then it could be that your portion sizes are too large. Try decreasing the size of your meals slightly and see if it helps with your bloating.

10. Avoid alcohol

Alcohol causes digestive issues and is often full of sugar, so can result in bloating (and the awful sluggish feeling that comes with it). If you want your stomach to be flatter by the end of the day then stay away from alcohol for today.

11. Drink peppermint tea

Peppermint tea aids digestion by helping food pass through the stomach quickly. It also reduces the chance of experiencing the build-up of stomach gas.

Drink a cup of peppermint tea (often referred to as the “stomach healer”) to not only get a flatter belly by the end of today, but also to aid relaxation.

12. Skip dessert

If you are following a clean eating lifestyle then there’s a high chance that you already skip dessert because they are often full of sugar or artificial sweeteners; both of which are known to cause bloating.

If you want a flatter stomach by the end of the day then forgo the sugary treats and swap them for some fresh fruit (perhaps some pineapple, as mentioned earlier).

5 Signs You're In a Toxic Relationship

SHUTTERSTOCK

Most of us can admit to remaining in a toxic relationship well beyond its expiration date. Unfortunately, we often stay in them for many reasons, until we’re eventually able to see the relationship for what it really is—and more importantly, for what it’s not. Look out for these telltale signs that your in an unhealthy relationship:

1. You feel like you can't do anything right. The other person constantly puts you down as not good enough. They mock your personality, and you feel ashamed most of the time. You only feel pardoned when you take on the traits of the person doing the condemning or judging. Belittling makes you feel less than and takes away your power and inner strength.

2. Everything is about your partner—and never about you. Of course you have feelings, too, but your partner won't hear them. You're unable to have a two-sided conversation where your opinion is heard, considered, and respected. Instead of acknowledging your feelings, they battle with you until they get the last word. Toxic partners seldom, if ever, ask about you, and your conversations are one-sided. If you do share, it’s momentary and your partner finds a way to quickly return the conversation back to themselves.

3. You find yourself unable to enjoy good moments with this person. Every day brings another challenge. It seems as though your partner is always raising issues. Their attempt to control your behavior is an attempt to control your happiness. Furthermore, they focus on the negative to keep you in the same state that they are: unhappy and miserable—though they probably won’t admit it.

4. You're uncomfortable being yourself around your partner. You don't feel free to speak your mind. You feel like you have to put on a different face just to be accepted by that person. You realize you don't even recognize yourself anymore, and neither do your closest friends and family.

5. You feel like you’re not allowed to grow and change. Whenever you aim to grow and improve yourself, the other person responds with mockery and disbelief. There is no encouragement or support for your efforts. Instead, they insist that you will never be any different than you are now.

5 Health Benefits Of Child’s Pose

Ahh Child’s pose. If you are anything like me, you dream about the moment when your yoga instructor tells you to find your way to this tasty pose at the end of a long, sweaty flow. There is something so nourishing and nurturing about this pose, especially when it is placed between long standing sequences.

Childs pose is a true resting pose, and one that you can hold for long periods of time without the need for props. I personally feel that Child’s pose is often overlooked and neglected, so lets spend some time shining a light on all that is wonderful about this glorious pose.

1. It Is Super Calming For The Mind

Placing your head (namely your ‘third eye’ or spot just between your eyebrows) down on the mat has an instant calming and soothing effect on the brain. The inward fold of the body, with the eyes looking back towards you sends a signal to your brain that you are safe, and that it is OK to rest. This pose is amazing if you are finding yourself in a place where you have many thoughts swirling around in your head.

2. It Is Great For Your Digestion

Doing Child’s pose with your knees closer together, so that your belly is resting on your thighs is a great way to massage the internal organs which may help move your digestion along. Taking long, slow deep inhales and exhales in your Child’s pose will push your abdomen into your legs, and then draw it back up again.

Doing this repeatedly is literally going to manually massage your intestinal tract. This is especially helpful if you have gas! Yes, I said it. It happens to all of us and that is OK. This pose will help you move things through.

3. It Elongates The Lower Back

If you are sitting at a desk all day, standing for long periods of time or otherwise alive in the world, chances are you have some compression going on in your lower back. This is because it is so easy to ‘dump’ your weight down there if you are not consciously pulling up and engaging your lower abdominals all day long (which you may be doing, and if you are, good for you!) By folding over your legs you immediately reverse the splaying of the tailbone that can cause lower back pain and open this area of the body.

4. It Opens Up The Hips

Like you lower back, your hips may be taking a beating in your day to day life. Sitting in a chair for long periods of time can actually tighten all of the muscles in and around your hips. By taking your knees wide apart in your child’s pose so that your belly can relax in between them, you will be getting a nice stretch and opening through the hips. This is going to help reduce any hip pain you may be having, as well as help to improve or maintain the health of your hips throughout your life.

5. It Reminds You That Resting Is A Good Thing

If you are one who loves to push yourself in your practice, you may be tempted to skip resting postures in classes, or to avoid doing them in your own practice. But remember that in yoga we are striving to cultivate a sense of balance. It is not all about being at 100% effort all the time. Taking time to rest in your practice may actually help you to cultivate the ability to take time out in your every day life.

You may find that you are better able to stop and re-charge your batteries. I always find that it is amazing how much my life on the mat mirrors my life off of the mat, and vice versa. If you are looking to cultivate a better relationship with resting in your life, I highly recommend Child’s pose and other resting postures on the mat.

Do you love child’s posture? Do you have other postures that you like to take as a rest? Let me know what you think!

7 Tips For Yoga Balance Poses

There are many yoga poses that help us improve our balance and equilibrium. Some balance poses we do on our feet, others on our hands, or our head. All of these balance poses contribute to us in many different ways, but they have some things in common.

Balance poses offer us both physical and mental benefits. Physically, we strengthen and elongate muscles, we get to know our center of gravity and how to align ourselves, we improve the function of equilibrium receptors in the body, and we learn the important yoga practice principle of knowing how to root down.

As for mental benefits, balance poses teach us how to keep our attention focused and disregard external stimulations, how to stay steady in one place for a while, and how to find inner center and equanimity — all these are important qualities both on and off our yoga mat. Here are my seven tips to help you do balance poses:

1. Start the pose from the base, broadening the surface of touch with the ground and rooting it down, may it be a hand, a foot or the head.
2. Keep your gaze gently fixed on one point not too far ahead.
3. Move into and in your balance yoga poses slowly and consciously, abrupt movements can shake us out of balance.
4. When needed, use your hands to support a wall or a fellow yogi, or open them to the sides in order to gain stability.
5. Pay attention to the position and movement of the head because an important part of our equilibrium system is located in the inner ear.
6. Keeping your breath calm and steady can help a lot to stabilize mind and body.
7. Don’t be afraid to fall dawn! Adopt the attitude of a child playing, and learn to laugh if you fall out of your pose.

Balance poses can be hard and frustrating for some, especially in the beginning. But the good news is that consistent practice makes it a lot better. Then one day, you will just suddenly find yourself doing it with a big smile on your face even if you fall.