holding in your stomach

bolliwoodi

i have been on a diet and exercise regime for a while now and so far ive lost 17 pounds

i am however getting more and more aware that my stomach isint getting smaller and its a bit annoying- i do all the crunches and stomach exercises the trainer in the gym told me about

ive heard that holding in your stomach while exercising is great for ur stomach and also holding it in while your at the computer or in the car is great too

sounds like rubbish so said id ask the experts here

hunnymonster

I used to drink silly amounts of diet fizzy drinks. As I've cut them out my tummy has gotten alot smaller (say 6 months to just showing pregnant).

That aside, my physiotherapist had me holding my tummy in as my lower abdom muscles were very weak. The thing for me was to concentrate on the lower section of my tummy not a general "suck it all in". So I had to pull my pelvis in and then imagine myself stopping peeing. I think it has made a big difference.

Boru.

bolliwoodi wrote:

ive heard that holding in your stomach while exercising is great for ur stomach and also holding it in while your at the computer or in the car is great too

sounds like rubbish so said id ask the experts here

It's not rubbish, it works a muscel talled the Transverse Abdominus which naturally pulls the abdominal wall into the stomach. Heck I even wrote a book just on these techniuqes. It's called Secrets of Seven Second Abs, and you cna pick up a copy here - http://www.isometric-training.com/seven_second_abs.html
it explaines each muscle and how it works and the exercies you need to effectively work them in as little as 7 Seconds plus loads more, I even have video demo's showing you step by step how to do each of them. Check it out.

HammerHeadGym

You might also try getting a swiss ball to sit at while at the computer. This will do wonders for your stomach and lower back. Any odd looks can soon be quelled by saying it flattens the stomach. Soon everyone will have one.

Dublin14

HammerHeadGym wrote:

You might also try getting a swiss ball to sit at while at the computer. This will do wonders for your stomach and lower back. Any odd looks can soon be quelled by saying it flattens the stomach. Soon everyone will have one.

Can you recommend any specific exercises????

Dublin14

I'll hopefully have the Garda fitness coming up over the summer and part of it is a "push/pull machine". As far as I know the weight is computer generated and i'll have to push/pull 25kg for a total of 20 seconds...I'd appreciate any advice on what equipment I can use in the gym to prepare for this...??

Boru.

I have a free ebook on bodyball techniques on my website, with full animated exercises including sections for working on your abs. You can download it here -

http://www.isometric-training.com/free-ebook.html
Username: subscribers001 Password: 874718726

All the best,

Dudess

bolliwoodi wrote:

i have been on a diet and exercise regime for a while now and so far ive lost 17 pounds

Well done, that's superb. But how long exactly?

i am however getting more and more aware that my stomach isint getting smaller and its a bit annoying

If it's your worst part, then it's gonna be the last to go. I'm in the same boat as you. However, I've noticed it beginning to decrease. It's not "flattening", rather it's going "in" at the sides. But the weight loss in areas that don't need it as much is far more noticeable (e.g. my neck - yikes, don't want it going down the Teri Hatcher road!) Makes sense though. Where there's less fat to lose, it's bound to be the case. Being female can hamper getting a toned stomach - water retention, bloating etc. Especially at period time. Maybe get yourself checked out for food intolerances/allergies that cause bloating. I'm certainly prone to bloating from wheat, so I avoid white bread and beer. Cider makes me feel pregnant - apparently apple cider contains allergens. So that's a no-no too. Caffeine and salt are also villains in the bloating/water retention department. Try to avoid. Even making these dietary changes has caused my stomach to feel that bit flatter. I'm considering going for a colonic too. Ahem, "matter", which hasn't been expelled, also - unsurprisingly - bloats the stomach (oh, the sexiness...)
A cup of hot water with some lemon juice is good for reducing bloating too.

i do all the crunches and stomach exercises the trainer in the gym told me about:)

It would be lovely if you could, but you can't spot reduce fat. Fat is burned all over. You can tone up specific areas but if there's a good bit of fat in these areas, it needs to be gotten rid of first.

And most importantly, keep up the good work! You're doing fabulously!