Posts Tagged ‘Abdomen’

Top 5 Core Stability Exercises

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Core stability exercises improve torso strength as a whole. These exercises target many muscles in the torso including abdominal muscles, internal/external obliques, and muscles that run along the spine. Why do these muscles need to be improved?

Any good set of exercise routines include core strengthening exercises. The purpose of this is to improve your overall fitness level and help avoid injuries. Without strong core muscles to support your bones, you will be prone to back and neck pains even while doing normal daily activities.

One important thing to remember when performing core stability exercises is to make sure you activate all of your torso muscle groups evenly. The following is a list of five top exercises that will help you activate all of your torso muscles evenly.

1. Straight Crunch. This classic exercise move strengthens the “6-pack abs” part of the upper body.

2. Crossover Crunch. The crossover crunch helps strengthen the side and front abdomen by adding twist in the typical straight crunch.

3. Back Extension. The back extension exercise is performed lying on your stomach, and contracting the back muscles that run along your spine.

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Preventing Stretch Marks During Pregnancy

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

Stretch marks are said to be related to hormonal changes that happens during puberty, pregnancy, and muscle building. Stretch marks are the off-color scarring on the skin that is caused by the tearing of the dermis. This can disappear eventually but not fully. The possibility of developing stretch marks increases among pregnant women. In fact, 75 to 90 percent of women will develop stretch marks during their pregnancy. 

For pregnant women, stretch marks will appear on the abdomen, the upper thighs, the buttocks, breasts, and the arms. The enormity and amount of the stretch marks will depend on the pregnant women’s total weight gain, genetic history, and the effort that these women put into preventing the stretch marks. What should pregnant women do to prevent stretch marks?

Preventing Stretch Marks

If there is one thing that many pregnant women don’t want to have as a souvenir of their pregnancy, it would be stretch marks. Genetics play an important role in whether or not a woman is susceptible to developing stretch marks. So if your mother ever got stretch marks when she was pregnant, there is a big possibility that you would get them also. There are many means in which you can prevent stretch marks from developing. Even if you are inclined to having them, you could limit the possibility by just following some simple guidelines. Here’s what you should do:

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