"Fitness" is an elusive term
covering a vast array of attributes:
flexibility, cardiovascular
endurance, muscular endurance,
strength, power, balance,
coordination, body-fat percentage
and more. While its generally
accepted that multiple 30-60
minute sessions per week are
optimal for producing results,
the truth is that it's possible
to do a great amount in far
less time.
EVERYONE has five minutes
a day...the only question
is, can anything really useful
be done in just 300 seconds?
The answer is a resounding
"yes", but we need choose
our exercises carefully. If
there is such a limited amount
of time, the best choice is
to pick the most important
muscle group. Chest? Back?
Shoulders? Legs? All wrong.
The abdominals are the most
important muscles in the body.
In no particular order, they:
1) Protect the low back.
2) Are vital to sports performance,
transferring power from the
lower to upper body.
3) Aid digestion, and massage
the internal organs.
4) Are important for proper,
healthy sexual function.
5) Are "the window of health"--we
judge fitness and health more
rapidly with a glimpse at
the waistline than any other
single indication.
6) Are vital for posture,
which increases physical energy
and mood.
7) Are the linchpin of your
entire fitness program. You've
never seen someone with toned
abdominal muscles and flabby
arms and legs, have you? The
reverse is not true.
8) Are the most important
muscle group for physical
attractiveness in men or women.
No matter the wonderful definition
of arms or legs, if your gut
is sagging, you have a problem!
There are other reasons, but
one of the best is the fact
that of all body parts, the
abs tend to be the least favorite
body part to work. They're
hard! That reason alone should
be enough to motivate you:
anything other people don't
like working is a golden opportunity
for you!
But how can you do anything
useful in just five minutes?
One daily approach is to perform
five minutes of the toughest
ab exercises you can find,
and a fantastic tool for this
is a "Roller Wheel" available
for five dollars at any sporting
goods store. Not the fancy
ones, just the simple get-on-your-knees
variety. Try this: perform
one rep, and take a breath.
Then do two reps, and take
two breaths. Then three, and
take three breaths...and so
on until you can't go any
higher. Then, drop back to
one rep, and start climbing
again. When that gets easy,
take one breath for every
two reps.
An even better method is to
break up your exercise into
multiple daily sessions. The
roller wheel is useful here
as well, but you might want
to investigate some of the
powerful "Vacuum" exercises
from yoga, or the dynamic-tension
style "stomach flattening"
exercises. In these, you exhale
all air, and flex the abdominal
muscles for several seconds.
Believe me, if you do these
properly, even without aerobic
exercise your waistline will
decrease!
While there is no serious
disagreement that longer sessions
produce better, and more balanced
results, the busiest man or
woman on earth can find five
minutes a day...and sometimes,
that toehold is what it takes
to get you started on a new,
healthier lifestyle.
About the author:
Steven Barnes CST is a NY
Times bestselling author,
dual black belt, yogi and
Circular Strength Training
instructor. He created the
Five Minute Miracle exercise
program. Learn more at www.lifewrite.com
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