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Melting the Miff-Worthy Muffin Top
by Jules Rosenthal

As women we tend to fiercely and frustratingly hold on to belly fat. The dirty truth is that you are only going to banish that belly fat by changing two things: diet and exercise. There is a myth that 1,000 sit ups a day or 7 minutes of planks a day will help get you the fab abs you dream of. But PLEASE don’t get frustrated when these things don’t work. Surely you are getting a stronger core but nothing will change to the naked eye (and the naked abs) unless you tighten up the diet; lose the refined carbs, focus on high fiber and low sugar foods to beat the bloat and to tone the tummy down. Hydrate. Do not eat processed foods. Avoid refined sugars. Avoid, pasta, rice, sugar and white flour. I am constantly saying to my clients, “you cannot out-train a bad diet”. Your body reflects the hard work you put in as well as the fuel you use. To melt the muffin top means eating smart and training smart. Now that you have the diet, it is time to train smart.

I have been asked many time by many people to only focus on the core in my personalized workouts for them. My response is always the same. In order to focus on your core, I am going to give you a challenging full body workout each time we meet. Muscle burns fat three times faster than fat, so muscle building is the most effective way to burn all over fat (let me repeat, “ALL OVER FAT”. You cannot spot burn or spot train; we lose and gain proportionally head to toe so training head to toe is most important to burn and build efficiently). That said, it is important to train the core outside of balance exercises and full body exercises.

Here are a few of my favorite muffin-top targeting moves that are important to keep as part of your routine.

Plank: The plank is a perfect way to engage the deep transverse abdominal muscles. These are the deepest in the core and act as a girdle as they hold everything together (read; tighten). Be sure to keep the head straight and aligned wth the shoulders, hands directly under the shoulders, spine straight, hips square and as flat a position as you can.

Side plank: The side plank will also hit the TVA in addition to the obliques or also affectionately known as the love handles. The same principles apply here as the regular plank– you want to be as straight and aligned as possible.

Reverse crunch: This is really about control. The reverse crunch is a move that will target that mean muffin but also helps the upper abs as well. The key here is to go very slowly and remember that you don’t have a large range of motion, so focus on really pulling that navel in towards the spine. Lie down with legs fully extended and arms to the sides of your torso, palms on the floor.
Raise your legs (bent) so that thighs are perpendicular to the floor and feet become parallel to the floor. Pull the belly in towards the spine and push it into the floor as firmly as possible. Lower slowly.

Ball twist: This oblique trimmer and balance enhancer is a great way to whittle the waist. Holding a medicine ball or dumbbell in your hands, twist from side to side, keeping the back straight. it is important here to move from the torso, not from the shoulders. For an added challenge, lift the feet up off the ground.

Squat to press rotation: More and more research is showing that full body moves, not ab isolating ones, are partly responsible for the trimming the waist line. This one targets the legs and shoulders and really tightens that mid section. Start with weights in your hands and lower into a squat, leaning back into your heels, drawing the belly in and the pushing the bum out. As you raise your hips, pushing up from the heels, push the dumbbells over your head, turning your torso to the right side by using your midsection muscles to turn. This is a fluid movement. Lower the weights and repeat the movement, this time turning to your left.

Plank with a pull in: Here is an advanced version of your basic plank that will be sure to hit the right spot. Begin in a standard plank. From here, slowly pull the right knee in towards the right elbow touching the two if possible and holding for a full second. Then do the left side.

Try out these muffin top melters but remember: they are not magic! Without a sensible diet, full body strength work and cardio, that tricky tire is going to stick around so be sure to keep your routine (not your tummy) well rounded!

Jules Rosenthal played sports though wasn’t always an athlete until she found where were greatest strengths were: running, weight training and coaching. She also had a short career in the culinary arts before changing course and earning her MSW in 2005. Not too shortly thereafter, though, the lure of the fitness called again, and she returned to the health-world by getting her ACE certification in 2009. Jules resides in the Boston area — she is a No Excuse mother of two, licensed clinical social worker, avid runner/fitness freak and made her vision come true when she started her own personal training company, Ripped by Jules in 2013.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ripped
Youtube: http://m.youtube.com/channel/UCshFIZT67zIZUfGbOLSkmCw

Proper posture involves many muscles working in conjunction. The structural alignment from top to bottom should be ears over the shoulders, shoulders over the hips and the knees over the ankles, with the weight spread evenly across both feet, all toes and both heels. There are many postural deviations, that are actually quite common. They vary in severity and can lead to further problems in the body if left unresolved. Some common examples are:

1) Over-pronated feet (flat feet):Over-pronation adds stress to the foot, tightens calf muscles, and can internally rotate the knees. Over-pronation often leads to Plantar Fasciitis, Heel Spurs, Tendonitis and/or Bunions

2) Forward hip tilt or LORDOSIS or anterior pelvic tilt: overly arched lower back, caused by the pelvic bones tilting forward, due to tight hip flexors, often from sitting for most of the day. As you walk, tight hip flexors prevent the glutes from firing/activating, which forces the hamstring muscles to become overworked and excessively tight. If you have tight hamstrings, the root cause may be tight hip flexors and an anterior pelvic tilt.

3) Hunchback or KYPHOSIS: excessively curved upper back, shoulders rolled forward, tight chest muscles and weakened and loose upper back muscles. This is one of the most common issues because of our generally sedentary lifestyles, with desk jobs and sitting at computers much of the day.

4) Head jutted forward: Have someone take a photo of you in profile; your earlobes should be located directly above your shoulders. Sitting at a computer for hours at a time daily can be the cause of this as well. Muscles in the back of the neck become tight, along with the upper trapezius and levator scapulae (upper back muscles).

These 4 common posture problems are just scratching the surface of posture as a very important fitness topic. Another extremely important element when discussing posture is the deep core muscles, the transverse abdominals. These muscles are your body’s natural internal corset, which supports your structure and help to align your vertebrae. With proper core engagement (navel to spine and spine elevation), you can begin to alleviate back discomfort and to strengthen the other muscles that work in conjunction with the core for total body control. With good posture comes greater lung capacity, the appearance of confidence, height and even “lengthening” or thinning of the torso…you can “lose” a few pounds simply by standing straighter. Another wonderful benefit to maintaining good posture is proper exercise form, which make whatever exercises you are performing more effective and efficient. With a conscious effort and time, you can change the way you hold your own body.

With my own clients, I suggest setting a “posture alarm”, on your phone or computer or your oven timer…. something that can ping and give you a reminder to make postural adjustments and take a moment to focus on how you are sitting, standing, doing day to day activities. Making this conscious effort daily soon will create a habit and in time, poor posture will be uncomfortable, you will find yourself making unconscious adjustments without the reminder, and you will feel and see a change in how you carry yourself and how exercise affects you. So, now, take a moment to adjust…ears over shoulders, shoulders over hips, hips over heels. Spread your feet, feel all 10 toes and both heels on the floor. Pull your navel to your spine and send your energy upward, breathe into your ribcage, maintaining the navel to spine connection…then relax and feel the difference. I hope this helps you reach the next level of success in your journey to fitness.

Perfect Posture!

Vanessa Lynn Campos is mom to 2 boys, Kai and Rocky.  Her interest in fitness began at age 15, having been a dancer, cheerleader and soccer player.  She studied dance at Beijing Dance Academy in Beijing, China and the London Contemporary Dance School at The Place in England. Her professional opportunities also included working with internationally acclaimed dance photographer, Lois Greenfield, who featured Vanessa in her 2007, 2008, and 2013 calendars.  Her professional fitness career began in NYC in 2002.
For fitness videos, subscribe to her YOUTUBE.

There are 3 Things that are guaranteed to happen when you S.T.R.I.V.E. (the troubleshooting stage) for change, you will fail, you will be uncomfortable and you will plateau. In the book, The No More Excuses Diet, there are 3 cycles (S.P.E.E.D. – S.T.R.I.V.E. – S.C.O.R.E.)

Read on to get ready for this 12-week journey!

1. You will FAIL. So many people don’t start because they fear failing. Most often, that fear stems from years failing at fad, fast and highly-restrictive dieting. Some couldn’t resist not eating their favorite foods, others allowed stress get the better of them, many had a very unrealistic approach to dieting, etc. So let’s get this straight.

You WILL FAIL.

I have failed countless times in the last decade. You will have days when you skip a workout, when you splurged on a donut, when you didn’t eat enough, when you didn’t sleep enough – in fact, sometimes, that day turns into a week – and at this point, why not give up, right? You feel like a failure.

Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP. Re-write your short-term goals – make them more achievable – dedicate yourself to three days of successful follow-through and keep going. You can stop in 12 weeks (not fully of course, just rest and start striving for bigger goals again) so right now, keep trucking – even when you feel defeated – keep going! Even the most perfected of perfect people are not perfect (lol).

2. You will be UNCOMFORTABLE. In order to grow, you must be challenged, so focus on running a little harder, eating a little healthier and challenging yourself a little more every.single.day. What does this mean? It means you will need to be mentally conscious of what’s going on a daily basis because in order to change, you must create change and break some habits. Some of these old habits is running at an 12-min mile pace (or just walking fast), eating mostly processed ‘diet’ foods and not prioritizing rest and sleep.

Being uncomfortable also means being sore, struggling with naysayers and bringing your own meals to work lunch meetings. You are about to change your life and in order to do so you need to CHANGE!

3. You will PLATEAU. Our body is made to adjust and there will be a point when you will stop making progress. This can happen 6 weeks in, for those who are too extreme/restrictive in the beginning, it could even happen within 3 weeks in! Remember, it’s not a matter of IF you will plateau, it is WHEN. It’s not a bad thing, it’s a good thing, Remember That! However frustrating stalling in progress feels, know that you got there because you have made progress! So, what do you do?

Go Back to #2.

You need to get uncomfortable again. Run faster, lift heavier, change up your macros/calories, try a new exercise, extend your duration – whatever you do, just do something DIFFERENT. And, don’t expect your progress to change instantly. It will always take at least 3 weeks to notice change.

So let’s get this straight:

This journey will not be easy. You will fail, be uncomfortable and plateau – you WILL get frustrated, annoyed, angry, upset and discouraged…but DO NOT GIVE UP.

I repeat.

Do NOT give up.