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 Fat Cells The average American has about 30 billion fat cells, each of them filled with greasy substances called lipids. When you pile on the pounds, those fat cells can expand. But a fat cell can only get so big; once it reaches its physical limit, it creates more fat cells. The problem is that once you have a fat cell, you're stuck with it. As you grow fatter, you're not only doubling the number of fat cells in your body, you're also doubling the difficulty you'll have in losing the lipids inside them. Why Belly Fat is Bad Many of us tend to store fat in our bellies, and that's where the health dangers of excess weight begin. Abdominal fat doesn't just sit there and do nothing; it's active. It functions like a separate organ, releasing substances that can be harmful to your body. For instance, it releases free fatty acids that impair your ability to break down the hormone insulin (too much insulin in your system can lead to diabetes). Fat also secretes substances that increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes, as well as the stress hormone cortisol (high levels of cortisol are also associated with diabetes and obesity as well as with high blood pressure). Abdominal fat bears the blame for many health problems because it resides within striking distance of your heart, liver, and other organs - pressing on them, feeding them poisons, and messing with their daily function. Belly Fat Raises Your Health Risks A lean waistline also heads off another of our most pressing health problems - diabetes. Currently, 13 million Americans have been diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes, and many more go undiagnosed. Fat, especially belly fat, bears the blame. There's a misconception that diabetes comes only from eating too much refined sugar, like the kind in chocolate and ice cream. People can contract diabetes after years of eating high-carbohydrate foods that are easily converted into sugar foods, like white bread, pasta, and mashed potatoes. Eating a basket of bread and a bowl of pasta can have the same effect on your body as eating a carton of ice cream; it floods your body with sugar calories. The calories you can't burn are what converts into fat cells that pad your gut and leaves you with a disease that, if untreated, can lead to impotence, blindness, heart attacks, strokes, amputation, and death. To sum it up, strong abs will lead to fewer health risks! Strong Abdominal Muscles Will Strengthen Your Back Since most back pain is related to weak muscles in your trunk, maintaining strong abdominal muscles can help resolve many back issues. The muscles that crisscross your midsection don't function in isolation; they weave through your torso like a spider web, even attaching to your spine. When your abdominal muscles are weak, the muscles in your butt (your glutes) and along the backs of your legs (your hamstrings) have to compensate for the work your abs should be doing. The effect is that it destabilizes the spine and eventually leads to back pain and strain - or even more serious back problems. Abs Will Limit Your Aches and Pains As you age, it's common to experience some joint pain - most likely in your knees, but maybe around your feet and ankles, too. But the source of that pain might not be weak joints; it might be weak abs - especially if you're any kind of athlete. When you're playing sports, your abdominal muscles help stabilize your body during start-and-stop movements, like changing direction on the football field or tennis court. If you have weak abdominal muscles, your joints absorb all the force from those movements. If your abs are strong enough to absorb some shock, you'll function well. If they're not, the force puts far more pressure on your joints than they were built to withstand. Unlike any other muscles in your body, a strong core affects the functioning of the entire body. Whether you ski, sail, wrestle with the kids, or fool around with a partner, your abs are the most essential muscles for keeping you from injury. The stronger they are, the stronger - and safer - you are. Abdominal Exercises Abs is the nickname that refers to the muscles of the abdominal wall. Anatomically, your trunk (the midsection below your ribs) is made up of five sets of muscle groups; four of them are in the front (abs) and the other is in the back. The five muscle groups work together, allowing us to flex forward, extend backward, twist a little, and flex to one side and the other. The specific muscles and the motions they produce are: RECTUS IN THE MIDDLE FRONT - bending forward at the waist and bending over to one side or the other. EXTERNAL OBLIQUE - bending over to one side or the other. INTERNAL OBLIQUE - bending over to one side or the other. TRANSVERSUS - squeezing the ribs down toward the waist. ERECTOR SPINAE - extending backward at the waist. Strong, toned abdominals first start with a good diet, adequate cardio, strength training, and a good abdominal routine like the one that follows.  Instructions: Start with the following: Do exercises on carpet or a padded mat. Wear athletic shoes; any type will do as long as the shoes stabilize your feet for the last two abdominal exercises in the series. Have water and a towel available. Before you work out, warm up first with 5-10 minutes of aerobic exercise. You can jog, march in place, rebound, jump rope, or do whatever you prefer. Your goal is to get your heart pumping and break a sweat. For Exercises 1-6: Do each exercise 15-20 times; rest for one minute between exercises. Boost to 25-30 reps (meaning a repetition of a specified movement or exercise) as you get stronger. Exercise three times a week, with at least a day between workouts. For Exercises 7-8: Follow instructions. After your abdominal workout, please do the three Cool Down Stretches that follow the Plank Exercise. 1. BICYCLE Muscles Exercised:Abdominals Starting Position: Lie on your back with your hands under your butt, palms down. Pull your right leg toward your chest so your thigh is perpendicular to the floor. Hold your left leg straight out with your heel off the floor. Middle Position: Bring your left knee towards you while pushing your left leg out. The Finish: Reverse the motion. Muscles Exercised: Abdominals Starting Position: Lie on your back with your knees bent. Fold your arms across your chest. You can do this with your fingers touching lightly behind your ears - but don't pull on your neck. Middle Position: Slowly curl your torso toward your knees, bringing your shoulders 4-6 inches off the floor. Hold for a few seconds. Don't sit up fully. Your lower back stays pressed to the mat. The Finish: Slowly lower yourself to the starting position. Use controlled motion; don't just drop to the floor. Muscles Exercised: Abdominals Starting Position: Lie on the floor on your back with your arms at your sides. Place your hands palms down under your butt, and press the small of your back firmly against the floor. Keep your knees slightly bent and the backs of your heels just resting on the floor. Raise your head and shoulder blades off the floor. Middle Position: Slowly draw your knees up to your chest, bending your legs as you go. The Finish: Hold for two seconds and lower your legs to the starting position. Keep your elbows out. Note: Keep that back against the floor. Head and shoulders stay off the floor. Muscles Exercised: Abdominals Starting Position: Lie on the floor on your back with your knees bent. Bring the soles of your feet together, so that your knees angle out. Middle Position: Slowly raise your head and shoulders in a forward-curling motion off the floor - fingers touching lightly behind your ears. Don't pull on your neck. The Finish: Hold for two seconds and lower yourself back to the starting position.
 5. TWIST CRUNCH Muscles Exercised: Oblique abdominals Starting Position: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Touch your fingers to your head lightly behind your ears. Middle Position: Slowly curl your left shoulder toward your right knee until your left shoulder blade just comes off the floor. Hold for a few seconds and concentrate on squeezing your abs tightly. The Finish: Return slowly to starting position, and then repeat by bringing right shoulder to left knee. Use slow, controlled movements. Don’t bounce or jerk. Don’t pull on your head or neck. 6. BENT LEG KNEE RAISE Muscles Exercised: Lower Abdominals Starting Position: Lie on your back with your head and neck relaxed and your hands on the floor near your butt. Your feet should be flat on the floor. Middle Position: Use your lower abdominal muscles to raise your knees up towards your ribcage. The Finish: Slowly lower your feet back to the starting position. As your feet lightly touch the floor, repeat. 7. SIDE PLANK Muscles Exercised: Oblique Abdominals Starting Position:Lie on your right side with your body in a straight line. Fold your arms across your chest. Middle Position: Bring your left elbow toward your hip, at the same time as you lift your legs off the floor. (Keep your legs together.) The range of motion is short, but this is an intense exercise for your obliques. 8 reps each side = 1 set. (Work up to 2 sets of 8.) The Finish: Roll over to the left side and repeat. 8. THE PLANK Muscles Exercised: Abdominals Starting Position: Lie face down on the ground. Prop your upper body on your forearms, and your lower body on your toes. Middle Position: Looking down so that your spine is aligned, slowly elevate your body so that just your forearms and toes support you (it almost looks like you’re doing a push-up). Keep your abs contracted (imagine you’re trying to move your belly button back to your sine). Hold your body in a straight line. Try to hold for 20 seconds, breathing steadily. The Finish: As soon as you start to sag in the middle, slowly lower yourself to the ground. Use a controlled motion – don’t just drop to the floor. Repeat. 20 seconds = 1 set. Do 4 sets. (Work up to 4 sets of 60 seconds.) COOL DOWN STRETCHES The Correct Way to Stretch Remember to breathe deeply, to move into each stretch slowly, and never to force yourself beyond what seems comfortable. Avoid bounding during a stretch, which shortens the muscles. Instead, find a comfortable position and then breathe into it as you hold the stretch – almost as if your body is working on its own. Exercise 1: FLOOR ELONGATION STRETCH
Tip: Completing this elongation stretch at lease four times will reduce tension and tightness in your spine. It will stretch the spine and your abdominal muscles, as well as your shoulders, arms, ankles, and feet. Exercise 2: ALTERNATE KNEE TO CHEST STRETCH
Tip: This stretch will stretch your back and hamstrings. Exercise 3: LOWER BACK STRETCH, FLOOR VERSION
Tip: This stretch is for your back and your gluteal muscles. Joanie Greggains is one of America’s favorite health and exercise personalities. Her long-running TV exercise Show, “Morning Stretch”, and her popular #1 talk-radio show, “The Joanie Greggains Show” averaging 250,000 listeners each Saturday on KGO Radio 810 AM in San Francisco, Calif., have made her a familiar, popular and respected authority in the health and fitness field. Joanie has written three books: “Total Body Shape Up”, “Fit Happens” and the “Fat Flush Fitness Plan”. She has produced choreographed and starred in 15 exercise videos, earning her numerous awards. Send your questions to Joanie@smartnow.com.
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