How to SAFELY Acquire Six-Pack-Abs with “Yoga Crunches”

There is no shortage of advertised products such as “the six pack abs diet plan”, “the six pack abs workout”, or “six pack abs fast in 30 days”. The truth is that each of us, male or female, prefers to look good shirtless.  A flabby bulge around the waist can ruin our appearances even when wearing a shirt or a blouse.  You may argue that this concern is based purely on vanity.  Not so. It is true that excessive vanity is harmful, but rarely does anyone ever acknowledge that a moderate amount of vanity is actually beneficial to our health! In fact, often when we are displeased with our appearances, it’s just nature’s way of telling us that all is not well with our health. Deposits of belly fat are known to be unhealthful. Also, our front abdominal muscles, technically known as rectus abdominis, keep our internal organs safe, as well as aiding in digestion and in breathing.

Standard approaches may not be totally safe, especially in the long run

The standard remedy for “tummy bulge” is diet change and doing sets of “situps”. There are numerous variations of the latter, including so-called Pilates and fitness ball “crunches”.  Many of these are even marketed as “six pack abs workouts” or as a “shortcut to acquiring six pack abs”.  Be aware that a possible long term side effect of these activities can be inguinal hernia (common in men) and femoral hernia (more common in women). Upon receiving warning signs such as a pinching or a burning sensation in your groin, you should immediately follow the basic steps in preventing groinal injury and inguinal hernia.  Hernias often  require surgery with a recovery period resulting in inactivity for weeks or months. (God forbid!)

Safety suggestion-try “Yoga Crunches”!

Here’s a safer approach:  First, stand against a wall on your toes with your arms extended above the head. Begin by taking a deep breadth.  Slowly draw in your stomach muscles as you exhale. Hold for several seconds as long as you feel comfortable. Release and inhale. Next, with hands on hips slowly bend forward, repeating the same procedure as above with regard to breathing and holding your muscles in.  Do several sets. I enjoy doing this while watching the T.V. news; or, do them while standing naked in front of the mirror. Remember, moderate vanity is healthy.

If performed regularly, the results are amazing for such a simple set of exercises:  a dramatic increase in development of rectus abdominis ( six-pack abs), with greatly decreased risk of hernia, in my opinion. I call these simple, but effective abdominal exercises Yoga Crunches.

Note: The gentleman pictured above may also be genetically endowed, so that the results obtained may not be exactly the same for everyone. Nevertheless, you should notice personal improvement.    Dr. Garrett

Photo info: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bananaleaf/6231168190 creative commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/