No Crunches - No Flab

Did you know that traditional floor crunches only work 2 of the 12 muscles that make up your abdominal core? That's ridiculous. Why have we all waited so long to find this out? Got the saggy pooch? Well, those crunches aren't going to help you on your road to sexy, flat abs. Linda LaRue's Crunchless Abs workouts tap muscles you didn't even know you had - zipping in your body's own muscular girdle. Seriously. Floor crunches strain all kinds of muscles that have nothing to do with your abs. Whereas, the Crunchless Abs program calls on innovative exercises that target precisely the muscles you need to tone up, without wasting energy elsewhere.

Green Your Workout

Linda LaRue has got it going on. I stumbled upon this list of hers that details ways to get you all greened up. These Green Workout Tips are SO easy and can make a massive difference. The one I want to point up right now is how we should all stop using disposable plastic water bottles. They are a ridiculous waste of natural resources and are filling up the landfills like nobody's business. We all know that. But an even scarier part of the problem is that many of those plastics contain endocrine disruptors that are causing frightening, irreversible genetic defects in our children. Bisphenol A is an example of an endocrine disruptor that is super common (it's even in the lining of all those canned foods in your pantry) that causes irregularities in the reproductive systems of boys. OK, so this blog entry isn't exactly about Crunchless Abs, is it? No, but it's an issue that is slowly emerging as a topic of great concern in some science circles and is hitting the major media outlets, albeit slowly. Read a little bit about it, won't you? I've got my stainless steel water bottle all picked out. Very cute!

Work Your Confidence Muscle

If you're needing a little lift, a little motivation, revisit this page of Linda LaRue's Make Healthy A Lifestyle: Top Trainer Tips. The 1st two pieces are my favorites - with advice like ... have a few walks in your quiver at locations that really inspire you. I love that. It's good advice for me. I have the 2 same locations that I go to all the time, and I'd love to add a couple more that would keep my outdoor activity time fresh and uplifting. Also, Maura Barclay's piece on building confidence is an important one.

Get Your Sustainable On

So, I was reading Linda LaRue's latest blog post, getting really excited. It's NOT about crunchless abs - it's about sustainable school gardens. And as I was reading, I started thinking about my super amazing friend who is spearheading one in her neighborhood... and then, reading on... there she was! In the article!! Hurray for Saturn and Melissa and the kids who are going to benefit from it.

Weight Loss Plateau

If you're in the midst of a weight-loss phase, check out this blog entry. Linda LaRue has rounded up some numbers that get right down to the nitty gritty of weight loss, plainly stating the number of calories you must burn in order to lose one pound, the number of hours you need to exercise to lose a pound, and the ugly fact of the weight loss plateau that is an inevitable transition phase - there's a formula pivoting around your basal metabolic rate that explains the conundrum. Bottom line: don't give up. Keep the faith with your crunchless abs habit and all will be right in the end.

Hip Opener Move of the Month

I'm such a fan of Linda LaRue's Move of the Month. This month's focuses on opening up your hips. I've got some serious alignment problems - well, nothing too serious at this stage in terms of pain, but it seems like it's getting worse with age, instead of better. My yoga teacher had said to work on opening my shoulders and also working on my hips. So, Thanks, Linda! The move of the month makes a great companion to Crunchless Abs.

Congratulations to Meet You

Ever feel like you're totally failing to live up to your very own expectations? I do all the time. And it turns out that the people we think have got it together feel it too - wrapped up in personal disappointments. This month's A-Ha Moment for Linda LaRue has to do with that and ties it into the really great personal discovery/life change book "Eat, Pray, Love" (think I'm about due for a second read of that right about now.) You need to register at LL's Make Healthy a Lifestyle before you can read it - but that's easy and free and you don't get bombarded with emails or anything.

Crunchless Tweets

Goodness, EVERYONE is tweeting. You can find Linda LaRue's Twitter feed here. Politicians, artists, therapists, businesses, and the rest of us... we're all keeping each other informed of every move we make throughout the day! By contrast, I'm DELIGHTED to see that Linda's tweets are pleasantly measured. When I first got into the whole thing via Facebook, I updated incessantly throughout the day just like others. And now, I'm feeling the fatigue. Kind of like when you do traditional crunches instead of the crunchless abs program - you know!? All that wasted energy. I enjoy the well placed, witty and/or insightful updates so much more than the hourly navel-gazing minutiae.

Guess What's Coming to Dinner

Yes, that title IS indeed a Battlestar Gallactica reference. It just seemed so appropriate.

So, I went to http://store.exercisetv.tv/ to see which of Linda LaRue's Crunchless Abs videos were available for download and I couldn't believe my eyes ... Dr. Laura has fitness videos. WHAT?! All I can say is she's consistent - she even berates her personal trainer who does the videos with her. Whatever.

In terms of REAL workout videos, you can get ALL of the Crunchless Abs videos at this website. And unlike watching the Dr. Laura fitness videos, you feel GOOD after watching Linda LaRue's program, both in body and mind.

Move of the Month

Have you signed up yet for "Make Healthy a Lifestyle" - Linda LaRue's online fitness support system? You really should, if you haven't already. It's totally free and easy. One of the great perks is every month there's a new exercise move. This month's will help your golf swing and also slim your waistline. Now, I'm no golfer, so I'm not concerned about that part of it, but it's a nice stretching, strengthening move. And as you may have guessed, there are no crunches required.

Souper Slim and Smart

Got soup? I seriously could live on soup. Love the stuff. Just saw a recipe for white bean/shrimp/dandelion green stew - soup, stew, just a difference of liquid (yes, of course, an important distinction, but well, a gray area...) and it sounds divine. Check out Linda LaRue's Souper Slim diet booklet and also this piece she wrote about the effectiveness of incorporating soup into your weight loss program. You might call it a soup diet. I'd call it Souper Smart!

Pass It On

Thankfully, recycling is increasingly becoming a part of daily life for more and more Americans. Of course, back in the day, we reused our own things until they simply couldn't be repurposed anymore. Then lots of folks - out of actual or relative affluence - began chucking everything into the landfill when they were tired of it. And now, finally, people are either throwing things into the recycle bin, or passing goods on to someone else who needs it more than they do. Hurray!! In Linda LaRue's latest blog, she points us to some resources for passing on athletic shoes. It's a great idea. How many homeless folks have you seen who are either barefoot or close to it? Many. It might sound a little funky to you to wear someone's old running shoes, but I'm sure I'd be glad to wear them if they were my only option. Get to it: donate your shoes.

Hot Cocoa AND Hot Abs

Thank you, Linda, for giving me permission to enjoy my hot cocoa!!! Friends, if you haven't already, this is your invitation to sign up for Linda's online fitness club called "Make Healthy a Lifestyle." Who else is going to look out for your waistline by giving you the Crunchless Abs program AND give you a recipe for sumptuous hot cocoa?? Check it, post haste. As for cocoa varietals to use in the recipe, I'll tip you in on my favorites: Scharffen Berger is ab fab, and then easier to find and, bonus, organic is Dagoba. Delish.

Make Healthy A Lifestyle

Hey, have you checked out this site yet? http://www.lindalarue.com/club.html
It's Linda LaRue's online fitness club that clues you in each month to new exercise moves, recipes, and health/fitness articles. You should take a look - it gives you support to surround your experience with the Crunchless Abs videos.

Flat Abs for Santa

It's mid-December and you know what that means: Holiday Overeating Season. My season will officially commence Friday with the first dinner party of the season, followed by several more. Check out this blog entry from Linda LaRue about keeping up your commitment to yourself and your health even during this food-oriented time of year. It's an encouraging entry with a nice little reminder to keep on doing the Crunchless Abs workout - good advice!

I Could Live on Soup Alone

Have I ever told you how I think I could live on soup alone?? I've said it numerous times to my fellow eaters when I'm slurping down some heavenly broth, or when I've been eating too much in general and a simple bowl of soup sounds like the most perfect food ever. Well, as you can imagine, this makes Linda LaRue's SOUPer Slim meal plan that comes with Crunchless Abs a no-brainer good thing in my book. I made a batch of the roasted veggie soup a couple weeks ago with butternut squash I grew in my garden (the single most successful thing I grew this year which I wasn't really excited about until I ate that soup!!) Roasting all of the veggies - including the onions and garlic - elevates squash soup to some sort of divine manna. I would not steer you wrong. You've gotta try it.

Naughty Holiday Eating

Hey, check out Linda LaRue's own blog. It's really good! She has lots of good information, and just interesting posts. I find this post really helpful: http://lindalarue.blogspot.com/2008/10/avoid-holiday-hangover_22.html
Tip #2, the one about taking a pre-emptive strike against naughty eating at parties by having a healthy snack before you leave the house, to be SO helpful. It really works for me. I've been finding that when I slow down long enough to think about what foods are going to be best for me (the Souper Slim planner is a great cheat sheet), and then take the time to shop for and prep those foods for myself, it's WAY easier to pass on the unhealthy stuff in social settings. I mean, I didn't used to have self discipline when it came to my favorite foods. But looking at the big picture, and like I said, investing time in MYSELF by food planning makes all the difference in the world!