Count Calories to Lose Weight

Success! I lost 1 pound this week! I can't even believe it. I started a food journal, writing down everything I ate. I haven't gotten into a good rhythm yet of calculating the calories - this part still feels like a chore. I think it'll get easier as I learn what caloric values are in foods I eat regularly. Just the fact that I'm documenting what I eat is a huge step in the right direction toward being very aware of what I'm putting in my mouth. I highly recommend it. And if you're willing to show your food journal to someone else, so much the better - you'll feel even more dedicated to eating right. Because who wants to admit that they ate that whole bag of cheese puffs?
Here are some websites you can use to help you calculate your calories:
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/
http://www.calorieking.com/
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
I'm eating a bit more protein than I usually do, because i'm trying to drop some fat and add some muscle. I'm building up those abdominal muscles, and melting off the fat layer that hides my ever-strengthening ab muscles. And, I'm trying to get into a more regular rhythm of eating. I've always been a bit of a grazer and also kind of an over-eater. So, while those are difficult habits to break, I'm at least aware of it now and trying to make the changes necessary to unveil beautiful abs. My diet has always been a little out of whack - eating too many starchy carbs and not enough fruits and vegetables. So, I'm trying to work that out. And adding in the protein that I was really missing. It's all delicious. The thing I'm missing the most is the baked treats made with refined sugar. That was my main staple that I'm trying to do without entirely. Whew! Difficult! But it will be absolutely worth it. The Crunchless Abs program is so do-able... I don't want to be putting in the energy and time on the workouts and messing up on the diet part of it. The exercise is only part of the equation! We've got to eat right, too!

Unveil Your Beautiful Abs - Burn That Fat

I've just had to come to terms with the fact that I'm carrying around some extra weight around my midsection. I believe they call it a spare tire. And as soon as I realized that indeed I have extra weight that didn't used to be there and really shouldn't be there now, I started to feel it all the time. When I'm walking, I feel it move. When I'm sitting, I feel it wrapped around my core like insulation. It's a terrible feeling! I really was pretty oblivious to it before. I guess it sort of comes and goes, but I'm suddenly hyper-aware of it and need it to go away. I need to melt it off. The best way I know of is the Cardio Core Sculpting video that is part of the Crunchless Abs series of workout videos. This fat blasting routine is serious business. And the thing is, it doesn't really matter how much I do the wonderful Crunchless Abs toning exercises if I'm not willing to sweat and dance away the fat that is covering those ever-stronger abdominals. So, look in the mirror. Give yourself an honest evaluation. See if you've got some extra padding that is hiding your beautiful abs that are just waiting to be unveiled! And then grab your video and get to it!

10 Easy Minutes to Flat Abs

My new favorite workout is the Crunchless Abs Workout #3. Whew! It feels so great. It's an interesting combination of modified yoga poses and other motions that really give your abs a fantastic workout. What I love about this abs exercise video is that it's gentle enough to do in the morning, but is seriously challenging at the same time. It gets my whole body warmed up. You must use your arms in a dedicated way, and your ham strings get this great stretch throughout. So often, abdominal workouts ignore the rest of the body, and even stress out other parts of the body, for example the neck, shoulders and upper back. And I just hate that. But this workout invites you to use your entire arms in downward dog and plank and scissor arms. And your shoulders will feel appreciated when moving quickly between a crouch and plank, shooting your legs straight out behind you. I can see that this is also a great practice move for working my way up to how they do this on the Rodney Yee yoga video I have. I never could do it on there, but this is a fantastic intermediate step to accomplishing that feat of strength: the seamless move from standing to plank. Your legs will feel stretched, lean, long, strong, when you do one of my favorite moves in this video - I'm not sure what it's called. But you do this nice fluid motion that enlists the aid of your pelvic muscles and your glutes to accomplish an exercise that doesn't feel too strenuous, but is clearly working loads of muscles. It also helps to get you to pay attention to isolating certain muscles to maintain a really still basic position while you're letting your legs glide up into the air and back down. It's a good one. You're going to feel sexier after you've done this workout. It feels so good, you might even want to try doing it twice in a row!

Crunchless Abs vs. Mini Ab Circle

So, I'm at a friend's house and she has a device called the Mini Ab Circle. Seems like a cool little gizmo that allows you to do various simple movements for working out your abs. But, here's the downside: it's hard on your knees. Well, it's hard on my knees, and I don't have particularly troublesome knees. I probably tried it out for about 4 minutes, doing maybe 6 different moves. And when I stopped, owie. My right knee really was sore. The reason for this is that all of the exercises have you down in a kneeling position. So while I love the idea that you can just do these repetitive motions while you're watching TV, I'm not so sure I could stand to do it regularly if it was hurting my knees like that. FYI, the mini machine is $99 and the larger version is $199. Not too bad, but WAY more expensive than the Crunchless Abs program.

So there are two upsides of the Crunchless Abs program: very inexpensive, and really low-impact on your body. You get great results on your abdominal core without stressing other joints and muscles in the process.

Grab Your Towel and Sculpt Your Abs

I have to say, my favorite workouts require little to no equipment. This is one of the things I absolutely love about the Crunchless Abs program. In the Crunchless Abs 2 workout, all you need is a towel. That’s it. And in just 10 minutes a day, I’m working my way toward firmer, stronger, sexier abs. It’s all about making them work – repeatedly. And not just some of the abs, but all of your abs. Side obliques, lower abs, upper abs – all of your core gets activated and put to work. These are really simple exercises! It’s not rocket science. Getting taut, sculpted abs isn’t a big mystery and won’t require a ton of time, but it does take consistency – you’ve got to commit to working on them just about every day if you want to see results.

Now, the killer move in this program is the pushup. Whoa. As I’ve gotten older, my upper body strength has really diminished. This would explain why I’m starting to get those flabby upper arms I never thought would happen to me. Must resist!! Tracy Mallet leads us through really clever exercises that trick your abdominals into working hard – you just won’t believe it till you try it. The most amazing little move to me is when you drag a towel across the floor with your arm – it’s crazy how it taps directly into your abs and makes them work hard.

10 Minutes a Day to Sexy Abs

A 10-minute workout. That's it! Just 10 minutes a day is all that the Crunchless Abs program asks of us. Devoting 10 minutes a day to working your abdominal core - with NO crunches - will yield the sexiest abs you've ever had. What else do you spend 10 minutes a day doing? Washing dishes? Taking a shower? Standing in line for a latte? Playing around on Facebook? What a solid investment of time. There's really no excuse not to invest that 10 minutes in your health, your fitness, your core strength, your gorgeous abs.

No Crunches - Flat Abs

It's still amazing to me how for generations, it seems, people have thought that the best way to get flat abs was to lay on the floor and do torturous sit ups and stomach crunches that strain the neck and back. Thank goodness for the Crunchless Abs workout system for the intelligent way it incorporates various moves that target all of your abdominal muscles, giving you sculpted abs without a lot of unnecessary pain.

New Year's Resolution

My overriding thought of the day is THANK GOODNESS the holiday eating season is over. Too many temptations on an almost daily basis for too long!! I'm determined to hit the crunchless abs program hard this month to get the firmest core and flattest abs possible before the end of January.

Walk with Purpose

Have you ever noticed yourself walking around all hunched up? I noticed this yesterday evening after a long day of shopping - I was walking around the mall like a flabby old person. And then it occurred to me what I was doing and so I intentionally activated my core, unfurling my spine, walking tall and straight and WOW. I instantly felt like i had more energy, like i was several inches taller - it was easier to move, easier to breathe, and I felt more attractive and confident at the same time. Activate those core muscles that you're strengthening with the crunchless abs workout and you'll feel better!!

Strengthen While You Shop

How are YOU doing with the start of the holiday season? Keeping on top of your workouts with the Crunchless Abs program has never been so important! And here's an idea - if you're attending potlucks this season, you could offer to bring the first course: soup! - to take the edge off of your hunger and help you keep from way over-indulging. Focus on your core while you're striding through the malls doing your gift shopping and you'll be giving yourself a gift!

Happy Thanksgiving - Don't Over Gobble!

How are you feeling about the impending day of feasting tomorrow? I hope you've been faithfully *not* crunching with Crunchless Abs, and are feeling fit, toned and are willing to allow yourself a reasonable helping of turkey and all the fixings without a bunch of guilt. It can really be a pretty sensible meal when it comes right down to it - but I suppose most of us pile it on because we only get the whole feast once a year. I know I have a big weakness for the most fattening dishes - stuffing and gravy. Nothing too healthy about that! Here's wishing you a warm and festive holiday without the traditional belly-bloating overindulgence! Your six-pack will thank you for not taking that second slice of pumpkin pie!

Trade Facebook for Crunchless Abs!

You know what convinced me to commit to Crunchless Abs? The fact that you can invest just 10 minutes a day and see a result. What else can you say that about? The various workouts are easy to get in and out of before you hit the shower in the morning, or in between work and fixing dinner. Really, 10 minutes is such a blink of an eye - don't you spend more time than that on Facebook every day? Or tweeting? And those social dealios don't exactly bust your flab, you know. Here's a challenge for you - trade in 10 minutes of your daily Facebook ration for a Crunchless Abs workout. You will sooooo thank me when you quickly begin to feel your core strengthening, and your abs taking shape. Take the challenge!!

Major Core Strengthener

I'm so thankful for the Crunchless Abs workout program. These exercises seriously are strengthening my core abdominal muscles, tightening my abs and giving me an overall sense of well-being... all without having to endure the brutality of traditional floor crunches - which, by the way, are so ineffective! See my post below about that one.

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.

Flat Abs Without Crunches

So you know I'm a big fan of the Crunchless Abs program. It's the smartest workout series I've ever tried. Crunchless Abs demonstrates workouts for real people - starting from the ground up and getting more advanced as you get stronger. It really pushes you toward flat abs in a supportive way and without crunches. But I just ran across this new product, also from Linda LaRue: Core Transformer. Do you know what it is? I haven't clicked around yet. It looks like a fancy resistance band type of tool - have you tried it?

Healthy Weightloss: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Haven't you always wondered how much weight a person can reasonably expect to lose in a week? I sure have. And you know what? It isn't much! Only a pound or two. Here's a great piece about healthy weightloss on intent.com. Crunchless Abs creator Linda LaRue points out invaluable pieces to the weightloss conundrum. Check it out, especially if you've been discouraged about your weightloss rate. Turns out, you might actually be doing it the right way!

Recycle Energy

OK, so some of us are the smarty-pants types who are using the Crunchless Abs program at home. Yay for us. Because we're not spending big bucks on gym memberships, driving the gym, etc. But here's the coolest thing. Linda LaRue just wrote about this gym that captures the energy people are spending in cycling classes and using it to power the gym and sending excess energy back to the grid. Way Cool!! We need to implement more of these innovative ways of recycling energy!

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!

Sexy, Sculpted Arms

It ain't just about abs anymore, friends. Try this arm exercise on the road to sexy, sculpted arms and shoulders. Linda LaRue's blog entry features the limbs of none other than Michelle Obama, because hers are faboo, for sure. Don't forget to keep your core rock solid with the regular crunchless abs routine.

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.