Easy Exercises 1: Crunch Crazy

Like that Pangapple Persuasion smoothie?! Yeah, buddy! Good tastin’ and healthy, too.

I’m working up a 21 Things Special Report on exercises for kids. The kind of exercises that anybody can do, without special equipment, even while you’re watching TV.

Here’s one of the simplest – CRUNCHES – and I love them. You can do a number on those tummy muscles with just a few minutes of this! And it really pays off to have strong abs – good for posture, good for breathing and energy. But it pays off even more to have the exercise habit as we grow toward being adults.

Here’s how you do it:

1) Lie flat on your back with your knees bent. Bending your knees different angles changes how your abs work, so mix it up from one time to the next. Keep your feet flat on the ground. You can stick your toes under a sofa or something if that helps you stay put.

2) Now what to do with your arms. Again, lots of choices. You can put your hands against your ears, elbows in tight. You can cross your arms across your chest. You can lay your hands on your stomach. You can hold your arms up over your head. Each different arm position changes which muscles are working and how hard they are working. Just mix it up and you’ll see.

3) Ready? Let’s go! Lift your shoulders up off the floor just a few inches, until you feel your abs contract good and hard. Then back down. Don’t cheat with your arms or your head. Make your tummy muscles do the work. Keep doing crunches until you feel your abs start to burn. Then stop and rest for 20 or 30 seconds. Then burn ‘em again. Do this 3X and you’ve had a good ab crunch workout. Remember to experiment with the angle your legs are bent, and with where your arms are.

4) Warning: it can hurt your back if you lift your body way up off the floor, like the old fashioned “sit up”. Just lift high enough for your abs to tighten, no higher!

Feelin’ good now aren’t you!

Got a question? Leave it as a comment here or email me at jg21things@bellsouth.net I’ll have an answer headed your way.