Got Abs?

As a physical therapist and yoga instructor, I have many family, friends and clients ask me how to get rid of their “gut.” Often times, doing good old sit-ups just doesn’t work. And please, do not waste your money on TV gimmicks like the Ab Crunch, or the Ab muscle stimulator, etc. The following information is yours absolutely free! You don’t have to give me a credit card number or your first born child. All you have to do is actually do this exercise!

What most people don't realize about the abdominal muscles is that they can contract both directions. That is, you can push your stomach out or you can pull it in. Try it now. Place one hand on the sternal notch where your ribs meet in the front. Then place your other hand on your pubic bone in the midline. Push your stomach muscles out, then pull them in. It may be more difficult to pull in, but these muscles are designed to do both. With perfect alignment, the abdominal wall should be in line directly between these two anatomical points. The abdominal muscles consist of four distinct layers, the rectus abdominis, the internal obliques, the external obliques and the transverse abdominis.

What happens to the body when you develop a “gut”? The abdominal muscles biomechanically contract easier in an outward direction. It is more difficult for them to contract in, especially if there is something in the way, such as internal organs and fat. They simply become lazy. Over time, they also become stretched out. Your internal organs then fall down into the space that’s available. Internal organs must stay padded, so our bodies lay down fat inside the abdominal cavity. Now, it’s even harder for the abdominal muscles to contract in.

The Upward Abdominal Lock or Bind is referred to in yoga as “Uddiyana Bandha." If you practice this every day, you can re-train your abdominal muscles to contract inward, instead of out and stimulate the reabsorption of the fat that has accumulated around your internal organs.

Step 1

Stand with your feet slightly apart. Lean over with your torso rounded forward, knees bent, hands resting on your knees. Learn the bind first with your torso rounded forward and then, after getting some experience, practice the bind standing upright, hands on hips.

Step 2

Inhale deeply through your nose, then exhale quickly and forcibly, also through your nose (or pursed lips). Contract your abdominal muscles fully to push as much air as possible out of your lungs. Then relax your abdominals.

Step 3

Perform what’s called a “mock inhalation”; that is, expand your rib cage as if you were inhaling, but don’t actually inhale. The expansion of the rib cage (without the inhalation) sucks the abdominal muscles and viscera up into the thorax and hollows the belly and actively lifts navel, toward the spine.

Step 4

Hold the bind for five to 15 seconds. Then slowly release the abdominal grip and inhale normally. Perform three to 10 rounds, depending on your capacity, with one or more normal breaths between each round.

#health