Get Crunchin'!

Ladies!

I hope this day meets you in the midst of peace and tranquility!

I do apologize for not posting yesterday! I was so busy; I had very little time left for anything else. I want each of you to know how good God is. This morning when I woke up, I was thinking to myself, “Is the blog really working? I haven’t gotten any feedback, are women really reading it? Maybe I should just stop, it is not for me to inspire!”. The devil is indeed a lie! I have never in life needed validation, but I have put so much hard work into this site, I just wanted to be sure that is was reaching the masses.

When I logged into to my email this morning, God gave me my answer. The answer was channeled through Kryssy (thanks lady!). You see Kryssy has always been an avid reader of my personal blogs, but I had no idea that she was reading this one. I have sent the link out to tons of women I know and the one person that I didn’t “officially” introduce the site to commented and has gotten motivation to continue her wellness journey. I do believe in my heart that there are others out there that are reading (I have a hit counter), most just don’t comment. I respect that. As long as you get what God gives me to give you that is all that matters.

I had to share that tidbit, ‘cause it was heavy on my heart!

Back to my fast… I must admit, I was doing pretty well, but I broke down on Valentines Day. I had taken Caleb to a party (pizza party to be exact) and around 3:45pm they served the food, I was trying and trying, but I couldn’t take it any more! I ended up eating a salad and millions of tiny slices of cheese pizza. It was like I was in a trance! I even ate a big helping of apple cobbler and birthday cake. I felt so guilty about it! I prayed for forgiveness (I had broken my promise to God) and ask for strength to start over and do it right the next day!

I have been on the right track since. I must admit, I do tend to get weak around 3pm. Mind over matter… mind over matter!

CRay’s Tip of the Day…
GET TO CRUNCHIN'! As women we are so hard on our bodies. One particular area… our STOMACH! If you all are like me and have had a child, you know that it definitely takes a lot of hard work to get those ab muscles back in the swing of things. There are other’s that haven’t had children, but still struggle with their mid section. There is hope for all of us!

The best way to burn fat (total body) would be to do cardio (anything that gets the heart rate up), what this will do is burn the fat that is between your skin and the ab muscles (believe me they are there!). While you are burning that top layer of fat, you can begin to tone the muscle underneath. A good way to do this is with crunches. Please note that crunches alone will not get rid of the fat, it will only tone the muscle, so you must incorporate cardio into your routine as well. So many of us know about crunches and have an idea of how to execute them, we just may not be doing it correctly.

Here is an excellent tip from Denise Austin on how to correctly do crunches…

Are You Feeling the Crunch?
Stomach crunches are a great way to tone that common problem area — the lower-stomach pooch. But if you aren't doing them correctly, you won't get the rock-hard results you want! Here's how to do them the right way: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. If you are a beginner, or have neck problems, you can place a pillow under your head and neck. Press your lower back firmly to the floor; there should be no arch at all during the entire movement.
Rest your head in your hands, keeping your neck and shoulders relaxed. Tighten your abdominals to slowly lift your shoulders off the floor about six inches. Exhale as you crunch up. Remember to squeeze your abs to do the lift. Don't rock in an effort to gain momentum or try to pull your head up with your arms. It helps to keep your elbows back and your chin up, as if you were holding an apple under it.
Slowly relax your stomach muscles to lower your shoulders back to the floor. Don't rush it. Focus on your form as you move through the crunch from start to finish. Do two sets of eight to 12 crunches each. Fabulous!


In Peace and Struggle.
CRay