Core Strength And Fat Busting Cardio - The Key To A Lean Physique

Efficient food production in the world's top economies has
caused a glut of quick, irresistible food that's more often
than not cheap and loaded with calories. Fast food tends to
be unbalanced and is deficient in fiber and other nutrients
found in fruits and vegetables. It's not surprising then
that a high percentage of the populations in the Western
countries are living on an unhealthy diet and suffering from
obesity.

The only thing that can counter the nutritional quagmire
that we're in is constant exercise. Sadly, a lot of people
find it a challenge to stick to a regular exercise program
and thus are suffering from all sorts of health problems
from diabetes to high blood pressure and heart disease.

A lot of those that manage to find time to squeeze in
exercise programs into their hectic daily schedules
eventually get bored and stop after a few months. Reason for
this is loss of motivation that comes about from inadequate
workouts and insignificant results.

A majority of gym goers or fitness aficionados start workout
programs to lose body fat and get flat six pack abs. When
results come too slow, this results in boredom and because
they become disheartened, a lot of people give up exercising
regularly.

To speed-up the effects of working-out and see something
come out of your fat-loss efforts in a shorter amount of
time, modified exercises that isolate the core muscles
should be done. A program that develops core strength
together with body-fat busting cardio exercises is the key
to fast abs and a lean physique.

The core or center of the body is our midsection and these
are made-up of the upper and lower abdominals, the obliques
and the muscles of the lower back. A lot of people only
focus on conventional ab isolation exercises like sit-ups
and crunches and neglect the lower back region. This causes
an imbalance of core muscle strength and can result in back
pain.

A faster abs workout that can give you a stronger core in
less time can be attained through the use of tools like a
Swiss ball or a Bosu ball. Both of these have round surfaces
which when used as support for the body when executing
abdominal or other resistance exercises will force the core
muscles to work harder. The effort of trying to keep steady
while working out on an unstable surface means more calories
burned and improved core strength faster.

The amount of calories burned while doing abdominal
exercises on an exercise ball or other round surface is
increased significantly compared to doing sit-ups and
crunches flat on one's back. Studies show that more muscle
fibers are engaged in activity when a person is lying on a
round surface. The wider range of motion means more calories
spent and hence a faster abs workout.