Love handles are a growing problem (pardon the pun) for many men and women these days. Love handles is basically a nice way to describe the fat that accumulates on each side of waist.

Media Deception about Love Handles

Many people are unaware or misinformed on how to successfully banish those annoying love handles. Abdominal machine manufactures know people’s desperation and play upon this heavily. Once you receive the product you will notice in the fine print of the accompany booklet that a healthy diet should be used with the item for optimal results. Obviously!

Bodybuilders in the past never relied on fancy gadgets to get that desired six-pack. It has always been, and will always be about nutrition, cardio, and abdominal training.

Three Elements that Help to Rid Love Handles

The accumulated fat that widens your waist never seems to dissipate no matter how many crunches or how much abdominal work you do, right? I can let you in on some little secrets on how to rid those saddles that have been weighing you down.

Step #1 - Since love handles are an accumulation of body fat, you have to clean up your eating habits. For some people this will be simply omitting the obvious junk food and for others it will require lower calories. Others will reap benefits from carb-rotation. Most of all, quality nutrition is the ultimate key.

Step #2 - Increase your cardiovascular exercise. I’m not suggesting hop on the elliptical and tear into it for two hours a day. Simply increase what you are currently doing a small amount, and challenge yourself weekly.

Step #3 - Train your abdominals. Abdominal work will strengthen the muscle under the fat. With the addition of developed abdominals comes increased circulation, and can aid in burning fat indirectly.

Abdominal Training Techniques - The Do’s and Don’ts

The Don’ts for Ab Training

Don’t Twist - Twisting from side to side with a stick or anything in this category can widen your waist.

Don’t Do Side Bends - Side bends, weighted or not, can add size to your waist, making it thicker.

Don’t Do Hanging Leg Raises or Knee-Ups - These do not even come close to targeting the lower abdominal as many believe. These actually work the sartorius muscle that runs down the leg.

Don’t Add Resistance Unless You Genetically Have a Small Waist - Some people can add resistance to their crunches (rope crunches), if their waist is genetically small. Those who lack natural symmetry and have blocky shapes should avoid abdominal resistance.

Ab Exercises to Do

Forget all the fancy abdominal variations that leave you more confused than when you began. Focus on these four ab exercises and you will target the entire abdominal muscle fully.

1. Stomach Vacuums - The stomach vacuum is an effective exercise for working the ab muscles that are rarely targeted. Stand upright and pull your stomach in and hold it there for as long as possible. Repeat three times.

2. Lying Pelvic Lifts - Lie flat on your back and put your legs in the air so that your body is in the “L” position. Slowly, and in a controlled manner, raise your hips off the floor an inch or two, and then return to starting position.

3. Modified Crunches - Lie on the floor with legs crossed Indian style and crunch.

4. Elbow to Opposite Knee Crunch – These target the obliques. Lie on the floor with knees in bent position and crunch your elbow to the opposite knee.

Once you get your diet in gear, omit the exercises that can widen your waist and incorporate the effective abdominal exercises, you’ll be on your way to a slimmer waist in no time.

Copyright 2006 Karen Sessions

Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988. She is a nationally qualified bodybuilder and holds two personal training certifications. She has written 6 ebooks on fitness and has helped hundreds of clients transform their bodies. theelitephysique.com theelitephysique.com

The hair on your head is dead protein. The live part of hair lies below the scalp. There are parts of the hair on your head that may be several years old. So although hair is resilient, it can suffer wear and damage from many years of brushing, combing, styling, the environment, etc. It’s worthwhile to handle and manipulate hair as little as you can get away with to minimize the harm done from too much of it.

Hair is not made healthier or shinier or more lustrous by the friction and tugging that occurs as a result of combing , brushing and styling. And while it’s important for a number of reasons to keep hair clean - washing it too much can strip it of scalps oils. and leave it dry and prone to damage. A moderate regimen of care and conditioning can help to ensure that your hair is as healthy as it can be.

There are lots of folks who have experienced the heartbreak and anxiety of hair loss due the to constant stressing of their hair. This stress can be caused by consistent pulling and tugging of hair, overly tight braids, ponytails, certain hairstyles, the over use of harsh chemicals, or too many applications of hot combs or blow dryers. The abuse of any of these hair treatments can result in weakening of the hair and excess shedding.

As the hair is part of the body, it responds positively to the overall health and well being of the rest of the body. And while healthy living, exercise, adequate nutrition and a low-stress lifestyle cannot reverse pattern baldness; you can be sure that it will in no way contribute to it, or be the cause of any atypical hair loss.

Getting regular exercise is important for whole body function, not just for hair. It’s not necessary (or even desirable, really) to spend hours working out or running to keep the body functioning near its optimal level. A reasonable exercise program undertaken a few times a week is really all you need to counter balance the effects of an otherwise sedentary life and questionable nutrition.

And crash or extreme diets do nothing to add to hair health. A well-balanced and healthy diet with recommended amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables is best. And because hair is protein, it is important to eat adequate amounts of it to maintain hair health. For those who are vegetarians, there may be an increased level of diligence needed to ensure sufficient protein is taken in.

There have been studies that link some hair loss problems to some kinds of vitamin deficiencies. Eating a healthy diet can supply much of what’s needed in vitamins and minerals. If you want to be sure that all needed nutrients for healthy hair are taken in then supplements can supply them. Amino acids, vitamin A and B vitamins are important, as are some minerals such as magnesium, sulfur and zinc.

Just as important for the health of your hair as nutrition and exercise is getting enough rest and sleep. Again, it is vital to the health of your entire body that it be given the opportunity to repair itself during sleep - and it’s equally vital for healthy hair. If you’re tired all the time and having unusual hair difficulties: there may be a connection between the two.

And if you are under a high level of stress, it can affect your hair as well. In fact, some people actually experience hair loss due a high amount of stress to deal with. If this is a problem for you and you are not able to get away from the stress-producing thing, then try to incorporate some stress relieving activity in your life. Meditation is one of the best ways to minimize stress. Developing the ability to keep your mind free from unwanted thoughts, and to control it’s tendency to wander to the future and the past via imagination and memory, can do wonders for one’s peace of mind and stress reduction.

Stephanie McIntyre and Wendell Bryant are Internet developers. Visit their site at hairlosscentralhome.com/hair-loss-research/ hairlosscentralhome.com/hair-loss-research/