Free The No More Excuses Diet by Maria Kang

trunk. Your arms are your branches, and your legs are your roots. Depending on the challenges your environment imposes upon you, your body will either break or grow stronger. You will notice that a tree can grow to great heights if it has nourishment and good soil in which to grow. Yourcore is the trunk from which all your physical power originates. If you are injured, weak, or imbalanced in your core, your success or growth will be limited.
Some Core Truths
    One of the most desirable parts of a human body is a tight, toned midsection. Your core is not just the visual rectus abdominus, which is the six-pack we often see on fitness magazine covers. Your core is also your transverse abdominals, internal and external obliques, and your lower back region. There are a lot of misconceptions about core training, and I don’t want you to waste time training in a way that will not be effective for you. Many people focus mainly on the abdominals they can see, but your body’s strength is much deeper than those six muscles in the front of your body. The deeper transverse abdominal muscles and their opposing back muscles make up the powerful trunk of your body. If you want to construct a beautiful body, you need that set of muscles.
    Core Truth #1: The first step to improving your core is to improve yourposture.
    When you stand with correct posture, your entire body is in alignment. Your back is straight, chest up, shoulders squared, chin up, and stomach in. Since we live in a more sedentary society, you will notice several posture deviations, including a forward head, a hunched back, forward shoulders/hips, and pronated feet (toes pointing outward). If you have any of these issues, you will need to correct them by stretching tight muscles and strengthening weak muscles. I provide a posture quiz and stretches here .
    It is impossible to build a lean tummy if your body is not in alignment. Not only do postural deviations lead to potential injury,but also imbalanced muscles deactivate your core region and prevent you from developing a strong midsection. Oftentimes, achieving strongerabdominals is as simple as standing up taller.
    Core Truth #2: Most people who have great abs don’t train them all the time.
    If you look at the bodies of athletes, they have naturally developed abdominal areas. But here’s the secret: Most people who have great abs don’t train them all the time. They don’t need to because they engage their core when they’re kicking a soccer ball, swinging a bat, balancing upright on a bike, or any other activity they’re performing.
    You don’t have to train your abs every day because you are already working them every day! You just need to start engaging them more often. You engage them by challenging your core ever so slightly, whether it’s by sitting up straight in a chair and sucking in your gut or standing on one leg while performing a standing shoulder press. If you incorporate balance and stability training in your daily activities, you will need to intensely train your core only minimally.
    Start being mindful of your core when you are performing activities, such as drawing your belly button in toward the small of your back. You’ll look like you’re sucking in your gut, but that action alone engages your core and therefore strengthens it. And you can do this small exercise while driving to work, sitting in your office, standing in line, or lying down reading a book. Sometimes I wear a form-fitting top to keep me mindful to “suck it in” throughout the day! So, attempt to hold your core for 3 or 4 minutes at a time, until you build your strength and the action becomes instinctive. Being mindful of your core will burn extra calories and improve your posture, but it needs to be supported with intense core training exercises, like planks, supermans, and bicycles.
    MY TOP CORE TIPS
    Here are some tips that will help improve your posture, burn fat, strengthen your core, and develop a toned midsection.