Prevent injury and whittle your middle!

Just commit these four core rules to memory…

1 Your Spine is already flexed–don’t make it worse

If your day is spent hunched over a computer or a steering wheel, your spine is in a constantly flexed position, leading to poor posture and a weak core. So why would you worsen the problem with spine-flexing exercises like crunches? The moves in this programme help prevent or correct misaligned posture.

2 The terms “core” and “abs” are not interchangeable

Crunches work your abs, but for the biggest benefits, you need to work your entire core, which is made up of the four layers of the abs (rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques, and transverse abdominis), hip flexors, spine extensors, hip adductors (inner-thigh muscles), hip abductors (including gluteus medius) and multifidus.

3 Move more and often

Consider this stat: each 10 percent rise in sedentary time is associated with a 3.1cm larger waist circumference. Researchers found that, of the subjects they studied, the waist measurements of people who got up most often were more than five centimetres smaller than those of people who got up the least.

4 It’s not just about gym time

A study found that while a group’s average weight loss after a 12-week fitness programme was about 3.6kg, individual results ranged from a loss of 14.5kg to gains of almost two kilograms. So although exercise is key for shedding tummy flab, weight control still comes down to kilojoules. To drop weight, you have to burn off more of them than you consume. Logical.