Six Suprises from strengthening your abs

Sure, flat abs look great, but there's more important (and surprising) reasons you need to blast away belly fat and train for a solid core.

Dive headfirst into housework. Unless you have a magic wand then you have to have a strong core to be able to perform home repairs, carry heavy items, vacuum, mop and complete many household chores. With stronger core muscles, you'll still have some get up and go to finish your list way before your energy got up and went.

You use your core muscles every day. Begin to exercise them so they will be up to whatever job you have in store.

Play sports and complete daily activities. With a stronger core you can be flexible and ready to take on activities such as lifting the grandkids in and out of the car. Like to play tennis? It's better to have a strong core so you don’t injure yourself when you swing the racket. Unknown to most, when the ball hits the racket, a shock wave runs up the arm and into the chest and abs. Stronger abs can absorb this and just shrug it off.

The same goes for golf. And what about activities that involve balance? Been bowling lately? A stronger core gives you better balance so as to avoid falls, injuries and be able to aim that ball right where you want it.

To avoid heart attacks. A weak core usually keeps company with belly fat. You need a strong core because belly fat places you at a higher risk of having a heart attack. Belly fat developed in humans over thousands of years as an energy storage system because meals usually came only once every few days. But now we have an over abundance of food, and the resulting over abundance of belly fat.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute studied 5,000 participants and found that the risk of heart failure was 34 % higher for overweight individuals and 104 % higher for people classified as "obese." If you can't lose weight to fit into 10 year old pants, then lose it to see your grandkids grow up.

To avoid obesity, your waistline in inches should be half your height. Therefore a 6ft adult should maintain a 36 in waist. 5ft 4in.= 32 in waist.

Use the cart to shop, not prop!

To have better posture. Remember your Mom telling you to "stand up straight"! Well, as usual, she was right again. You’re not getting any younger and poor posture will only make you look weak, tired and older. Stop leaning on the grocery cart handle. Only two or three bags of food? Carry them to the car. Improve your posture by strengthening your abs and you will literally slash years off your looks.

To have a healthier back. Back pains are usually caused by weak abdominal muscles. Most back pain can be successfully treated with therapeutic exercises. When back pain strikes, rehab therapists, like myself, recommend a collection of core-strengthening exercises. Exercising is like a car engine (muscles) burning gas (body fat). With proper food intake you wind up burning more fat than storing it.

A Duke University study found that not exercising is an especially potent way to put on belly fat. Published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, they found that after just eight months of inactivity increased visceral fat, stored under the abdominal wall muscles, a potentially dangerous layer of belly fat, by about 9 percent. On the brighter side, subjects who exercised vigorously over eight months actually reduced their visceral fat by about 8 percent. You can achieve an amazingly strong core with chair or standing exercises instead of having to engage in floor crunches that can hurt your neck. 

Remember how you used to? Well, what do you have to do to make it happen again? Go for it!

Enjoy great sex. As you get older it's tougher to enjoy. A strong and durable core will make it more fun and enjoyable. Just think, going longer than 10 minutes, like you used to, because your abs aren't sore and tired. Become the powerhouse he fell in love with again. Life is full of surprises and this one could be at the top of your list!