Crunches

Crunches are great for strengthening your core but not for making that flab disappear! (Cardio is the only thing that can help with the spare tire) When placing your hands think 'princess leia', Fingertips just barely touching the side of your ears. Imagine placing something in between your chin and chest & look up! (Thus never cranking your neck) Focus on raising your shoulders off the ground slowly and return back to the ground just as controlled.

Cardio Tips

There are lots of cardio technique's out there. What I like to recommend is high intensity sporadic exercises. So instead of going for a 30 minute jog; Sprint a block, powerwalk another, then walk for 30 seconds. Go back into a jog and make anything random up! Skipping, walking lunges, jumping jacks, stairs, JUST KEEP MOVING!

Push Ups

Everyone wants to have the strength to do a push up. It's a great chest back and core exercise. Unfortunately they are hard! If you haven't done one in a long time start against a wall on your knees. Try to keep your butt and neck in line with your spine and always exhale during the 'up' phase. Then try the regular ones. Be sure your hips are not dipping down! If they are don't go down that low next time. You don't want to strain your lower back. Once you are completely comfortable with these, you can move to the interesting stuff. Decline push ups, (feet on a bench) Push ups with one hand on a ball, push up then hold in a plank, add weights! The possibility for diversity is endless!

Stretching

Always be sure to set some time out of the day to stretch, especially after a workout. Stretching is important for posture, flexibility, strength and mental clarity! If sitting at a desk all day take 60 seconds once an hour to stretch each major muscle group. Your body is not meant to sit still for long periods of time. This just gives your muscles and mind a quick release and relax. Always breathe slow and controlled. When exhaling let everything relax, you will be able to go slightly further each exhale. Start stretching gently and stay in a stretch for optimally 30 seconds. Never stretch to the point of pain. Never bounce during stretching, this causes damage. Try to stretch throughout the day, you will be amazed at how good it feels!