Chinese Holistic Health Exercises
The rhythmic “lift, hold and release” action in abdominal exercises like the Ab Lift effectively reduces abdominal sag and gives your abdominal wall and abdominal organs an invigorating and rejuvenating massage.
As with all the abs exercises on this site, you should do the Ab Lift on an empty stomach and if you have a history of abdominal muscle or abdominal organ problems check with your health professional first.
The Ab Lift
How
1. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.
Place your hands just above your knees, with your fingers on the inside of your thighs, right hand on right thigh, left hand on left thigh.
2. Exhale forcefully through your mouth till your lungs are empty.
Immediately, and without breathing in, use your abdominal muscles to lift your abdomen up and towards your spine as high as you can.
Hold the position for 5-10 seconds. Don’t breath in yet!
3. Relax your abdominal wall and let everything gently fall back into place, THEN take a slow, deep breath (or two).
That’s one round. Do two or three rounds to start. Build up to five or six.
4. As you finish your last round stand fully upright, arms hanging loosely by your sides.
Take a slow, deep breath as you raise your (straight) arms up in front of your body and above your head.
Stretch up as high as you comfortably can and hold your breath for a few seconds.
Feel your abs stretching.
Gently exhale as you slowly and smoothly bring your arms back down to your sides.
Repeat step four a couple of times if you wish.
Benefits
Reverses abdominal sag
This exercise is best done first thing in the morning before breakfast
This multi-benefit abdominal stretching exercise is called the Forward-Backward Bend.
It stretches the front and back of the body, making it a perfectly balanced abdominal stretching-back stretching exercise.
You should check with your health professional first though, especially if you have a history of abdominal, back or neck problems or you haven’t exercised for some time.
Forward Backward Bend
How
1. Stand with your feet parallel, about hip width apart, and your arms hanging loosely by your sides.
Look straight ahead. Slightly bend your knees (keeping your legs locked straight can strain your lower back).
Keep your weight mostly on the front of your feet.
2. Gently exhale through your mouth as you slowly bend forward.First, bend your neck till your chin is near your chest. Continue by progressively bending forward…first your upper back, then your mid back, followed by your lower back.
Your arms simply hang loosely in front of your body.
3. Bend as far as you comfortably can.
Take 3 slow, deep breaths in this position.
As you hang there let go of any tension in your body.
Feel your back stretching…your legs stretching…and blood flowing to your head.
You may close your eyes, but be careful you don’t lose balance.
To tighten your belly, each time you exhale use your abs to pull your belly in. Relax your belly as you inhale.
4. Take a fourth breath. As you exhale, slowly and smoothly start to rise up.Imagine you’re unrolling your spine up a wall - from lower to mid to upper back & neck until you’re standing upright again. Try to keep your weight on the front of your feet as you rise up.
Also, breathe smoothly and evenly through your nose and time your breathing so that you finish the exhalation as you reach the upright position.
Once standing, you can take a slow, deep breath or two if you like, or you can proceed straight to the next step…the abdominal stretching part of the exercise.
5. Immediately begin to slowly and smoothly raise your arms straight up in front of your body.Breathe in at the same time.
6. As you raise your arms, lift your head and arch your spine back in one smooth, fluid motion.Arch back as far as you comfortably can.
Exhale. Hold the position while you once again take 3 slow, deep breaths.
As you breathe, feel your arms and abs stretching.
As you exhale the third time, slowly and smoothly straighten your body, spread your arms and bring them down past the sides of your body until you’re once again in the upright starting position, with arms hanging loosely by your sides.
That’s one round.
Repeat steps 2 to 5 for a total of 3 rounds. Build up to 10 or 12 rounds in a session.
Benefits
- Stretches & strengthens your abs, spine & backs of legs
- Firms & tones your abs & belly
- Massages your abdominal organs
- Increases blood flow to your brain
- Improves your sleep when done just before bed
Tips
- Minor variations in technique are okay. Just do it slowly, smoothly & comfortably
- If you feel dizzy, stop, breathe deeply & try again or later
- If the backs of your legs are very tight, stand with your feet double shoulder-width, or more, apart
The Forward-Backward Bend is a remarkable exercise not just for its back and abdominal stretching benefits. Its ability to increase blood flow to the head and face and massage the abdominal muscles and organs leads to better overall health. See for yourself.
An arm and chest building exercise without weights, i.e. barbells and weight machines? Absolutely.
Here’s a simple yet powerful bodyweight exercise to tighten your arms, and strengthen and build your arm, chest and back muscles without the need for gym equipment.
Pull ups, illustrated below, are a superb upper back, shoulder, arm and chest building exercise that also develop stamina and strengthen your abs and firm your belly.
Bodyweight exercises like pullups and squats are a highly effective way to tone, build and strengthen the major areas of your body such as your arms, chest, back and legs.
While most gyms have pull up bars, and specially designed bars are available that attach to door frames and walls at home, pull ups can easily be done anywhere there’s some kind of horizontal bar - the below photo shows pull ups being done on a steel bar under a basketball hoop.
Arm and Chest Building Exercise
Pull Ups
Place your hands about shoulder-width apart on the bar
Let your legs hang loosely and keep them together.
Pull yourself up till your chin is level with bar.
Immediately lower yourself till your arms are straight.
Continue the exercise, but stop one or two pull ups short of complete muscle failure. That’s one round.
Rest for a minute or so while you take some slow, deep breaths.
Do another one or two rounds.
Two or three sessions a week is enough.
If you can’t find a suitable bar for pull ups, use a door. Open a door that’s strong enough to hold your weight and place a folded towel on top of it for padding. Face the door, grab the top of it with both hands (or one!) and pull yourself up.
Benefits
- Builds, tones & strengthens your arms, shoulders, chest, & sides of your back
- Strengthens your wrists & fingers
- Develops core strength - abs, lower back
- Develops stamina, especially when combined with deep breathing
Tips
- Keep it smooth - jerking movements can damage muscles & nerves
- Breathe smoothly & deeply throughout the exercise
- Vary your grip a little - overhand/underhand - super wide grips aren’t much use
- Stop within a rep or two of failure - overdoing it can damage nerves & muscle tissue
- For stamina - do more reps
- For power - do less reps
Some of the best exercises to tighten up stomach flab and for overall toning and strengthening of your core (abs, hips, lower back) are done with an abdominal exercise wheel.
Ab wheels (or power wheels) are not new, nor are they a traditional Chinese exercise method, however this writer has recently discovered their benefits since seeing one at a health and fitness club where he lives in China.
The fact that ab wheels aren’t a Chinese exercise method is irrelevant, particularly as they work. Regardless of what kind of general or specific abs exercises you’re looking for - exercises to tighten up your stomach, exercises for lower abdominal toning, or exercises for upper abs or obliques - 5 minutes a day with an ab wheel will firm and strengthen your entire abdominal and stomach area.
Ab Wheel Exercises to Tighten Up Stomach Flab & Strengthen Your Core
Easiest Exercise
Breathe smoothly and deeply though your nose throughout all the exercises.
1. Kneel down and hold the ab wheel in front of your knees. Rest your feet on your toes.
If the floor’s hard put a folded towel or thin cushion under your knees.
2. Inhale as you slowly and smoothly roll the wheel forward as far as you comfortably can, but not so far that your upper body touches the floor.
Exhale while rolling the wheel back to the start position. As you come back, squeeze your abs. Feel the tension in them.
That’s one repetition. One set of 10-15 reps the first day is probably enough if you’re unfit, have weak abs or back problems. Build up to 2 or 3 sets a session.
Or, roll the wheel out and hold the position as long as you can.
Five minutes a day, or less, with an ab wheel is enough, particularly if you’re also doing other abs exercises like those listed at the end of this article.
Ab Wheel Exercises to Tighten Up Stomach Flab & Strengthen Your Core
Harder Exercises
1. As above, but instead of kneeling on the floor, kneel on a small stool, or a coffee table. Reach down and roll the ab wheel out from in front of the stool/table.
2. Some ab wheels have straps on the handles for you to place your feet in. This allows you to lie on your back and roll your feet and lower body out instead of your upper body. If you have an ab wheel with straps, try this exercise: Lie on your back with your feet in the straps. Roll the wheel away from your body while raising your buttocks and torso off the floor. This exercise strengthens and tones your legs, backside and lower back.
3. Strap your feet in and do push ups.
4. Strap your feet in and walk along on your hands.
Benefits of Ab Wheels
- Reduce excess belly fat
- Tone & strengthen your core - abs, hips & lower back
- Tone & strengthen your legs, butt, chest, arms & upper back
Source: http://www.chinese-holistic-health-exercises.com/exercises-to-tighten-up-stomach.html
