Fitness is painful?

Just stretch your abdomen for 10 seconds! Simple stretches can improve the flexibility of your abs and beautify your belly line. No need to work out in pain!

Stiff abdominal muscles pulling downward; sagging internal organs and bulging belly

When it comes to the summer season when you wear fewer clothes, people will care more than ever about a small belly. Mr. Shinji Sakazume, a Japanese personal fitness trainer, says, "A small belly is mainly produced by the effects of fat and posture."

The pelvis is tilted back and the position of the rib cage drops, resulting in a narrow space for the internal organs. The internal organs are compressed and pile up forward, making the line of the small belly rounded. In other words, incorrect posture, easy to form a small belly.

Some people also want to exercise the abdominal muscles to make the small belly concave flat down. Before practicing abs, you can do some stretching to enhance the flexibility of the abdominal muscles. Tension and stiffness in the abdominal muscles can cause the pelvis to tilt back and the rib cage to drop. With good abdominal flexibility, the pelvis will naturally return to a neutral position, and the chest posture will be easier to maintain.

For this reason, Mr. Sakazume recommended a set of "abdominal stretching exercises". If you keep doing it, not only will your abdomen become flat and firm, but "the movement of your internal organs will return to normal, and your bowel movements will become smooth" (Sakazuki-sensei). Let's get into the habit of stretching your abdomen first.

Basic stretching movements are done standing up. Just be careful and maintain proper posture. There are no difficult movements!

Open your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly inward, and place your weight on the inside of your feet. Press your hands on both sides of your pelvis and allow your pubic bone to move back so that your pelvis is tilted forward.

Confirm the position of the rib cage with your fingers, then lift upward about 2cm.

Open your elbows and extend them outward while stretching your shoulders, look forward and breathe naturally for 10 seconds.

From the side, the left side is in the posterior pelvic tilt position and the right side is in the anterior pelvic tilt position. Holding the anterior pelvic posture for 10 seconds stretches the rectus abdominis.

Pointing the toes outward will cause the pelvis to tilt forward and the knees to bend easily. By simply pointing the toes slightly inward, the knees will straighten and the pelvis will easily remain in a neutral position. "By changing the toe orientation, the pelvic tilt will also change. When people get older, their toes tend to face outward, causing the pelvis to tilt back. Pay attention to your standing posture from now on and see if you have toes facing outward." (Ms. Sakazume)

"I want all women to try it." The abdominal stretching training method that Sensei Sakazume personally recommends can be done while sitting or lying down, with extra care when doing it while sitting. "When you sit still for a long time, your pelvis tends to tbackwardards, especially when you stilt your legs, your pelvis is more likely to tilt backward, so please keep that in mind." (Sakazuki-sensei) Everyone, after work or while watching TV, chooses a time that suits them to do it.

After you become skilled in abdominal stretching, you can challenge fitness movements. The focus at this stage is not on the abdominal muscles, but on the back muscles.

The back muscles have a great role in maintaining correct posture and ensuring that there is plenty of space for internal organs, so you can exercise your back muscles first. Arching your back will increase the burden on the discs, so grab improvements while you can!

When you are in the office or a teleconference, you can start doing abdominal stretching anytime with a chair. When you feel tired, you can stretch your abdomen dramatically and start over.

Sit shallowly in the chair with your feet open shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly inward and pelvis tilted forward. Grab the back of the chair with both hands.

While tilting your pelvis forward, straighten your elbows, lift your rib cage, and tilt your upper body back. Look ahead and breathe naturally for 10 seconds.

Even in a seated position, the toes face slightly inward so that the pelvis can easily return to a neutral position. "It is best to maintain this position normally, such as when sitting at work. If you stilt your legs, your pelvis will tilt back, so try not to stilt. When you stilt your legs, your toes will naturally face outward."

When taking the prone position to stretch the abdomen, be careful not to have the pubic bone protruding forward. The upper body should not be tilted back as much as in the yoga asana "Cobra". The purpose of this movement is to stretch the abdomen only.

In a prone position, place a towel roll under your hips and let your pelvis tilt forward. Tighten your armpits, place your hands on either side of your head, and keep your eyes on the floor.

Roll up a bath towel and place it underneath to help keep the pelvis in an anterior position. If it is not padded, the abdominal muscles pull on the pubic bone causing the pelvis to tilt back and the abdomen will not be stretched. A larger exercise towel can also be used instead.

Bring your wrists closer to your body until your elbows are directly below your shoulders. Slowly lean your upper body back. Tilt your pelvis forward and breathe naturally for 10 seconds.

Place your elbows directly under your shoulders with your fingertips facing straight ahead.

If you want to have a more perfect abdomen, the first thing to exercise is not the abdominal muscles, but the back muscles. This set of movements can not only stretch the abdomen but also exercise the vertical spine muscles of the back. Keep practicing and the upper body will be close to the ideal shape.

In a prone position, put a bath towel roll under the hips and let the pelvis tilt forward. Place your jaw (chin) on top of your crossed and folded hands.

Exhale while tilting your upper body backward for 1 second, stopping while your eyes are facing straight ahead. Inhale and hold for 2 to 5 seconds and then return to the original position.

Prevent the growth of a small belly

Daily posture to pay attention to

Want to have abdominal muscles flexible, not stiff, need to pay more attention to their posture. "Because of the impact of looking down at the phone, most people currently standing or sitting, are the state of the pelvis tilted back. So whether standing or sitting, can keep the pelvis in a neutral position, it can help eliminate the small belly." (Ms. Sakazume)

People often sit with their heads down looking at their cell phones, hunched over, or sitting shallowly in a chair with their bodies leaning against the back. In this posture, the abdomen is tightened.

In the case of leaning towards the back of the chair, the hips should sit all over the chair, so that the back of the chair bears the weight of the body. The correct sitting posture is not to leave a gap between the back and the back of the chair. If there is no chair back, sit shallowly in the chair, feet in front, lift the heels, and straighten the back. Although this action is somewhat strenuous, but can use the thigh muscles, but also to achieve the effect of fitness. Pay attention to tightening the armpits while sitting.

When waiting for the subway, people tend to unconsciously make the pelvis tilt back and bend the knees. This standing position to support the body is not muscle, but bone, so it will feel relaxed. Putting the phone in front of your stomach and playing with it down will bend your back and also increase the pressure on your neck.

Just change the posture to a forward pelvic tilt and abdominal stretch, and your body will become beautiful and thin! Keep the phone screen parallel to your line of sight, and your chest will naturally lift. Tightening the armpits is also a point of attention.