The New Year is still young, and if you’ve decided to make this your year for losing the weight and tightening your abs, you’re in luck.

Getting a flat midsection really boils down to two things: 1) Getting rid of the fatty layer that is covering your abdominal muscles; and 2) Tightening and toning your abdominal muscles.

The following 7 Tight Abs Tips are your Fast-Track ticket to getting a flat, attractive midsection this year.

Tight Abs Tip #1: Perform challenging strength training abdominal exercises at least three times each week. Your abs are like any other muscle in your body—they need to be consistently challenged in order to become stronger and tighter.

Tight Abs Tip #2: Stop eating junk. Processed foods, refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup do NOT belong in your diet if, especially if you want tight abs. Cutting these items from your diet will allow your body to maintain stable blood sugar levels, alleviating your body’s need to store excess sugar away in fat cells.

The fat stores created by excess sugar intake most often accumulate around your waist, covering up your abdominal muscles. Cut these items from your diet and replace them with real whole foods such as lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fruits.

Tight Abs Tip #3: Stop doing long and slow cardio workouts. Instead, use HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) for your cardio workouts. HIIT training uses intense bursts of cardio peppered throughout your workout. This is a sure-fire way to rev up your metabolism and to get your fat stores to shrink.

Tight Abs Tip #4: Use resistance with your abdominal exercises. Crunches are great, but your body quickly becomes accustomed to the motion, rendering it less effective. Hold a medicine ball or dumbbell at your chest as you perform your crunches—this will force your abs to work harder, and will achieve better results.

Tight Abs Tip #5: Don’t be fooled. The market is flooded with ‘lose weight’ products and products that claim to flatten your stomach. Never waste your time or money on:
So-called packaged health food that comes with weight loss claims. If it’s processed in a package with a bunch of chemical additives then it will not help you achieve flat abs.
Abdominal exercise gimmicks as sold on late night infomercials – all you really need is your own body weight, an exercise ball and dumbbells or a medicine ball.
So-called weight loss supplements. The magic pill for flat abs doesn’t exist, so you’d be wasting your health and money on a bogus product.
Tight Abs Tip #6: Target your lower abs. It’s easy to neglect the lower abs, but they are an important part of the equation. Incorporate the V-Up into your exercise routine:

Starting Position: Sit on the edge of an exercise bench; lean back to a 45 degree angle. Extend your legs out until they are level with the floor.

Movement: Exhale and bring your knees and upper body close together, while contracting your abdominals. Inhale as you slowly release your legs, returning them to the starting position.

Tight Abs Tips #7: Challenge your core often. Don’t limit your abdominal exercise to the gym, incorporate core strengthening during daily life and throughout each workout. A strong core is the foundation for flat, tight abs.

There you have it! Seven tips that, when diligently applied, will help you shed the fat and tighten your abs.

But, keep in mind that your results will be seriously hindered if you do the same exercise routine over and over. Your abs need a progressive challenge in order to transform. This means new exercises, different resistance and increased challenge.

    In less than two weeks, I will be going to California to view the 6th Annual Yoga Asana Championship. Many people frown when they see the words yoga and competition in the same sentence. Let me explain: there are 5 mandatory postures and 2 postures that the competitor has the option of picking. All the postures demonstrates strength, flexibility, focus etc… In essence the competition exist within the competitors. The greatest competitor that we face in life is none other than ourselves. Competitive yoga really challenges the individual to reach for the inherent greatness that lies within all of us. Everything that we face in life challenges us in the same way. Let’s continue to challenge ourselves until we are one with that inner greatness. Thank you.

A New Year for me signifies a new beginning and a end to the series of events that previous year.  New Years resolutions are made to get us back on track, by rededicating ourselves to new goals. I think the most significant goal that we can set for ourselves is to have a healthy mind and body. Once this is accomplished everything that we do becomes more enjoyable and meaningful. I have recommitted myself to a healthier mind and body for 2009. This commitment is not just with myself, but with everyone I come in contact with. May our resolutions positively impact all those that comes in contact with us. May we all have a healthy and prosperous New Year. Eugene

Hello Everyone,

         I would like to share my recent experience at a 10 day silence meditation retreat. I attended the retreat before as a meditator. This time I went as a server. The experience was totally different this time. The servers responsibilities were to ensure that the food was prepared on time as well as keeping the facilities clean. In addition to that, it was required as a server to attend group meditation three times a day for one hour. 

          In having responsibilities and meditating three times a day, it gave me a profound understanding of the importance of living a meditative life. Here are some of the things that I learned: (a) Meditation allows you to be centered and balanced when having to deal with situations that normally takes us from our center. (b) In establishing a daily meditational practice, it makes you more time efficient. (c) Meditation is not just sitting, chanting or focusing on the breath. It is a way of perceptive living.

Coming soon…. How to live a simple and meditative life?      

                                                                                                                              THANKS, Eugene.

Hello everyone, I would like to briefly discuss the importance of cultivating of conscious awareness of health and fitness.

There is no coincidence that within the word health lies the word “heal” and within fitness lies “fit”.

There are different types of consciousness: mental, emotional and physical.
When we can see the positive in any situation despite our total disagreement with it, we preserve the heatlh and fitness of the mind.

Many times we have experience disappointment, 9 times out of 10 there is an emotional pain that follows. If we can see that pain as opportunity to grow into a better understanding of ourselves. This helps to create emotional health and fitness.

In our daily lives we find ourselves just strolling to different destinations.
Be spontaneous by running to the car or mailbox, etc.

Physical health and fitness are when we can do this things spontaneously without feelings of having a heart attack or being out of breath.

Being health conscious is indeed a process that brings healing on many levels. Fitness goes hand in hand.

“Master of breath is master of life.”
Hindu Aphorism

Thousands of years ago, Eastern Sages and Masters understood the science and importance of the breath. The condition of our mental, emotional and physical health completely depends on the health of our breath. When our breathing is calm and peaceful, our mind and body are peaceful, too.

When our breathing is agitated or disturbed for any reason, our mind and body feel correspondingly scattered and disturbed. This shows that the breath and body share a intimate relationship. when we find ourselves in a stressful situations, often times the breath is forgotten or held. Try to become aware of the breath; then breathe, experience the release and clarity of mind that it produces.

If the breath is the bridge between the mind and body, becoming aware of it connects us better to the physical reality that is being experienced.

Take time to breathe. experience the magic.