Belly toning / sit-ups with broken neck

pollyanna24

It's the area I wouldn't mind toning (two children and all that makes it the first place to go a bit saggy), but as I have a broken neck, I feel uncomfortable doing normal sit-ups or using a roller thingie.

My neck was broken four years ago and I'm back to normal, just don't like excess pressure there ( understandably I think, haha).

Are there any other kinds of toning exercise that I could do to tone the stomach area?

purpleshoes_2

To be honest with you there are many exercises that use your core when you do them. Sit ups are pretty ineffective as exercises go, I know a lot of people swear by them, but they aren't the most effective exercise for targeting the transverse abdominus. Crunches on a core ball and reverse crunches would be better. Its hard just to target a specific area of the body, you might be better with a whole body approach. Plus look at your eating as well.

What you are really trying to do when you say toning is drop body fat and build muscle.

UKTigerlily

Agree with the above. Also, i've had a Personal Trainer for the last seven weeks and he hasn't had me do a single sit up yet and the belly area is where I probably have the most fat and would love to lose from. I'm sure if sit ups were good for it, he'd have me do them as he's an exceptional trainer and really knows what he's doing. Good luck with it however you choose though!

richj

google planks - these are very good for the core,. situps/crunches are not the best exercises for the core.

pollyanna24

Thanks everyone.

I am trying to diet and lose about a stone. Only exercise I really do is walking. Although I do have a cross trainer, just never get around to using it.

What's a core ball? I do have one of those big exercise balls that you can bounce on.

Nada666

If you're stressing your neck you're not doing things correctly. Sit-ups are pretty useless unless you are very strong in the first place. Concentrate on careful, smaller movements. Start with your shoulders off the ground if you must do sit-ups. It isn't the momentum of swinging your head that you should be using!

Plus, of course, sit-ups aren't going to trim your stomach so aren't going to help with what you want.

Actually, scrub that - seek advice from a trainer - badly done core exercises done to excess can end up making you thicker.

alleycat`

Swiss ball (core ball).

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=swiss+ball&biw=1680&bih=897&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=818JVa-gFMLY7Abk9IG4CA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg

Basically a large inflatable ball. The idea is that it makes you engage your core muscles to be stable, in this context at least.

Here are some example exercises you can use it for.

http://triathlonguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/quickandStrong.jpg

Other things you can do, off the top of my head include:-

Planks, leg raises, "superman", "wood chops" and "hill climbers".

pollyanna24

Thanks everyone. I'll forget about situps. After my first daughter I did 300 a day and had a nice enough tummy. I did diet quiet a bit as well and go on the cross trainer so they probably had an effect as well.

The Swiss ball is what I have at home. It is in my girls' toybox as they love it and bounce around on it all the time. So I might take it back or we can all use it to exercise!

Nada666

Don't forget that once you are a reasonable shape (in a real world sense not to fantasy outlier standards) chances are your core and abs are great - most of our pallid skin tones mean you will never be able to see how 'fit' you are - even if you have the body of a heptahlete without ideal lighting and skin colour you can doubt yourself.

After a bit treat yourself with a trip to a photography studio and get some monochrome shots taken to see how good every body can look.

browneyedbazzi

Have you considered pilates? Most of the focus of pilates is on building core strength which comes with the added benefit of shaping and toning your stomach area. Some of the exercises might not be great for your neck but others (including the plank mentioned above) shouldn't put any strain on your neck.

I did some small group sessions with a pilates instructor who was able to give tailored advice about which exercises would suit me and help me to get the technique right and now I can carry on on my own. You might benefit from something similar.

parking_question_chap

Sit ups are not the way to lose fat from your stomach

Basically you need to cut down on junk food and move more.

You cannot target a specific area to lose fat from.