For folks having problem pushing out their business, strengthening their abdominal muscles may help.
There may be over 100 best abdominal exercises, but not many are designed for frail people. Old people and ladies like me who are not athletic need muscles neither to impress an audience nor our egos so gentle abdominal exercises would be more practical.
Here's some recommendations:
Leg Slides - This is the easiest.
1. Lie on the back with both knees bend, hip-width apart. Semi supine posture is recommended, but I can't be bothered about stacking books under my head to the comfortable level. So I just lie on my back horizontal.
2. Keep the back flat by pulling in stomach muscles. I like to put my hands on the lower abdomen to check.
3. I slide the right leg first because in my culture it is a sign of good fortune. ( Winks, perhaps a good stool day ) Inhale as the leg slides outwards, keeping the heel flat.
4. When reaching the limit with the heels still flat on the floor, knees slightly bent - exhale. It's time to slide back to neutral position. As I do this step deliberately slow, I can feel contraction in the lower abdominal muscles.
5. Alternate with the other leg.
Abdominal Exercises for Constipation - Pelvic tilt
Pelvic Tilts There are two basic types of pelvic tilts - subtle version resembling slow motion belly dance and, the horny version.
I prefer the subtle version doing it lying on my back with folded knees. The main thing is to feel for a gap formed between the curve of the lower spine and the floor. As I contract the abs, I try to fill up this gap as much as possible because I am darn skinny. Might be easier for for people with more flesh.
I can also press my back against the wall to perform the tilt on slightly bent knees. This is an alternative for pregnant women but I find it more difficult than lying down.
Actually pelvic tilt is a basic movement for belly dance. I should get some belly dance music to go with it.
As for the horny version. Lie on back, knees folded and raise tail bone while tightening the gluts and abs. Down and up, down and up. It looks like pr0n but it works the abs comfortably.
Abdominal Curls - There are different levels of difficulty of abdominal exercises for curls. I would like to start with this one which I am most comfortable with.
1. Lie on the back with both knees bend, relax.
2. Roll neck from side to side. Must warm up the poor neck other wise I might sprain it later. LOL
3. Use one palm to cradle the base of my dear head.
4. Lovingly park chin towards floor.
5. Place the other hand on lower abdomen to remind it not to bulge out. I find this step very important. During my initial attempts when I forgot to park the abdomen inside, it "tremble" when I curled.
6. Park should blades towards the floor.
7. Get ready for the curl.
8. Breathing in, imagining tucking tummy to squeeze into a pair of super tight jeans. " Must get in, must dress to kill."
9. "Zip up the jeans ". Breathe out and curl.
10. Just curl a little, subtly – remember your purpose is only to push last week’s meals out, not getting killer curves. A little, as long as the abs are worked, will do.
11. This is the busiest time, curling and remember the hand still checking on the abdomen. Make sure your butt is parked tight to the ground, otherwise, "trembling abdomen".
12. 3-5 seconds of eternity, breathe in, uncurl.
13. To ward off monotony, let the hand on the abdomen go to the head, change shifts and repeat.
Next version, the neck gets no pampering from a cradling hand:
1. Lie on the back with both knees bend and both hands on the sides, relax.
2. Breathe IN to curl. Both hands try to reach out for the toes behind the knees.
3. Again, don’t have to be athlete perfect: lift head and shoulders 3 inches above ground if you can’t do a lot, try to aim for 12 inches.
4. Keep ab tuck in. Otherwise, it will shake uncontrollably. LOL
5. Hang on 3-5 seconds.
6. Breathe out, uncurl.
Note: This one, I am so confused with the breathing. I think I need to make a work out mp3 audio file that chants: " Breathe in. Curl. Don’t break your neck. Ab tuck in. Count 1-2-3-4-5. Breathe out. Uncurl " to do it properly.
Finally, the standard abdominal curl which is similar to the above but done with legs straight. Like rowing a dragon boat.
"Lazy" Crunch - Lay on your back with legs stretched straight. Clasp hands to form a shelf to support your head. Lift head gently and slightly towards as if to see the toes. Don't just bend your neck, try to lift the upper back. Repeat about 5-10 times.
A note from wikipedia on crunch abdominal exercises :"Using the hands to exert force on the neck can cause injury, so common practice is to avoid placing the hands behind the head itself. The hands can however form a shelf to support the weight of the head so that the neck flexor muscles can relax during the movement. So long as the neck remains in an extended position with the neck flexors relaxed, then the hands are not exerting excessive force and it will not cause injury."
My opinion-"It's safe for me as I try very conscientiously to raise my upper back instead of relying on the hands to push my body up. I start with less than 30 degrees and gradually increase the angle."
Side Crunch -Lay on your back and bend knees. Drop the knees to the right side while your face is still towards the ceiling. Put hands behind head and crunch.
There's a fitness snob who says of all abdominal exercises, he will not recommend side crunch because it is not effective in getting rid of 'love-handles'. As long as this helps my colon to get things going, I would use his mustache to sweep my front porch.
Oblique V-up - This is the cousin of side crunch abdominal exercises. LOL. Lie on one side like a sleeping Buddha. Extend the hand on the floor 45 degrees from the body. Put the other hand behind head. Keep legs straight and about 20 degrees from the horizontal line, curl toes towards heels. Inhale. As you exhale, lift upper body and legs slightly. The imaginary aim is to meet the elbow with the toes. A beginner may not achieve much, personally I am happy with 2 inches above ground and feel the pinch on the oblique muscles on the side.
Straight Leg Raise -Lay on your back, legs straight and closed. Put both hands straight on both sides of the body. Lift up both legs about 30 cm. Maintain this posture for 5-10 seconds. Repeat 5 times. Lower the height if necessary.
This form of exercise is actually a medical test performed by a doctor to determine whether a patient with low back pain has an underlying herniated disk. If doing this exercise hurts your backbone...oh oh! You probably have a problem and you better stop.
Pretend you were a slide -
Abdominal Exercises for Constipation - Slide
Sit on the floor with legs closed and straight. Spread palms outwards 45 degrees behind your body at a distance of about one and half palm. Lift your waist upwards. Your aim to place the head and toes in a slanting straight line until your soles touch the floor.
Don't bend your arms. Maintain this posture for about 10 seconds, repeat 5 times.
Pretend you were a table. -Sit on the floor with legs closed and folded knees. Spread palms outwards 45 degrees behind your body at a distance of about one and half palm. Lift your waist upwards. This time your aim is make yourself like a table by bending your knees while keeping waist and head in a horizontal position. As for me, I can never make myself like a table, so I just make myself into a "crooked V" table.
Abdominal Exercises for Constipation - Table
Kneeling cable crunch - Abdominal Exercises in the Gym. Go to a pulley machine. Set handle to the highest position. Attach rope handle or v-bar. Hold on to handle with wrists near ears. Face the pulley machine.
Kneel down. Imagine the pulley machine is Buddha and your are kowtowing to him, not with the strength of hands but flex the abs to pull downwards into a crunch position. Pause briefly.
Time to go up. Let the rope lift you up while maintaining contracted abs. You should return to a slightly hunched posture. Repeat, try to do this slowly like a solemn obeisance. Ahem!
For more great tips on abdominal exercises, go to
muscle-fitness-tips.net
which have kindly suggested a few workouts for this website.
