Nearly everyone wants to lose inches off their waist and there are many schools of thought on how to accomplish this. Many people believe that the best way to trim your waist is to do hundreds if not thousands of sit-ups or crunches, but in reality, this method will not do much good. In fact, you may end up actually thickening your waist as a result.

Another common misconception is that you can target specific areas on your body for weight loss. While it would be great if it were true, there are absolutely no proven techniques that will allow you to lose weight only from your waist. It simply is not genetically possible to target only one area on your body for fat loss.

A trim waist is best achieved by using the right kinds of exercises in the right amount. We'll get to the second way in just a minute, but let's focus first on the types of exercises you should be doing. We already mentioned that crunches can make your waist bigger, so let's look into that a little further.

If you are just doing crunches and you're not working on a fat loss plan, you are essentially building up muscles underneath a layer of fat. While it is true that some calories can be burned with these exercises, it is not enough to burn that fat away from your midsection.

So, you are essentially building up those muscles under that fat, which will increase the volume of your waist, not decrease it. In addition, chances are you may not be doing your crunches effectively. They are only effective when you are using your abdominal muscles, not your back muscles to pull yourself upward. The abs are only in use from the time you lift your shoulders off the ground until you get a few inches up in the air. After that, your pelvic muscles take over and you're not getting much benefit.

The best exercises that you can use to isolate your waist are the ones that require cross over your body. This twisting motion will reduce the size of your waist much more effectively than crunches. Whether you're standing or on the floor, cross body movements are the most effective means of whittling your waist.

In truth however, the absolute best way to make your waist smaller is to burn the fat that is deposited there. Once you do that, you'll be able to see the actual results in your muscles and you'll be able to peel off inches from your body. In order to burn up that fat, you're going to need to reduce your calorie intake and increase your aerobic workouts.

Pumping iron without an aeorobic component doesn't do any good here.  True you are using energy to lift the weights, but you need to ramp up that heart rate and get your body working to burn that fat. If aerobics aren't your thing, find exercises that do get your heart rate up and stick with them. Even spinning can help you burn abdominal fat if you do it long enough.

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Originally posted 2008-06-02 05:07:11. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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While many of us would like to believe that we were meant to be naturally heavy, the fact is that each one of us does have an ideal weight. Finding it is never easy, and you can spend your whole life trying to beat the scale. Before you beat yourself up for one more day, it is vital to find out how much you should weigh.

This will vary based on many different factors. We do not recommend using BMI as your sole guide to your optimum weight since it does not account for frame size or muscle mass. You can use this as a clue, but do not rely completely on your BMI to determine how much you should weigh.

To discover your optimum weight, let’s talk a little about the three main body types: endomorph, ectomorph and mesomorph.

An endomorph is typically a little heavier by nature. They have softer curves and less definition throughout their body. It is very easy for an endomorph to gain weight.

An ectomorph is the polar opposite. They are usually quite slight, bony and have difficulty gaining weight.

A mesomorph has defined muscles and will typically have a very strong jaw and facial features. Even their hands may be muscled and their bones are typically large and well defined.

Finding your type may be a little difficult, but most of us are aware enough of our bodies to make a good guess. You can also ask your doctor for their opinion on what type you are. Next, let’s move to frame size. A person with a small frame should be able to wrap their hand around the bone of their wrist and have some overlap going on. A person with a moderate frame will have their fingers meet. A person with a large frame will have space in between their fingers.

Now, taking all of these considerations into mind, let’s talk about muscle mass. If you are naturally athletic, you’re going to have more muscle and as such, you’re going to weigh a little bit more. Finding your desired weight may be more about settling on a range of body fat percentage. This focuses more on a healthy weight for this body type, and keeps the range of body fat in the right zone.

A person with a medium frame will have the toughest time finding the right weight. For a clue, you can take the range of weight from your BMI result, and go for the middle numbers. Body fat percentage is also important here as well, and should be in a healthy range. If you have a low body fat percentage, but you’re still not where you think you should be, you may actually already be at your ideal weight.

A small framed person can usually use the same sliding scale, but this time, their ideal weight may be found at the bottom end of the BMI scale. Slight people may actually need to carry a little more body fat and weight to avoid osteoporosis and other health issues. If you are already underweight, you may need to actually gain weight to reach the right range.

Instead of focusing on numbers, you’ve got to look at overall health, the right weight range for your body type and the percentage of body fat you’re carrying. In there, you will find your ideal weight.

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