4 EXERCISES FOR TIGHTER ABS

In my article "We All Have Six Packs", I highlighted some benefits of having strong abdominal muscles. Besides looking good physically, other benefits include: better breathing, improved posture, resulting in less back pains, helps a person avoid injury when performing tasks that put stress on the back and torso, and helping the body to heal faster after an injury or surgery to the spine.

No doubt, exercise helps strengthen your abdominal muscles. I have highlighted below four exercises which I have found effective. I currently do these exercises at least thrice a week.

Long Lever Crunches

You start by lying face up on the floor, one leg up and the other extended, just like in the image below, both arms should also be extended.

You lift your arms, upper body, and the extended leg together, to form a “v” shape and then go back to the start position. You should do about 10 repetitions on both legs. Focus on your posture and breathing. You exhale when lifting up and inhale when going down. Your eyes should be fixed on the ceiling , chin up and away from your neck. It is better to do 5 repetitions in good form than 20 repetitions in a bad posture. You should also contract the tummy when lifting off the floor.

Vertical Leg Crunch

Lying on your back, lift both legs up, crossing one leg in front of the other. Support your head with your hands.

Lift your head and shoulders off the floor, crunching the abdominals. Do 10 repetitions, and then switch legs.

Plank

Start by lying on your belly. Lift your chest of the floor, using your elbows for support.

Lift yourself off the floor, supporting yourself on your elbows and feet only. contract the tummy in as you hold the pose for about ten seconds. Try to keep the back as parallel as possible and the abdominal muscles contracted during the pose.

Side Plank

Start by sitting sideways on your hips, the top leg crossed over the bottom leg. Supporting yourself with the inner arm, lift off the floor. extending the other arm upwards. Contracting the abdominal muscles, hold the pose for about ten seconds.

Remember you are to warm up the body before beginning any exercise to prevent injury. you should also do a cool down and stretch after exercise.

NUTRITIONAL/HEALTH BENEFITS OF PLANTAINS

P lantains are widely eaten in West Africa. Plantains are similar to bananas but larger in size. While bananas are termed fruits, plantains are vegetables. Bananas are mostly eating raw, while plantains are usually cooked before consumption. Plantains can be eaten unripe, ripen or over-ripe. When unripe, plantains are usually green in colour, when ripen, they turn yellow. In Nigeria, for example, unripe plantains are usually used to cook plantain porridge, ripe plantains are mostly fried and used as a supplement to main dishes like rice and beans. Over-ripe plantains are used to make snacks like plantain fritters.

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF ZOBO/SORREL DRINK

z obo/sorrel was a must have during family gatherings. As children, we loved drinking it, not only because of how nice it tasted, but also because it coloured our lips and tongues red. Zobo (Nigerian) or Sorrel (Jamaican) is a red coloured drink made from a flower called Hibiscus sabdariffa. The sorrel plant contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, calcium, niacin, riboflavin and a group of compounds called flavonoids. Flavanoids not only gives the sorrel plant its deep red colour, but, are also rich in antioxidants which rids the body of toxins. The sorrel plant also contains nutraceleuticals, which are said to be helpful to the health. Nutraceleuticals can help prevent and treat several diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF LIME AND HONEY

L ime and Honey are two must haves in my house. I use honey as a substitute for white sugar. I remember a friend of mine visited me once and she wanted to drink garri (drinking garri is local to Nigerians, i.e. eating dried cassava with cold water as opposed to hot water), she was astonished when I told her to use honey to sweeten her garri. I'm not a tea person, but my parents are, and a cup of tea for them is not complete without limes.

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