They are probably the most abused and overused exercise. So many people are striving for a slim midsection or a rock hard six pack. Yet sit-ups are one of the last workouts you should really be doing if these are your goals.

First, it is important to realize that everyone has a six pack, it’s just that most of the time the muscles are hidden under a bit (or a lot) of fat. This should hopefully make you realize that a lack of visible abs is generally a problem with excessive fat, not a lack of muscle.

So now we know the issue. It’s a bit of fat, a beer gut or grain gut– not a muscular problem. I’m not sure how we all got into the habit of doing crunches. I think they are sort of like stretching, it’s an old school idea that our grade school gym teachers told us was essential and had us doing and we keep doing them.

Any exercise meant for slimming your midsection should be cardiovascular in nature, as you cannot spot reduce fat at any location of your body by any amount of crunches or weight lifting. Toning an area is a concept made up by the fitness industry. When you tone, all you are doing is increasing muscle mass and/or decreasing fat in an area. This cannot be done by doing 100 variations of a sit-up. The most efficient way to slim your waist down, get those abs to show up, or tone any body area is to be in a caloric deficit. That will cause your body to use energy stored as fat or glycogen (carbohydrates) for energy as you are eating slightly less than you use. To do so, consume fewer calories than your body requires to function each day and/or use exercise to get under your metabolic rate for the day.

There are many good exercises for strengthening your core. I cannot explain how to do the exercises here, but a quick Google search will produce the results. Different moves I do for core work are the bridge, leg lifts, superman, back and side blanks, the metronome and McGill curl-ups. These will strengthen muscle groups all throughout your core. A couple sets of 10 to 15 repetitions should be sufficient. If you are looking to add some muscle mass to your core or tone, try using some weights. You would not do 100 reps with no added weight to enlarge your quadriceps or biceps, so why would you do so with your abdomen? Just like every other resistance exercises without endurance fitness goals, if you can do more than 10 reps you may want to think about adding more weight. Also for reasons too numerous to list in a short column, sit-ups may be hurting your back and pelvis over time due to the unnatural and awkward motion.

A strong core is important and beneficial for daily health and fitness as well as important for sports performance. I have seen marathoners late in a race leaning to one side due to a weak core and muscle imbalances when they are running 26.2 miles or longer, Remember that your core is more than just your abdominal muscles and they go all the way around your trunk and your back. A healthy core will also benefit being able to sustain good posture throughout the day.

If you want to lose some inches around your waist, spend 15 or more minutes on the bike or treadmill instead of doing crunches. Be a bit more thoughtful of what you eat, get some more cardio into your routine, and skip the crunches please.

Kyle is a senior majoring in nutrition. View his blog at www.RunningOnTheWhiteLine.com

Kyle Kranz

We are past halfway through the semester now! It’s only a few very fast weeks until finals come around. Now come the late nights with energy drinks and coffee to stay awake and get the studying done and the papers finished. In these late nights, many people resort to supplements thinking they will unleash their studying warrior. However this practice may be doing the opposite.

The main reason energy drinks are said to work is that they contain the most abused drug in America, caffeine. A typical soda contains 20 to 50 milligrams while many energy drinks start at 50 and can go all the way up to 500 milligrams in a can! The reason so much caffeine should be avoided is due to how it stresses your adrenal glands to secrete adrenaline. Over time they start to grow tolerance to the caffeine and can even burn out. This actually results in tiredness and the need for more stimulation for the same energy boost. A study published in Psychopharmacology showed that measurements of alertness and tiredness were very similar in nondrinkers and habitual drinkers. When a person finally realizes, as I did, how much harm this substance alone may be doing to me, I quit. One may experience withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and loss of mental focus and function. But let me tell you, I feel much better off now that I do not rely.

It also depends on the drink, but some contain five or more tablespoons of sugar per can! This much sugar causes your pancreas to flood your blood with insulin to control the extra sugar. Unless you are exercising, most of the sugar will likely be stored as fat. Your adrenal glands also now release adrenaline and cortisol. You are indeed given a quick boost of energy, however it’s followed by a rapid crash, hampered immune system, and possibly a future insulin insensitivity, or Type II Diabetes.

One of my nutrition teacher talks about there being a small grain of truth in all marketing, this goes especially for energy drinks. They contain Taurine, B12, B6, L-Carnitine, etc saying they will improve your energy levels, improve alertness, or convert fatty acids into energy. The truth is that rarely does any single supplement result in a substantial benefit. Your energy systems are an amazingly complex network and the supplementation of a single substance is not going to make much of a difference unless one is deficient. And in that cause, a Shogun is probably not the best option for your source. A study published in the Journal of American Pharmacists Association concluded that “the amounts of guarana, taurine, and ginseng found in popular energy drinks are far below the amounts expected to deliver either therapeutic benefits or adverse events. However, caffeine and sugar are present in amounts known to cause a variety of adverse health effects.”

Caffeine is definitely safe when used appropriately and does have its uses. It is a stimulant and is the best legal (under certain levels) drug for use in sports. Also research does show drinks such as Red Bull increase alertness and reaction time. However use or overuse, like I mentioned above, has been shown to have negative side effects on health. These effects include negatively effecting bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, diabetes, depression, glaucoma, high blood pressure, and heart conditions. Caffeine also has been shown to interfere with the activity of vitamins such as folate, B12, and B6. High caffeine levels may also increase homocysteine and cholesterol, two significant cardiovascular disease risk indicators. High dosages can even cause an irregular heart beat and death.

So it’s 10 p.m. and you feel like you need a quick pick me up. A strategy I have used is to eat an apple. I have found this does a great job since it takes effort to actually consume the food, instead of simply sipping from a can. Also one of the major causes of tiredness or headaches is dehydration. So try drinking water throughout the day. A coffee now and then is totally fine and if I need to stay awake for a drive or a late night I may stop by Choco Latte for a drink. The issue is all the other junk and calories loaded into these beverages and the overuse and abuse of them.

If you really do want some caffeine and an energy boost, have a simple cup of  joe. According to MayoClinic.com, one or two cups a day is fine. It is when you get into the four cup range that issues may surface. If you are looking to cut back, try going half-caff. Also keeping track of how much you actually drink may be an eye opener. Many teas such as black, green, white, and oolong contain small amounts of caffeine, and most herbal teas are even caffeine free since they do not come from the tea plant but infusions of different botanicals. Try a caffeine free soy or fat free steamer with sugar free flavor.  If you brew your own, shorting the brew time can cut back on the caffeine content. Cutting cold turkey may work for some, but doing so gradually will help curb the withdrawal symptoms.

To the readers, and especially the guy sitting at the table next to me drinking a Rock Star at 2 p.m., think about this. The energy drink industry has a lot in common with other addictive markets such as tobacco and alcohol. People consume energy drinks because they want energy or think they need the product. However the over use of them actually negatively impacts how you feel. So you drink more, because the energy drink company’s marketing tells you it will help. Yet their product is what is making your body need them in the first place because of it’s addictive properties. For your sake, be a mindful consumer and save yourself the fatigue and the cash.

Kyle is a senior majoring in nutrition. View his blog at www.RunningOnTheWhiteLine.com