How To Do a Proper Abdominal Crunch

Crunches is similar to sit-ups, except that instead of lifting your entire back off the floor, you only lift your upper back.
This isolates the ab muscles without engaging muscles in your hips. Crunches are also safer than sit-ups because they don't compress your spine as much.

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 3 to 5 minutes

1. Lie on your back on the floor using a mat for cushion, bend your knees. Your feet can either be flat on the floor or suspended in the air for a more crunch.

2. Place your hands behind your head or across your chest. Don't pull your head or neck up during exercise it can place extra strain no the spine. Your head and neck should be resting on your hands.

3. Slowly curl your back to lift your shoulders towards the ceiling about one or two inches off the floor using strictly your abdominal muscles. Exhale and contract your abs as you go up and keep your neck straight.

4. When your shoulders are off the ground, pause and hold that position for a few seconds.

5. Slowly lower back down as you inhale, don't just "plop" back down. Your control on the way down works your ab muscles as well.

6. Relax your abs before doing another crunch.

7. Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions with perfect form for each rep.

8. To add variation, bring your knees in at the same time you lift your upper body off the floor (full body crunch)

9. To make it more difficult, balance on an exercise ball.

Side Crunch

Just follow the steps for regular crunches, but lean both legs to one side (still bent, knees together, close to floor). Lift both shoulders off the ground simultaneously like in a regular crunch. Since your torso is twisted, you will feel it in your side. Do several crunches on one side, then move your legs over and repeat on the other side.

Blueberries Health Benefits

Full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that prevent long-term cell damage. It has the highest antioxidant capacity of all fresh fruit. Blueberries are very rich in anti oxidants like Anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper (a very effective immune builder and anti-bacterial), selenium, zinc, iron (promotes immunity by raising haemoglobin and oxygen concentration in blood) boost up your immune system and prevent infections.

A strong immunity will prevent colds, fever, and other baterial diseases.

Blueberries also aid in reducing belly fat. A new University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center study suggests that blueberries may help reduce belly fat and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.

Did you know that oysters are good for your skin?

Oyster is the best source of zinc. Zinc helps build collagen, which supports the structure of skin and speeds up repair and renewal.

New Year's Eve space fireworks

A massive eruption on the surface of the sun this week blasted out a wave of super-hot plasma so high that it could tower over 20 Earths, NASA officials say. Despite its size, the solar eruption was not the most powerful example of the sun's stormy wrath, they added. They also wrote that "Magnetic forces drove the flow of plasma, but without sufficient force to overcome the sun's gravity much of the plasma fell back into the sun. The length of the eruption extends about 160,000 miles [257,495 kilometers] out from the sun. With Earth about 7,900 miles [12,714 km] in diameter, this relatively minor eruption is about 20 times the diameter of our planet."

This solar eruption happened on Monday Dec. 31 and was recorded on camera by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, a spacecraft that captures high-definition video of the sun.

SOURCE: Yahoo! News