There is hope for bellies of all shapes and sizes with these amazing Method Putkisto exercises.

Summer is a great time to tone up your tummy and get into shape. Perhaps not all of us can achieve a perfect belly but there is a lot we all can all do.

I think the skill to maintain our abdominal corset should be mastered by everyone, not only to look trimmed and in shape but also because this deeper core deeply affects our wellbeing. This is why we need to work on maintaining our core throughout our lives.

Forget the traditional abs gym workout like crunches. No more hundreds of reps, leg lifts, planks and cycling movements. There is another way: Method Putkisto is about focusing on lengthening the body, maintaining or returning it to its NEUTRAL position.

But what if the stomach just doesn't flatten?

Despite trying, I could not pull my Stomach in. The command "pull the stomach in” did not work for me. There was simply no space in the centre of my body to pull anything in. Do I have belly fat? Not really! So why ? What has happened? Perhaps you have experienced the same?

The day when I understood two facts that not only changed my body shape but my life. A lot happened but now let's focus on this one topic only.

First was the realisation of how tight and short muscles forced my body into a restricted position. This discovery led me to begin the whole Method for deep stretching Method Putkisto but that is another story.

Subject elongating those short muscles around my pelvis changed my pelvic tilt (and my life). Stretching was the way to free my pelvis. My structure, which I had thought was hereditary, began to change and became more defined.

Second was the realization about muscle imbalance. This makes it very difficult for us to use the correct muscles and in turn makes our body’s far weaker to start with. (despite all the exercising).

I realised how I needed to revert my thinking from superficial stomach muscles to the deeper core and those rarely used small muscles which provide support for the pelvic floor. I needed to reach deeper and work more precisely than I ever thought of.

Here are some rules to keep when toning your abdominals

First: A flat tummy is the same as deeper core activity.

CONNECT - work from the inside out!

Fat loss cannot be targeted to a specific part of the body, despite the fact that fat will accumulate in a specific area. However, you can strengthen muscles in a targeted way. Yet only when you connect to your core, the muscle activation order will improve. This means you are in balance.

QUALITY over quantity. Exercise the same muscle group in different positions. This way you can maintain the focus. Less is more.

STABILISE - the pelvis in its correct center position. In this position the deeper core activity is easy to achieve.

As a result, my relationship with my body has changed. My perception of beauty has also broadened: instead of beauty being perfection, it is more about being in touch with oneself. I always find the moment when my clients find their way to the centre line of their body, which is the moment when body and mind merge - to be miraculous.''

- Marja Putkisto

Make yourself strong, this is what we do:

• FOCUS - each exercise should target deep muscle groups. This requires relaxing the more active superficial muscle groups.
• SUPPORT each movement to the centre of your body,
• USE light weights and your limbs as weights. The smaller the weights you use, the deeper the muscles you will feel.
• If you use too heavy weights or perform the movement(s) too quickly, your body will have to generate force by compensating to cope with the work required by the heavy weight transfer.
• When the movements are small, you will be able to perform them more accurately.
• By slowing down the extension, more weight, i.e. stress, is placed on the muscle fibres, the muscle lengthens while it strengthens.
• Always exercise your whole body.
• Move to burn off energy but when you carry your body with correct posture you will get better results as the right muscles will start to engage.
• Accept that a well-exercised abdominal workout takes time! Only when the core is strong enough to support the spine in all movements, move on to more demanding sets of movements.
• Focus on the breath. Breathing correctly is actually a stomach exercise itself providing internal resistance, support and springboard for movement.

Fact box

• If you accumulate fat in the abdominal area, buttocks or arms? Did you know that all of these are functionally linked, and when you strengthen your midsection correctly, the shape of your buttocks and arms will also improve?
• Is your stomach bloated? Did you know that when you are completely relaxed, it's natural to notice roundness in our stomachs from above or from the side.
• This pudge isn't just about body type or body fat but can be affected by many things like foods you eat, poor metabolism leading to fluid retention.
• Flat stomach exercises will be affected by factors like hormone regulation, which is why many women are not built for a flat stomach.
• It takes time to firm up
• During a well designed exercise programme, your spine should be flexed and rotated in all directions. All these movements require an awareness of your body's centerline and the "core support" it provides.
• A healthy lifestyle and unnecessary weight loss is always beneficial.

Forget hundreds of repetitions!

You'll get this abs exercises and workout at home to tone your abdomen and gain a strong core. Join Marja on 28 August 2023 for her Flat stomach and toned abdominals course

Enjoy Marjas teaching

Learn to activate the deeper muscles in the abdominal area through deep strengthening and proper breathing technique. Join in here.

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