Dear Heather, I enjoyed reading your Dear Heathers when you published them, but it seems like it's been a while since you posted one. Also, I have been doing my own workout at home for a few years now, I alternate strength training and cardio and it seems to be a good system. But I do sit-ups every morning before I shower (I know they are strength training, but I have a phobia about my middle) and even though I can do 50 at a time and it's easy, I still do them. Is there a way I can make it harder so I can improve the results from doing them? - Thanks, Arizona Fan

Dear Arizona Fan.

Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate it. Yes, Dear Heather has sat idle for a time now, life seemed to be unexpectedly busy, specifically with my dental issues. I thought they would be resolved by now, but my insurance wouldn't pay for the procedure (or to be more precise they offered to pay $77 of the $1200 - what a bargain, eh?) I have an appointment with a local dental college that will do the work for cost, but they were pretty packed on the appointments, so I can't see them until the middle of August.

In the meanwhile, let's talk about your sit-ups. If you are doing standard sit-ups (50 are impressive) and they're easy, consider varying the types of abdominal exercises you do. For example:

• Monday - Bicycle Crunches - this requires that you pump your legs and twist your torso as you crunch and reach left elbow to right knee and right elbow to left knee
• Tuesday - Do 7-7-7s - this is a form of crunch that requires that you do 7 crunches towards the left, 7 towards the center and 7 towards the right
• Wednesday - Reverse crunches - instead of lifting your torso, let your legs do the work. Lay on your back, toes pointed towards the ceiling and knees slightly bent, control the gravity and bring them down to you and the push up again - you'll be engaging your core to hold this position
• Thursday - Standard Sit-ups if you want or return to bicycle crunches, you can also add a five pound medicine ball that you hold to your chest while doing the sit-ups to increase the resistance
• Friday - Day Off

Now you may change this around so you are doing an alternative method of abdominal exercise every other day while your body gets used to it. This is important to keep from tearing or causing injury to an abdominal muscle. I spoke with a mom just a week ago that lunged across the room to scoop up a toddler who'd fallen and she tore two muscles in her abdomen, so it can happen. Be careful.

Good luck with your workout.

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