Greetings Bears! I have entitled this week's article "Social Butterflies" for two very good reasons:
- First, here in San Francisco, we have moved into the full swing of our social season....Gay Pride, Dore Alley, Lazy Bear, Hairrison Street Fair, Folsom Street Fair, Castro Street Fair....it's all a blur of leather, flesh, and fur. Now, more than any other time of year, fitness is foremost on our minds. Everyone hauls out their best (and in some cases, their least) and puts it all on display for thousands of locals and visitors to see.
- Which brings me to my second reason: I'm not very good with crowds. I walk very fast (thanks to my father) and someone is always getting in my way or walking like a turtle. I get antsy and feel (usually quite unwarranted) that there are too many eyes on me. You could say that I get 'social butterflies' in my stomach.
Did I say stomach? Yes, I did. I know how it is with us bears and our stomachs. It's either feast or famine...it's either a celebration of our bearishness or the bane of our existence. So, in honor of all things street fair, this week's article is about pure vanity with a highlight on our tummies.
I'd be a big hairy liar if I said that health and wellness were my only motivations for working out. WRONG. I want to look good in my clothes and I want to look better out of them. When I take my shirt off in public, I only want heads to turn, not entire bodies as they run away screaming in horror. To help avoid this emotional bloodletting, I engage in regular abdominal work as part of my regular workout regimen. It's true that I do get ab work in my boxing classes and I finish each of my gym workouts with roman chair crunches. But I devote at least one of my gym days entirely to my abs. My trainer reminds me that while cardio is important to help get rid of my belly, the abdominal muscles must be worked to develop their musculature. Here's what I do:
I perform three sets of each exercise with a maximum of eight reps per set. My first exercise is roman chair crunches. This is pretty straightforward. I clasp my hands as if in prayer and place them between my pecs. I tuck my chin into my chest and lay back until I am horizontal, parallel with the floor. I contract my abs and using just my abs, I slowly curl myself up, like a coil. The second exercise is lying leg raises on a bench. I sit at the very end of a bench and lie back. I place my hand on each side of the bench, at my lower back. I lie back and bend my legs and then push my legs straight up. Bending my knees ever so slightly and pointing my toes, I slowly lower my legs parallel to the floor and then raise them perpendicular to the floor, contracting hard in my abs. The third exercise is a variation on the second one. I raise my torso up to a 45-degree angle to the bench and when I lift my legs I also contract my abs and perform a crunch. The next exercise is hanging leg raises. I find a fixed bar high enough that the tips of my toes are just off the floor when I hang freely. I contract my abs and lift my legs, bending them naturally at the knees and tucking them into my chest. I slowly lower my legs and then repeat. The final exercise is standing side crunches. Standing with my feet shoulder length apart, I put my left hand on the back of my head. I reach across my torso with my right hand and place it on the side of my abs (the external obliques). I lean back slightly at the waist, breathe out, contract my obliques hard, and crunch my torso to the left. I perform eights reps and then switch hands and repeat for the other side.
This routine is working well for me. I can flex my abs and feel them hard and solid beneath the soft top layer of my belly. The lower sides of my torso are losing their hourglass appearance and becoming vertical. My posture has improved and I am less self-conscious about lifting my shirt in public. In fact, I may be brave this year and take my shirt off at the Hairrison Street Fair. Look for me if you're there...I'll be the one who looks like a bear.
Until next time,
Hugs (and licks if you want 'em)
