crunches ?? att..jeremy or any one

hi all, i have been doing crunches somewhat like a sit up. how many should i be doing? if my belly starts to hurt am i doing them right? what other exercises can i do since i cant use my treadmill due to a fracture but fracture is gone and still cant use my treadmill till dr says so. thanks . anita RNY~Aug.28,2003 270/181/150 surgery/today/goal

Anita, Try doing 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions 3-4 times a week. If you can do a lot more repetitions already, try increasing the amoiunt of resistance by holding something at your chest. This could be a textbook, a milk jug of water, dumbbell, or anything else you can think of (as long as it is safe).  As far as other exercises you can do please check out the following links within the exercise and fitness forum.

http://obesityhelp.com/forums/fitness/cmsID,8431/mode,conten t/ Let me know if you need more help.

Jeremy, Thanks for writing me back. I do the cruches a few times a day. sometimes i try the curl-up also. it wont help the extra skin i got but it will help lose more weight? now when i do the crunches my belly hurts. am i doing them right then? i am waiting on an appoval for a tummy tuck for this extra skin. thanks so much. anita

This might seem like a silly question, but.......  any suggestions for holding feet in place. Most of the times I start situps, I wind up several inches -- or feet -- away from where I started. Pillows aren't heavy enough. Sticking my toes under the couch doesn't work well.... alas, excuses excuses, but this actually is one reason I don't crunch or upsit as much as I'd like to.   Suggestions?

Try laying in front of the couch with your feet up on the couch and your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. A chair works too. Then bring your shoulders up off the ground and use a very small movement to crunch. Check out Chicometrics.com for a DVD that shows you how to do some great exercises that really do make you sore for no more than you are moving! Diona