What can I say? We all love them, we all wish we had them. We see those rare few on the beach and wonder what magic wand was placed on their head to give them washboard abs. And you know they walk up and down that surf line strutting around like a proud peacock because they KNOW you’re looking. Tell me I’m wrong. It’s the one part of the body that we all wish we could have. Yet it’s the one part of the body that we’re unwilling or don’t know how to get in shape.
There’s this myth going around that says “if I just do enough sit ups every morning (which usually only lasts the average adult 3-4 days) then I’ll have those abs I’ve always wanted. Well let me tell you my friend, it’s just not going to happen that way. Another myth is that doing these same abdominal exercises will erase abdominal fat. The fact is, spot reduction is physiologically impossible.
I’ll take the easy way out (and I’ll be right) by telling you that there is no fast track from that soft middle you’re feeling to that rock-hard, beach-ready, six-pack abs. But there is a slow-but-steady way to get there. It will come when you build enough muscle and burn enough fat. Dare I say it… yes I did. Burn that fat. You’re not guaranteed to achieve it in a short few weeks, but you won’t achieve it if you don’t get started.
This post is not intended to show you ab routines which we will cover in a later article, but more to the point that you need to start this journey in the kitchen. I’m assuming that you are already or going to start an exercise program that either targets the ab muscles or the entire body. Most people tend to think if I starve my body I’ll lose weight. That may happen, but that’s not healthy and not recommended. When you starve your body it actually slows down your metabolism. Now if I’m your body and I’m saying to myself “Self, why should I burn all this comfortable warm fat around my gut, when I know (insert your name here) is not going to feed me today? I’ll just burn this muscle over here and store this fat. OK, I’m a little silly here, but you don’t eat, you slow down your metabolic rate. You eat and you speed up your metabolic rate which burns more fuel or “fat”. The body says “OK, now I’m getting fed regularly, and my next meal will be in about 3 hours so I can feel OK about burning this fat”.
It’s been recommended that you eat 1250-1750 calories for women and 1300-1800 calories per day for men. Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats are what you’re eating. Did he say “Fats”? Yep, but the good kind. During this “Fat Loss Phase” that you are shooting for, the recommended percentages will be 50% Protein, 30 % Carbohydrates and 20% Fats. You’ll eat 3 meals a day and 2 snack meals a day. So If you started the day with Breakfast at 6am, then a snack at 9am, Lunch at 12pm, another snack at 3pm and then Dinner at 6pm, you’ll be done.
The Protein will consist of a combination of lean meats, fish, eggs (preferably egg whites) and low fat dairy. The healthy Fats will be from nuts, olive oil, avocado, wheat germ, and other monounsaturated fats. The Carbs will include vegetables, whole-grain breads, beans, steel cut oats and whole wheat pasta. Look for exciting recipes to come in future articles.
So I know what you’re thinking. “I can’t possibly cook all these meals”. We all live in a fast paced world, but here’s a few ideas to help you succeed. I sometimes throw in a meal replacement shake, “Shakeology” or protein bar so I don’t have to cook or think about the food. I’ll cover Shakeology in another post but these are great tools to help you succeed in your journey.
This post was intended more for motivating you off of that “potato” claiming couch and do something to achieve those rock hard abs that all of us will be wishing we had just like you! But Abs are made in the kitchen, not on some fancy dancy machine that jiggles and wiggles your mid-section.
See you on the beach!
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