Do you want a flat stomach? I don't know a person
who doesn't!
People spend thousands of pounds, each year
in the quest for a flat stomach. Right now there
are about 200 or more ab exercise devices out
there. There's the ab do-it, the ab rock-it,
the ab roller, the ab dolly, and so many more.
You would think that with all of these amazing
new products that most people would be walking
around with that nice, lean mid-section they've
always wanted. Unfortunately, that's not the
case.
Most, if not all of these products, will do
little or nothing to flatten your stomach. And
that's because these exercise contraptions cannot
eliminate the layer of fat that lies on top
of your abs.
In order to be successful at thinning your waistline
you must have a basic under standing of how
the ab muscles function and how your body burns
fat. The first thing that needs to be understood
is the difference between fat and muscle. Fat
is excess calories and is primarily stored in
layers on top of muscle tissue. Muscle is made
up of fibers that contract or shorten to produce
movement. Fat cannot turn into muscle and muscle
cannot turn into fat! However, you can lose
muscle and you can gain fat. That's what happens
to most people.
So if your goal is to thin your waist line and
have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you
need to do is decrease / eliminate the layers
of fat that are on top of your abs. We all have
a flat stomach; it's just some of oar's are
covered by excess fat.
The most effective way of flattening your stomach
is a combination of strength training (with
a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular
exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable
blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional
fat and makes it easier for the body to use
body fat for fuel)
1.
You must do
some form of progressive strength training
The
primary function of the ab muscle is
to flex your torso forward. However,
there are also muscles that flex your
torso to the side and muscles that rotate
your torso. Often times you see people
on their ab roller every day doing hundreds
of crunches or sit-ups.
If you want to effectively strengthen
your stomach you need to incorporate
the following types of exercises:
The abs,
are muscles just like any other and should
be worked at most 3 times per week. You
also want to make sure you are training
them progressively, working them harder
each time.
2.
Use short,
hard cardio workouts to increase metabolism
Cardio
workouts are important because they
CAN, if done correctly, increase your
metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This
means you are less likely to store any
excess calories as body fat because
they are more likely to be used by your
elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more
likely to burn off some excess body
fat.
Below is a sample interval workout that
can be done with just about any activity
(walking, bicycling, swimming, stair
climbing, etc.).
Warm up at easy pace 2-5 minutes
perform 30 seconds
of hard work (almost as hard as possible)
perform 1 minute of
moderate work (recovery time-catch breath)
repeat this process
6-10 times
cool down at an easy
pace for 2-5 minutes
3.
Stable blood
sugar is the key
And
most importantly, you must stabilize
your blood sugar! This is by far the
most important factor when it comes
to burning away that excess body fat
and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize
your blood sugar you must feed your
body frequently; like every 2-3 hours.
The key is to give your body only what
it needs at that time. Your body burns
calories 24 hours a day, so, why would
you only feed it once or twice a day?
Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables,
fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains,
and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean
beef, eggs, etc.).
Many people are too hung up on how much
fat is in food, or how healthy of a
choice it is. Calories are calories
and it doesn't matter where they come
from. If there's extras where's it going?
Yup, you guessed it . . . body fat!
This is not to say that what you eat
is not important because it is, it just
doesn't have that much of an affect
when it comes to fat loss. Try to make
healthy choices whenever possible, but
don't feel like if you eat a cheeseburger
it is guaranteed to be stored as fat
4.
Get the help
of a professional
Unfortunately, most people don't know
enough about the human body, nutrition,
or effective exercise to meet their
health and fitness goals. Ask yourself
this one question, "Am I happy
with my current progress or condition?"
If you're not, you should consider getting
the help of a qualified fitness professional.
Don't depend on the information you
get from magazines. A qualified fitness
professional can help you achieve your
health and fitness goals, and in less
time than you would imagine.
If you are serious about your health
and fitness goals, and you are ready
for that flat stomach, I recommend you
start implementing the 4 strategies
listed in this article. These 4 strategies
can help you take control of your metabolism
and burn off that excess body fat and
having you looking and feeling great.
