How to Get Great Abs!

"I need to work my abs"


"Can you show me an exercise to get rid of this?" [she says as she grabs around her belly with both hands]


"I want to have great abs"

Abs - Abs - Abs - they're everywhere!

You see them on professional athletes, you see them on models in magazines, you see them on TV infomercials flaunting them as they show you the newest, bestest, greatest ab machine that is going to give you flat abs! Yeah, wow!

Feeling pretty honest this morning, so hang on to your chair...you want to see your abs? You want to have a flat tummy?

THEN STOP EATING CRAP! 

I know, you already knew that.

Then, WHY aren't you doing it and WHY are you still eating the CRAP?

There is a misconception out there, esp among women, that there is a "magic" exercise out there that is going to give you good abs. There has to be some twist, some crunch, some machine that will flatten your belly and make it look good. Has to be. Right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

You already have abs. You may already have strong ab muscles. But you can't see them. They are covered by a layer of fat. So get rid of the layer of fat. That's the hard part. How do you do that?

-By establishing a good weight training routine.
-By establishing an effective cardio routine.
-By eating clean, meaning cutting out foods that are bad for you or learning to live in moderation with them.

If you are consistent with these three things, you will see results in your abs. But you have to be consistent. If you are 20 lbs overweight, then most likely, you are not going to see meaningful results in your abs area until you lose 15-18 lbs. And most people will lose 5-10 lbs, NOT see any results in their abs, and get discouraged and quit. It's not worth it, they say, because it's too hard and I guess that's just how their body is going to be.

That's not how it has to be! 

Great abs come from a healthy diet and exercise program. They come from listening to your body and giving it what it truly needs. They come from battling the emotional food-battles and working out when you really don't feel like it. It doesn't mean that you have to have a die-hard approach, but you do have to be serious. You may have to give up something you really don't want to - like alcohol, or diet colas, or desserts. But the results are well worth it.

As a trainer, it's frustrating to see how many people are uneducated about their abs. The guys go into the gym and all they want to do is bench press, lift as heavy as they can. The gals go into the gym and all they want to do is the eliptical, go as fast as they can. There has to be a balance. Guys need to learn how to do effective cardio. Gals need to learn how to lift weights. And everyone needs to learn how to eat clean. In an effective weight loss program, 20% of effort is in the gym - your workouts, the other 80% is in your nutrition. And the same applies to your abs - 20% workout, 80% nutrition.

So, be mindful of what you are eating. 

If you say "I shouldn't be eating this, but..." - change that to "I shouldn't be eating this and so I am NOT"

If you say "Losing weight is too hard" then it will be.

If you say "I want great abs" then do the work to get them, okay?

I'm always here to help...
sandi@startwiththeinside.com