There are quite a lot of ways to get absand it can get a little confusing. Reading and hearing so-called “expert” advice coming from all directions – that can be daunting, for sure.
While some couldn’t stress hard enough that dieting is the primary and sole aspect to building muscle, others think that exercise is all you need. Then there are those who insist that crunches are just a waste of time, while others claim they are simply indispensable. Even the location of your workouts is under debate.
I could definitely relate as I, too, found myself in similar overwhelming situations before.
What if I told you that none of them were right? But, believe it or not, none of them were wrong either. It all boils down to PERSONAL CHOICE.
Combining various ways to get abs is the way to go and it’s up to you to decide which ones you think will work best for your body and your lifestyle. That is truly the best course of action, especially if you’re really serious about getting six pack abs.
The possibilities are endless, but there are only 2 things that you have to keep in mind for you to successfully carry out your personal fitness program:
Follow a healthy diet; and
Develop a regular fitness routine.
While these key concepts are pretty much standard, going about them may vary from person to person. Indeed, there are countless ways to get abs with a variety of diet options.
To greatly improve your diet, you have to consider WHAT you need to eat, HOW MUCH you need to eat, and HOW OFTEN you need to eat.
Basically, you need a diet that includes whole grains, lean meats and other rich sources of protein, fresh fruits, and a vast selection of vegetables. Instead of taking out fat from your diet completely, simply stick to essential and good forms of fat commonly found in nuts and fish.
How much of the healthy foods mentioned above are actually in your present diet? Do you think you’ve been eating far too much fat than you should? Are your meals mostly made up of processed carbs? Do you eat a lot of deep fried foods and dairy?
Reevaluating and weighing your food options are great ways to get abs. Asking yourself questions like these will help you customize your meals toward healthier practices.
This doesn’t mean you have to go totally Vegan and stay out of restaurants for good. Instead of ordering a big fat burger, maybe you could opt for a grilled sandwich or a fresh salad with a grilled meat garnish. Similarly, you can always go for olive oil based food instead of butter. Again, it just boils down to your choices and making the BEST one at a particular time.
The second component is just as important. Engaging in various cardio and targeted abs workouts will not only get you fast results, but it will also help you maintain an generally healthier lifestyle.
There are many ways to get abs, and all you have to do is line them up according to your priorities. A tailored fitness program works. Add in some determination and hard work, and you’ll definitely see results in no time.
Click here for a free video on a simple way to eat for sexy female abs…
Recently, I was talking with a good friend of mine,Tara, who was planning a trip to Hawaii. Her trip was in a couple months and she was completely stressed because she did not know how to improve her female abs before the trip.
You see, two years ago she had a child and was struggling to get rid of what she called her “muffin-top, mommy pooch”. A layer of stubborn belly fat that spilled out over the top of her jeans.
The biggest problem was that she was a VERY busy career mom with very little time for herself; and didn’t have time for complicated diet and exercise programs. Are you beginning to see her dilemma?
If you’re like many women, you’re juggling being a mom, a wife, having a career, being a daughter and/or maybe a sister. And you’re being pulled from multiple directions. So at the end of the day, how much time do you have left to really take care of yourself?
In the next 2 minutes, you’ll learn the 5 tricks I showed my friend to get great female abs that fits into the busiest lifestyles:
Tip#1: Be Determined to Take Time to Work on Your Female Abs
Now, I want you to think about the above sentence over and over. Just imagine for a moment giving yourself 15-30 solid minutes towards taking care of yourself and your flat tummy goal.
As we began talking about how Tara might reach her female abs goal in two months, I realized that carving out the few minutes it takes was her biggest challenge. With all her commitments, she’d forgotten her commitment to HERSELF.
Can you see yourself in Tara?
Now, as you continue to read my words, make a commitment to yourself that you are important enough to have time for just YOU- and not feel guilty about it. In fact, you probably already know that when you’re happy and taken care of, everyone else is happy.
Obviously, this can be easier said than done.
Here’s a secret: make time for yourself at the very start of the day. I’ve seen this very effective trick work over and over again. Using this secret guarantees that you’ll carve out the time to work on your female abs.
Tip#2: Reduce Your Stress
Okay, you’re probably wondering, “what do I do with the time I just committed to?” Relax!
Scientific fact: Too much stress leads to an overproduction of the hormone cortisol. Too much excess cortisol directly leads to excess belly fat.
What this all means is that your stress is making your stomach collect more belly fat. Not Good!
The two very effective ways to fight this are meditation and…get ready for it: dark chocolate!
Meditation is a proven stress-buster and according to the Journal of Proteome Research, dark chocolate contains antioxidants that reduce the “stress hormone”, cortisol.
See, this female abs thing doesn’t have to be all work and no play :)
The trick is to choose organic, dark chocolate made from 70, 80 or even 90% cacao (means fewer “bad ingredients”, like refined sugar) and limit your serving size to only 1 to 1-1/2 ounces. Too much of a good thing is still bad….
Tip#3: Make Simple But Effective Changes to What and How You Eat
Okay, let me confess something: this isn’t just about making time to relax and eat chocolate! You already know that it takes changing what and how you eat.
Stop! No dramatic diets please. Many studies have already proven that hardcore diets just do not work long-term. In fact, for most people, dieting actually makes pack on more fat in the long run.
I don’t want this to be you. See yourself mastering these 3 proven eating strategies for female abs:
Eat 6 or smaller meals rather than 1-3 big meals to increase your metabolism and make fat-burning automatic
Drink lots and lots of water
Eat real foods that are unprocessed- e.g. oatmeal, fruits vegetables, lean meats and fish (just doing this will make a huge difference on your waist!)
Eat consciously. When you eat, do nothing else. Stop eating when you no longer feel hungry.
Because, my friend Tara was so busy, I give her a copy of The Diet Solution Program. It came with a “Quick Start Guide” that allowed her to start getting results right away with a proven fat-burning eating strategy.
At first she was resistant because of the word “diet” in the name but I assured her that I hate “diets” too. The Diet Solution Program is not the name I would’ve chosen but the program is great! And Tara loves it because she loves food as much as I do and wanted a program that wasn’t frustratingly restrictive.
If you’re really committed to getting sexy, female abs and are anything like my friend Tara, you’ll get really excited once you see this free video…
Tip#4: The Real Secret to Long-Term Fat-Burning
Any expert will agree that while a good eating strategy is important, some kind of effective fat-burning is essential. It takes both a good eating strategy and training if you want great female abs.
But before you hop on that treadmill, know this: cardio is not the best way to burn fat!
You’ll be surprised to discover that muscle-building is actually better at burning fat which means you’ll see a nice, lean midsection faster!
“But I don’t want to look like a bodybuilder!” is what my friend said when I first suggested that she add muscle-building to her game plan.
Fortunately, women really don’t usually have to worry about over-building their muscles. Unless you do extreme bodybuilding, or take professional bulking supplements or steroids, you will never get the “Mr. Universe” type physique.
Certain areas of the body are more resistant to definition than others. Studies on exercise results between men and women show that men and women metabolize differently. While doctors are not completely sure why this happens, they suspect that the difference is hormonal.
According to fitness and nutrition expert, Mike Geary from the Truth About Six Pack Abs, the biggest mistake women make when trying to get female abs is only focusing on diet and cardio. The right kind of muscle-building actually gives far better results than cardio, long-term!
To prove this to Tara, I let her borrow my copy of Truth About Six Pack Abs where Mike give you a detailed, holistic plan to get nice abs for both women and men.
Tip#5: Build Your Abs!
After you have cleared away the fat, you still have to build your abdominal muscles to get that sexy, toned abs look. This takes time and training. No supplement and no miracle exercise program can do what consistency will produce.
Many people find that exercises like sit-ups create more back strain than results. The ideal ab exercises isolate the entire abdominal region, without putting unnecessary strain on your back.
Using a machine can speed up the effect, combined with floor exercises, like the bicycle and double crunch.
It takes time and effort to get those female abs to come out, but diet, exercise and persistence are the key factors.
Make sure you keep up the full-body, muscle-toning workout so that you get that overall toned appearance, while you build those beautiful female abs.
Have any of these proven useful for you? Let me know by leaving your comments below.
Building washboard abs seems like a very difficult task, but, really, it’s not. It only seems that way because you’ve made up your mind without even trying first.
I remember when I got started with this whole six pack abs thing; I didn’t really get it right away. After much reading, however, I realized ANYONE who had determination and dedication can get totally ripped abs.
Doing targeted abs exercises can certainly get you the abs of your dreams. Combined with a well-balanced diet and frequent fat-burning workouts, targeted abs exercises will get rid of that unwanted flab and sculpt your ab muscles.
As you load up on a good eating strategy and do exercises like running and swimming, remember to do targeted abs exercises 3 to 4 times a week. Building washboard abs can be easy if you follow these simple exercises:
Weighted Sit Ups
You won’t need much for this exercise except for small weights:
Lie down on your exercise mat, bend your knees slightly, and keep your feet flat on the floor.
Put the weights on your chest and keep them in place with both hands.
Lift your upper body slowly while keeping your lower half still.
Go up to a 45-degree angle and hold that position for as long as you can.
Slowly lower yourself back down and start all over.
Building washboard abs with full body crunches can get to your goal faster because it works the entire midsection.
Lie back down on the floor and begin doing regular crunches.
As your upper body comes up for the crunch, keep your ab muscles tight, and lift your legs off the ground.
Gradually lower both your torso and legs back to the floor.
Ball Crunches
For this one, you won’t need anything except for an exercise ball.
Sit on the ball and plant your feet firmly on the ground.
Without moving your feet, slowly roll back on the ball until your upper body and thighs are parallel to the floor.
Go up for a crunch while balancing your body with your feet and abdominal muscles.
Remember to keep those muscles taut.
Go back down to your original position and repeat the exercise.
Bicycle
Again, lie flat on the floor.
Place your hands behind each ear and bring your legs halfway up.
Begin a cycling motion with your legs, alternately bringing in each leg closer to your pelvis.
As your right knee comes up, twist your torso so your left elbow touches it. Then, do the same with the other side.
Once you’ve completed 10 to 15 reps, perform the same exercise while “pedaling” backwards.
20 to 25 reps of each exercise will give both your upper and lower abdominals a great workout. Remember to keep your abdominal muscles tight and drink plenty of water. You’ll soon realize that building washboard abs with these 4 great exercises will become a great habit!
I think it’s great that you’re asking yourself this. It only means that you’re ready for a cool change. It also means you are aware that having an unfit body and living an unhealthy lifestyle aren’t acceptable anymore.
Don’t be discouraged even before you’ve begun though. Getting your abs in shape isn’t as hard as you think. Once you have the essentials down, everything will just start to fall into place.
How does one get six pack abs? I feel that the most obvious question is, “Where does one START?”
When I decided to build my abdominals, I didn’t know where to begin either. I struggled for days, weeks even, thinking about the best thing to do first. Looking back, it would’ve been a whole lot easier for me had I followed these 3 easy steps:
The first thing you need to do is to look at your diet. Check the contents of your fridge, think back on what you usually order when you eat out, and review your grocery lists. These are a few things you can do to implement this step.
Altering my nutritional regimen definitely helped me kick off my objective to build my abdominals. Your diet can have a huge impact on your body’s performance and appearance. By cutting down on bad fats, starchy foods, and sweets, you’re actually paving the way for your body to get in gear.
Word of advice: before spending a ridiculous amount of money on complicated training machines and too-good-to-be-true diet pills, work on your diet. You’ll be surprised how much time and money you can save just by doing that.
Burn Fat
The second step requires you to burn excess body fat. Excess – the term itself says it all. When you have more fat than your body needs, it only makes it more difficult to tone your muscles, especially your midsection.
For me to build my abdominals, I had to perform full body workouts. Exercises that involve all muscle groups help burn more fat. Not only that, but they improve your general fitness as well.
High-intensity full body aerobic exercises will give you the best fat burning results during and AFTER your workout. As you form this healthy habit, your body will respond positively and can only continue to burn fat long after you’ve exercised.
Abdominal Muscles Training
Combined with full body workouts, regular implementation of an abdominal training program will definitely get your ab muscles toned and buffed in no time. This was the third step I took to build my abdominals.
High-resistance ab exercises such as weighted sit ups and hanging leg raises build muscles fast and safe. After doing regular crunches and sit ups, it would be best if you tried exercises that will challenge you more. Remember, the higher the resistance, the faster you’re going to get ripped abs.
Following these 3 steps made it easier for me to build my abdominals, and it will do the same for you. So, start eating healthy, perform full body workouts, and hike up the resistance for your ab program today.
Are you still trying to build your abdominals? Have these helped you? Add your comments below.
If you’re looking for a complete home gym, a Body Solid exercise machine is just the thing. With a lot of cardio training and ab workout machines to choose from, you’re bound to find the one that best suits you and your lifestyle.
Working hard to get the body of your dreams is one thing; having to maintain it is another. With the right piece of equipment from Body Solid, you can easily follow through with your abs fitness plan and continue to look good.
There are 3 good reasons why you should get a Body Solid Exercise Machine:
1. You get what you pay for…and more. When looking to buy exercise equipment, you would definitely want something that will last for a long time. The only way to do that is to look at your purchase as a long-term investment. You can expect to pay a little more for high-quality exercise equipment.
This is not the time to be stingy. The cost can be a little overwhelming at first, but think about what a Body Solid exercise machine offers:
Great value for your money
Excellent performance
Very easy to operate
Provides many features
The price range of these equipment is varies, so you surely can find one that won’t break the bank. Asking for installment plans and special discounts can also help you a great deal.
2. A lifetime warranty makes it all worthwhile. Body Solid offers lifetime warranties on all of their products. This can play a big part when you decide on purchasing one. Not only is it ideal, but having a lifetime warranty can help ease your mind.
Years from now, you would still want to feel secure about your purchase. A lifetime warranty guarantees that you can enjoy your Body Solid exercise machine for a very, very long time.
3. You get a diverse range of exercises. Variety is crucial when executing a successful fitness plan. With their state of the art fitness technology, you will be able to perform all kinds of exercises even when you buy just one piece of equipment.
The Body Solid EXM 2750S, for example, boasts of significant technological advances in the last 2 decades. It replicate free weight exercises and promotes 25% more muscle interaction while maximizing your body’s full range of motion and keeping you injure-free.
You can easily perform the following exercises on a Body Solid exercise machine:
Ab crunches
Bicep curls
Leg extensions
Bench press
Lat pull downs
Seated rows
Incline press
Triceps extensions
Shoulder press
Leg curls
The best part is that the benefits don’t end there.
Having your own home gym equipment can motivate you to continue working out. That in itself is a good reason to get your own Body Solid exercise machine. When you buy a Body Solid product, you know you’re getting only the best there is.
What do you like best about your body solid exercise machine? Let us know by sending your feedback below.
