It's All About Those Abs!

Most people would love to have a flat stomach...and more so, only dream of having that elusive six-pack abs.  Well...here's some news you may not be aware of...you already have six-pack abs! Yes, you do! They're there...you just have to uncover them!

The above picture shows the placement of these important muscles.  This entails your body's core....there is a whole lot of movement going on with this area of the body...more than you may even realize.  Rotating from side to side, bending from the waist...you really rely on these muscles, so it's important they be in tip-top shape!

There are 6 of them, and they are key in body posture...the transversus abdominis...this is the deepest of the six.  The internal oblique (a pair of these)...they are the next deepest.  The external oblique (another pair), and the rectus abdominus....the ones that give that 'six-pack' appearance.

Okay, so you want them....but how do you get them? Well, it's more of....how do you get them to show? There's no magic bullet...nope...there's no supplement, no quickie exercise, no fad diet that will do this.  It's going to take consistent commitment on your part in exercise, and close adherence to what you eat.  Really, it's almost more of what you do or don't eat.  A clean/raw diet is best.  Yup....that's some work...much effort on your part.  It takes planning and sticking to it.  It depends on how much you want it....is it that important to you?  You've got to be willing to put forth a lot of effort.  It will take a strong, determined, applied mind to win this.

It is so easy for this part of the body to be out of shape, for both men and women.  It seems like any overeating goes right to the middle.  There are some great machines in the gym to help work all the muscles of the abdominal area.  One of my personal favorites is the torso rotation machine.  I certainly wouldn't suggest doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups, they're not really proven to do the trick.  You need to work all the ab muscles to get your desired results.

I'm still of the somewhat 'old school' belief that these muscles can be isolated and worked out daily.  Right now, I'm working mine three times a week...so whatever benefits I receive will probably be minimal.  If you're really wanting that sculpted look, then daily is a necessity.

As I mentioned, it is really more eating properly.  That does not mean starving yourself.  What it means is eating a lot of 'clean' foods....i.e., raw vegetables, fresh fruit, lean meat, quality dairy and fats.  Do away with refined sugar and flour, deep frying, fatty sauces, fast foods, and those awful caloric soda pops (!!)....those types of things.  It comes down to developing healthy and proper eating habits.  And it most likely will not come all at one time for most people.  It will be a slow but steady progression toward integrating these changes into what you are currently doing.

Persistence will pay off....you have to stick with it.  There won't be immediate results, especially if you are carrying a lot of excess body fat around your mid-section.  It can be done, just don't resort to extremes....not in your diet and not in your exercising.  This could be detrimental to your health, and then you've gained nothing.

Spring has officially arrived, so Summer is just 90 days away.  If you start now, you can make significant progress and unveil a new you in just that short a period.  C'mon...take this challenge with me, will ya? Let me know your progress! Whittle that middle, get your rear in gear, and let's make it a summer about those six-pack abs!