| 4 Secrets to A Flat Stomach |  |
Author: Jesse Cannone CFT, CPRS, CSPN
Article URL: http://www.achieve-fitness.com/flat_stomach.htm
Do you want a flat stomach? I don't know a person who doesn't!
People spend millions, if not billions of dollars, 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:
• 1-2 forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)
• 1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)
• 1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)
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 à Perform 30 seconds of hard work
(almost as hard as possible) à perform 1 minute of moderate work
(recovery time-catch breath)à Repeat this process 6-10 times à 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 extra… 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 personal fitness professional. Don't depend
on the information you get from magazines or from your local gym/
health club. 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! If you would like to receive
more information on how to lose those love handles please call me at
240-731-3724 or e-mail me at jesse@a...
Author's Bio:
Jesse Cannone is a certified personal fitness trainer, post-rehab
specialist, nutritionist, and a national fitness presenter. He is
also the author of Burn Fat FAST and A Bride's Guide To Fast Fitness
+ Weight Loss in addition to many other popular fitness articles. He
is known for his hard-hitting and to the point style and offers a
great free email newsletter called Fitness Success News, which you
can subscribe to at his website http://www.achieve-fitness.com
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