Rippling, toned abdominal muscles are something we hope to see every time we drop the robe in the bathroom. They look great, feel amazing and the muscular strength is good for your back and core health.
But most of us are more than a few sit-ups away from seeing them. Getting toned abs takes a lot of hard work and willpower to exercise and eat right. Below are a few tips to help get you on the path to a washboard stomach.
The fat truth
You can do sit-ups 24 hours a day, but if you have a layer of fat surrounding your abdominal muscles, you are never going to achieve a washboard stomach.
More bad news. You can’t just lose fat in one area of your body. You have to lose weight all over in order to lose fat. But, by working toward getting flat abs, you'll lose weight overall.
You are what you eat
In order to lose weight overall, you must change your diet. If you want to look lean, you must eat lean. That means lean, healthy foods that don’t contain high doses of fat and sugar.
- Substitute soda and high-sugar drinks with water and lemon.
- Avoid all fast food—cook at home and you’ll automatically eat healthier.
- Aim to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. For example, a banana or apple is considered one portion. You really can’t overeat on fruits and veggies, so stock up.
- Eat a healthy breakfast. Think an egg white omelette or oatmeal with blueberries and sliced almonds.
- Eat good food regularly. You may think skipping a meal will help you lose weight—and it might—but if you want toned, lean abs, you need a mixture of protein and healthy carbs.
All the abs
Now that you’re eating and drinking healthily, let’s talk about the abdominal muscles.
There are three groups of abdominal muscles:
- External obliques. The V-shaped muscles that run diagonally down your side.
- Internal obliques. The common “straight-down-the-centre-of-your-body” ab muscles that give Ryan Gosling his dreamy belly.
- Transversus abdominis. The deepest of the ab muscles, they wrap around your midsection to pull it in like a corset.
There are endless abdominal exercise programs available on the Internet, at gyms and on home-workout DVDs. Find a workout program that fits your lifestyle. Maybe you don’t have the time to hit the gym five days a week, so an at-home program would work best. All you really need is a mat and room to move. Be consistent.
Regardless of what workout you choose, it’s important that you exercise all three abdominal muscle groups equally. Building core strength in your abdomen not only helps you stay upright, it can do wonders for back pain.
