Photo Courtesy Livin' Spoonful, Flickr CC
Crunches, sit ups, leg raises... Ugh, can I even get a six pack?!
Technically, everyone has a six-pack: it’s the rectus abdominis muscle, which runs down the front of your belly, but unless you're lean enough, you can't see them.
There are actually a number of factors that come into play when you want to see your washboard stomach: what you eat, your fitness regime, your genetics, the speed of your metabolism, daily chronic stress, and your overall dedication and work ethic. Wow! That’s a lot of factors to able to see those six sexy bumps!
“Strong abs isn’t the most important component of a visible six-pack; low body fat is. If you have too much subcutaneous body fat covering your abdominal area, then no matter how many hours of crunches or leg raises you do, you won't be able to see your six-pack.” Alex Carnelro - BodyBuilding.com
So, if there’s an “extra layer”, “winter coat,” a “blanket,” or a “keg” that your six-pack is hiding under, you need to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight and reduce that subcutaneous fat and see those abs. By following a healthy diet, increasing your cardiovascular exercises and adding resistance training you’ll be able to shed the extra pounds of fat. Note: Do not under eat; do not eat less than 1,200 calories a day!
Unfortunately, we cannot spot lose weight; we can’t just chose which area fat melts off our bodies. A study, however, from the University of New South Wales in Australia, found that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), alternating periods of high- and moderate-intensity, has proven to be especially effective for reduction in abdominal fat than those who moved at a steady pace.
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To get you started in HIIT, I developed HIIT-ilates (High Intensity Interval Training Pilates) – a workout specifically designed around your abs, back, butt, thighs and obliques. The workout can be done anywhere since you don’t need any equipment, just about six feet of floor space.
Click and share with your friends: www.FreeFitnessVideo.com
Other than diet and exercise, another outside factor that can (for the most part) be controlled is stress! With everyone being so seemingly busy all the time, let’s focus on that.
Research has revealed that stress and fat have a similar playing field. "Even if you usually eat well and exercise, chronic high stress can prevent you from losing weight—or even add pounds," says Pamela Peeke, MD.
“Every time you have a stressful day, your brain instructs your cells to release potent hormones. You get a burst of adrenaline, which taps stored energy so you can fight or flee. At the same time, you get a surge of cortisol, which tells your body to replenish that energy even though you haven't used very many calories. This can make you hungry... very hungry. And your body keeps on pumping out that cortisol as long as the stress continues.” Nancy Kalish, Prevention Magazine.
Very few of us reach for carrots or an apple in these situations. "Instead, we crave sweet, salty, and high-fat foods because they stimulate the brain to release pleasure chemicals that reduce tension," explains Elissa Epel, PhD, a researcher on stress eating at the University of California, San Francisco. “This soothing effect becomes addicting, so every time you're anxious, you want fattening foods.”
With that being said, as committed as I am to my health/wellness, Wednesday when I was stressed out with a computer issue, wasting hours of my time, getting increasingly frustrated I craved comfort food… bad! Still annoyed and frustrated, I fought the urges because I knew what my body and brain were doing. The next day when the situation had passed, I felt happy I hadn’t given into my stress cravings.
The more you know, the more your hard work will yield healthy results.
Your free HIIT-ilates mini workout: www.FreeFitnessVideo.com
Sources: Nancy Kalish – Prevention Magazine, Pamela Peeke, MD. Elissa Epel, PhD, a researcher on stress eating at the University of California, San Francisco, Shawn Talbott, PhD, author of The Cortisol Connection, Alex Carnelro - BodyBuilding.com
