Shall we start with, what I shall deem...the "perfect abs"? Okay okay, maybe not perfect because I know there's no such thing but if you ask me what type of belly I would like to have on me..
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| Gina Carano, ex MMA fighter, current kick ass role model, and going to be in the upcoming Fast and Furious 6 flick. |
Boom. As I'm sure you've heard, abs are made in the kitchen meaning, eat right and your desired abs will show through but it's not always the easiest task especially if you're a foodie like me.
Need some quick pointers on how to eat and how to exercise to get YOUR best belly?
Eat fresh.
Make sure your plates are full of color.
Even if you can't pronounce any of the ingredients, don't eat it.
Never skip breakfast.
Eat three meals and 1 snack. Or however many meals and snacks you'd like as long as you're not going over your calorie intake.
Try not to eat past 8pm.
Eliminate alcohol.
Drink water and tea.
No soda and no diet, low-fat, sugar-free, enriched anything.
If it didn't come from a mother, it doesn't belong in your belly.
Eat more greens than anything else. I like to drink green smoothies to get the proper amount of veggies...and if you don't want to chew all day, it's a great alternative and saves time.
Drink even more water on training days.
Embrace the 80/20 rule. Eat 80% great, and 20% not so great. Ex: 80% of my meals are lean protein, good carbs, no processed sugars, etc but that 20% is for that half of that red velvet cupcake your co-worker is giving you...or one of those mini Snickers nuggets (gets me every time! Gah!)
If you have to eat something not-so-stellar like a cupcake, pancakes, or anything that is a refined carbohydrate (white flours), I pump that in the morning so I have the rest of the day to burn it. Yup yup.
Eat for your metabolic type so you can accelerate your metabolism (aka the hormones that control how you absorb food).
Going for the V-taper look (hourglass figure aka larger shoulders, slimmer waist, larger hips)? Avoid weighted side bends or overworking your obliques with weights (side abdominal muscles) because that may build muscle and create a bulkier waistline.
It's all about the Isometric Ab workouts. What the heck is that? Here's an article explaining why isometric ab exercises are better for a slimmer waist.
Unlike most other muscle groups in your body that need rest days in between, the abdominal muscles can be worked pretty much everyday. Not sure what ab workouts are all out there? Here's a great starter I found from Pinterest:
Ditch long periods of low-intensity cardio (resistance 2-3 on the elliptical for an hour or walking for 40 minutes on the same speed the whole time). Unless, of course, HIIT is something your doctor does not allow you or if you have heart problems, by all means do what's physically best for your body. But, if you CAN do HIIT - you actually burn MORE calories even if you are spending LESS time doing it. It's the intensity levels that help continue burning calories hours after leaving the gym.
I'm assuming the type of workouts Gina does paired with conscious eating habits amp it up as well. Curious to see how Gina puts time in the gym?
Need some quick pointers on how to eat and how to exercise to get YOUR best belly?
15 Pointers on How to Eat for a Slimmer Waistline
Make sure your plates are full of color.
Even if you can't pronounce any of the ingredients, don't eat it.
Never skip breakfast.
Eat three meals and 1 snack. Or however many meals and snacks you'd like as long as you're not going over your calorie intake.
Try not to eat past 8pm.
Eliminate alcohol.
Drink water and tea.
No soda and no diet, low-fat, sugar-free, enriched anything.
If it didn't come from a mother, it doesn't belong in your belly.
Eat more greens than anything else. I like to drink green smoothies to get the proper amount of veggies...and if you don't want to chew all day, it's a great alternative and saves time.
Drink even more water on training days.
Embrace the 80/20 rule. Eat 80% great, and 20% not so great. Ex: 80% of my meals are lean protein, good carbs, no processed sugars, etc but that 20% is for that half of that red velvet cupcake your co-worker is giving you...or one of those mini Snickers nuggets (gets me every time! Gah!)
If you have to eat something not-so-stellar like a cupcake, pancakes, or anything that is a refined carbohydrate (white flours), I pump that in the morning so I have the rest of the day to burn it. Yup yup.
Eat for your metabolic type so you can accelerate your metabolism (aka the hormones that control how you absorb food).
"...the same foods that keep you looking trim and beautiful could make someone else gain weight and look puffy or tired." - (Source: Dr Oz on Metabolic Types)
10 Pointers on How to Exercise for a Sexier Midsection
Incorporate HIIT in your exercise routine to TORCH those calories during and AFTER you're done working out. What is HIIT? Here is Wikipedia's definition right here. How I define it? 30 seconds of doing an exercise balls to the wall style and 10 seconds of rest then multiply that by 4 which can look like this:
- 30 seconds of however many burpees you can do
- 10 seconds of rest
- 30 seconds of however many pushups you can do
- 10 seconds of rest
- 30 seconds of however many mountain climbers you can do
- 10 seconds of rest
- 30 seconds of however many butt kicks you can do
- 10 seconds of rest
***Note: Please check with your doctor before doing this because HIIT requires you to work at your maximum heart rate for 30 seconds.
Going for the V-taper look (hourglass figure aka larger shoulders, slimmer waist, larger hips)? Avoid weighted side bends or overworking your obliques with weights (side abdominal muscles) because that may build muscle and create a bulkier waistline.
It's all about the Isometric Ab workouts. What the heck is that? Here's an article explaining why isometric ab exercises are better for a slimmer waist.
Unlike most other muscle groups in your body that need rest days in between, the abdominal muscles can be worked pretty much everyday. Not sure what ab workouts are all out there? Here's a great starter I found from Pinterest:
Ditch long periods of low-intensity cardio (resistance 2-3 on the elliptical for an hour or walking for 40 minutes on the same speed the whole time). Unless, of course, HIIT is something your doctor does not allow you or if you have heart problems, by all means do what's physically best for your body. But, if you CAN do HIIT - you actually burn MORE calories even if you are spending LESS time doing it. It's the intensity levels that help continue burning calories hours after leaving the gym.
*Bottom line: Save time, work harder, lose that rubber time faster.
Track your progress! And no, I do NOT mean a scale. Actually, go ahead and donate that scale to your nearest Goodwill because it won't do anything but discourage you. Muscles weigh more than fat so when you're making progress, you're almost bound to weight a little heavier! Track your measurements every two weeks to a month and/or take pictures. Not sure how to measure your body? Here is an article on how to properly track them by Nerd Fitness.
Confuse your body every two weeks. If you do 10 pushups every single day for the next two weeks, your body's going to be like...
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| Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimsinvt/7137029695/ |
Switch it up! Every two weeks, at least. Same evidence for your brain - if you take the same route to work every single day, your brain activity levels aren't as active because you're on autopilot. However, notice how your body reacts when there is a detour on the road which forces your brain to work harder and think more critically for the next best route.
Get into the habit of contracting your stomach muscles, anytime, anywhere. No one has to know... ;)
Don't have time to do abdominal exercises. BULL! I won't take that. Watching a movie on the couch? Do some planks while you're watching it. Waiting for the laundry to dry so you can fold? Knock out some sit ups or bicycle crunches. Working late hours again at the office? Try these ab exercises at your desk.
Boom. Her personal trainer's name is Satan. Yup. I think that says it all right there.
Who's your fitness role model? Your go-to motivational person?
Who's your fitness role model? Your go-to motivational person?
I came across this photo:
Of me. And an old friend. At least 6+ years ago. And wondered..How the heck did I maintain a flat stomach without working out at all?
One word. Metabolism. Sigh. It's okay. I'm fine, really. This picture is actually a blessing because it further motivates me to work hard to "master my metabolism" as my fave fitness guru Jillian Michaels would say. So then I came across this recent photo of me poolside:
Oh whoops! Did I say poolside? What I meant to say was funny basset hound meme time. Gosh, I hope there's someone out there...anyone...that can relate to this. If you know me at all, basset hounds are #1. Period.Okay. Back to the recent poolside photo:
Compared to 6+ years ago, my hair's gotten way shorter, my bikini is a different color, and (although you can't tell in this picture) my body has changed quite a bit. I'm happy with the changes because I'm much healthier. And that's what I firmly believe what it all comes down to - - your longevity, vibrance, and quality lifestyle rather than obtaining the perfect body which isn't logical.
There's no such thing as the perfect body.
There's only the best version of you and that's as perfect as it gets.
Question: What's a random photo that is almost exactly a year ago from today?
Here's mine:
Homework for you: Go find a photo that is dated exactly a year ago today. What is it? How much have things changed since that photo?
Deep Thoughts: What do you consider a perfect body? Do you believe there is an ideal body out there? If so, how is it ideal to you and why?
I think there is a reason why I can never achieve a flat stomach. I think I need to have huge amount of motivation!
ReplyDeletewith love, Cassandra xx
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