Firstly, I would just like to mention that everybody has abs, it’s just the size of the soft ‘protective coating’ over the top that varies from person to person!
So now that we know our abs are definitely in there somewhere, what is the best way to bring them out this summer?

Well I can guarantee straight away that most of you are thinking ‘crunches, and lots of them’, but that’s just not true! If that was all it took then everybody could manage that 6 pack and no one would ever be seen with a ‘beer belly’ again!

The reality is however, that achieving a flat stomach can be a battle of mammoth proportions for many people. Naturally, our tummies and ‘love handles’ are the last place our body will drop fat from. We will typically lose from the face down and from the feet up, meeting in the middle with the belly the last to go.

Unfortunately you cannot choose where the fat will go from, so doing a thousand sit ups won’t take away your jelly belly. Think about it, every time you have seen someone with great abs, what has the rest of their body been like? No body fat right! Have you ever seen an overweight person with chubby arms and legs with a 6 pack? No, it’s just not possible!

So what this means is that in order to lose the fat from the belly, we need to lose it from all over our bodies. And how do we do this? It’s those same words that so many of you hoping for the miracle fix hate to hear – Good diet and exercise!

Along with a balanced carbs/proteins/fats diet, cardio and high repetition strength exercises are the key here! You need to be getting out 5-6 days a week for a good 45mins of fast walking, running or cycling. On top of this you need to incorporate fast, high numbered (24-30) repetitions into your weights programs or body strength circuit. The higher, faster and lighter reps will add that extra element of cardio into your training sessions. These sessions need to cover ALL areas of the body!

I know by now many of you would be reading this thinking ‘yeah right, who is honestly going to do all of this?’ That is fine; it’s a normal reaction if you are not somebody who has the self drive and enthusiasm for exercise and healthy living. The best solution if you need some extra motivation is to join a group exercise program such as boot camp, kickboxing or classes at the gym. That way you are training each morning/night with people from your local area, who all have the same challenges and goals ahead.

If you can stick out the first couple of tough weeks you will naturally develop a ‘hunger’ for exercise and it will no longer seem like a chore or inconvenience! Your motivation will now come from see your clothes getting looser fitting and the numbers dropping of the scales. Then, before you know it, you will have that flat, sexy stomach you have been working so hard for!

So, grab a tape and measure your waistline holding the tape level with your belly button. If you are Caucasian or Asian female and you measure over 80cm, and a male over 94cm, then you are at increased risk of developing musculo-skeletal problems, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension.
This should be a good enough motivation alone to start a new healthy and active lifestyle today! For more information relating health risks to your waistline, visit www.measureup.gov.au.

Happy exercising!