What Makes The Best Workout For Flat Abs
Posted on July 12th, 2009 in Sports |
A flat belly is the goal of many people; are you one of them? These days we have a more sedentary lifestyle, access to pre-prepared and highly processed food and are spoiled for choice with food. All this has given us the flabby belly. But there is something that we can do about getting a toned, flat tummy. You can do some of the best workout for flat abs at home easily and without a lot of expensive gym equipment.
It all starts with what you eat. Yes, of course you have heard it all before! That’s because it is correct. We eat too much and move too little. To lose that rounded belly, we need to burn fat and build muscle. The best way to do that is to eat less and move more; we need to burn more calories than we eat each day.
Before beginning a workout regimen, think about what you eat and maybe make some changes. Try eating 5 or 6 smaller meals or snacks a day; this increases your metabolism and stops you feeling hungry. Make protein your friend as it builds muscle, and muscle burns more calories than fat. Go for a variety of lean protein and don’t forget about dried beans, lentils, nuts and seeds.
Balance is important in a healthy diet, so get your carbohydrates from fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, dried beans, nuts and non-fat dairy. Drink lots of water; snack on fruit smoothies, nuts and fruit; get enough sleep and avoid fried, fatty, fast and highly processed foods.
An important step in your flat abs workout is to get active. Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity every day, with a cardio session on 5 days of the week. You can walk, use a treadmill or rower, cycle, run or swim - enough to get your heart rate up and to be breathing harder than usual. While you are doing cardio exercise you are burning extra fat, building and toning muscle, increasing your general fitness and mobility and preparing your abs for stronger exercise.
When you are ready to move on to strength training, you focus on the muscles of the torso, also called the core. Here, you are preparing your muscles for harder exercises, improving your balance and coordination. It is important to warm up before strength training and cool down after, with a light walk or jog and some stretches.
You can use weight machines at a gym for strength training, but you can also do strength exercises at home, using your body weight for the resistance needed to build new muscle fiber. Good exercises include the plank, the side plank and oblique or twisted crunches. If you go online you will find numerous ideas for strengthening abs exercises to use as part of your best workout for flat abs program.
