Peace Love and the Pursuit of Abs.

Most who exercise regularly look at having definition in their stomach muscles as a milestone on the road to being fit. However, achieving that tummy like a fitness model takes a lot of work. There are many factors involved in having that flat stomach, some of which we have no control over, like the body type we inherited. But all of us do have the ability to have a trimmer waistline. This time of year with all the holiday dinners is not the best time to pursue a trim waist. But the fewer inches we add to our waist now, the easier it will be to lose them after the holidays are over.

To start with a flat tummy is a result of reducing our total overall body fat percentage. We can't just take off fat in the places desired. it's an all over thing and unfortunately the body likes to store it's fat reserves around our middle. We can do sit ups or crunches till we are exhausted, but until we lower that overall body fat percentage, our abdominal muscles will still he covered in a layer of stored fat. Once we have allowed ourself to get heavy around the waist, it's doubly hard to ever have abdominal definition.

Once the fat cells are produced, our bodies will not destroy them. They will allow us to empty those storage cells of their stored fat but the cells will remain, ready for refilling, when needed. So if in the past, we went through a weight gain, we will have those fat cells for forever. We can have a trim waist but those layers of empty fat cells will hide our abdominal muscle definition, even when they are strong from regular exercise. It can be disheartening to work our abdominals regularly and not get to see definition but we do pay for our past habits. A trim waist and strong core should be our goal rather than the definition, when and if that does come it's a plus but don't stress if it doesn't happen.

Another issue a lot of us face is our body type. Some body types put on weight easier, others put on muscle easier. We are who we are though and we can't change body types. We can however make the most of what we have. Some people will have a harder time of it than others. After accepting who we are and the body we have to work with then it will be easier to make desired changes in fitness and strength.

The best plan is to work on the big three; getting weight down to a healthy level, cutting out the unhealthy habits and finally regular motion exercise. Doing these will make us healthy and strong, whether we have defined abdominals or not.

It's not just a step, it's a start.

Dave