A flat, tight tummy seems to be the holy grail of exercise pursuits. It’s so highly sought-after, and yet seems so evasive. When I ask my virtual fitness clients what their most important focus area is, it’s often the core area. Here are some rookie mistakes to avoid when setting out on a plan to cinch your midsection.
Mistake #1–Focusing on ab exercises to reduce stomach fat
Though it seems like it would make sense to exercise the body part that you want to shrink, the body works more holistically than that. There is an important distinction between strong abs and flat abs (or defined abs). What protudes beyond the waistline is not the result of weak abdominal muscles (though they may indeed be weak), but rather due to a layer of body fat that sits on top of the muscles. If you want strong abs, do ab exercises. If you want to buy a size down in jeans, get going on a plan for overall weight loss.
Mistake #2–Ignoring what goes in the stomach
My husband, who’s a hospital CEO with a competitive bodybuilding background (unique, I know!), always says, “Abs aren’t built at the gym. They’re built in the kitchen.” Again, no matter how strong you are you’ll never sport a toned look if you have excess fat covering up your strong muscles. And while a combo of cardio exercise and strength training is an important component of fat-loss, exercising just doesn’t burn enough calories to compensate for poor nutrition. Learn what your personal caloric intake should be and eat accordingly.
Mistake #3—Thinking that abs are all about looking good
There are almost as many reasons to exercise as there are people who exercise—everyone has different motivations! But even if you’re a busy professional who doesn’t care about building a six-pack and just wants to get healthy, you still need to care about abs! First of all, waist size is a huge indicator of chronic disease risk. Second of all, remember those strong abs I talked about earlier? We want to make our abs stronger, not necessarily because they make us look skinny but because they protect us from lower back pain and injury. And if you do happen to want to own a great-looking set of beach-worthy abs, ab-specific strengtheners will show off some beautiful definition once you’ve done the work of flattening the fat on top. Score!
Conclusion: With a little know-how and appropriately-applied effort, you can sport both form and function…and feel great doing it!
