Abs

Who doesn’t want a washboard stomach?!  The good news is, we all have a set of 6-pack abs. The not so good news is that some of us have more fat covering them than others.    And that's what it all boils down to…lowering body fat.  You can do crunches and planks til the cows come home but won’t ever see them if they’re hidden behind layers of fat.  You just can’t out-train a bad diet.  If your diet is poor your progress will be extremely slow, no matter how hard you’re working.  It might be encouraging to know it’s not all about the scale-it’s also about body fat percentage!  So here are some tips for revealing those abs of steel! 

• Think fiber, not carbs.  Foods high in fiber normalize blood sugar levels and keep you feeling full longer. Some of the best sources for dietary fiber included:  raspberries, cauliflower, collard greens, broccoli, spinach, celery, cabbage, grapefruit and green beans.

• Limit complex carbohydrates to your post-workout meal. It's perfectly fine to consume complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, sprouted grain bread and whole wheat grains. However, only eat these foods after you've "earned" them, which means that they should be limited to your post-workout meals. Your body will use these carbohydrates to replenish your depleted muscle energy stores and to enhance recovery.

• Eat Real Food. According to George Mateljan, author of The World's Healthiest Foods, un-processed, whole foods contain a combination of nutrients that synergistically produce a much more powerful effect on health than any one nutrient alone.  One study found that while one medium size apple contains only about 6 mg of vitamin C, it has enough other antioxidants - such as quercetin, procyanidins, catechins and epicatechins - to produce as much antioxidant activity as 1500 mg of vitamin C alone.

• Water. Besides the obvious fact that staying hydrated will help you feel satiated, water actually helps the body metabolize stored fat by keeping our kidney's functioning properly. Drinking water is also the best treatment for fluid retention.

• Be Prepared. Ok, we're an on-the-go society which is why fast food chains are so popular to begin with. However, if you're looking for that 6-pack, you're going to have to find alternatives to even the "healthy" sodium laden food choices found in those fast food chains. With a little planning, this isn't all that difficult.  Keep healthy snacks on hand such as:  snack size low fat cottage cheese, fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, string cheese, pre-cut vegetables and hummus.

So take care of yourself and eat whole, clean, real foods!