I sometimes think it's funny when people say they want to "get abs". We all have abs. Of course what these folks are really saying is that they want to let the world see their wonderfully chiseled six pack. But why am I bringing up this point? Is this really a worthwhile distinction?
You bet it is. It may seem surprising, but it's actually possible to strengthen and tone your abs while still keeping a layer of abdominal fat over your muscles! That may even be worse than not working out your core at all, because in this situation you wouldn't even get what you worked for: visibly great abs.
So here are 5 proven habits for making abdominal fat take a hike.
Habit 1 - Daily Weight Yourself
We all love to see progress towards a goal. It motivates us to keep on track. One study has even shown that overweight people who deliberately weight themselves every day while maintaining other good habits were a whopping 6X more likely to reach their weight loss goals. You should also consider writing down your progress for an ongoing visual encouragement.
Habit 2 - Keep A Food Diary
Even the most ripped people I know still do this. It's just that effective for losing abdominal fat and keeping it off. Just as it's incredibly helpful to have meal plans for every meal, it's important to keep track of every morsel that goes into your body. It may seem tedious at first, but it's really not that hard to get used to. If you commit yourself to establishing this habit, your abdominal fat will soon become a distant memory!
Habit 3 - Walk Around At Work
Now assuming you are like most working adults, you probably sit for a fair amount of the day. There's nothing wrong with that. We can all recognize that sitting for the necessary chunks of time is how we can focus on our work and get things done.
However, those who consciously get up and move around are more likely to shed abdominal fat among other kinds of fat. Most people can easily take advantage of this by going to the water fountain.
Habit 4 - Curb Your Portions
You may know that I'm definitely an advocate of eating more food provided we're talking about healthy food. But I must be honest about something. In Western cultures there is a tendency to eat a little too much at our meals. We like to have big portions.
Clearly fast food services in recent years have made their options larger to accommodate this trend! Well here's a good of thumb: stop eating the moment you feel satisfied, perhaps when you become "80% full". This is a proven way to make a dent in your abdominal fat.
Habit 5 - Always Take Your Time Chewing
You know, when I mention this tip to some of my friends and family, I sometimes get strange looks in return. And surely enough this is one of the most underrated tips for developing your abs. I don't know why this is, because it's so powerful. You will eat less overall if you make this a habit, and this of course will help you reduce caloric intake.
So if you chew your food thoroughly for about 9 seconds, then you will feel full sooner than if you chew your food for 3 seconds or so. If you are like me, you may have a hard time doing this. Sometimes I'm really hungry and want to just consume the food as quickly as I can, and other times I simply forge to do it. But chewing more slowly is certainly one of the best ways to burn abdominal fat simply because it's so easy!
0 commentaires:
Post a Comment