Abs Are Made in the Kitchen, Not the Gym

When I was a personal trainer, the most desired body part to improve was the stomach.  I was reminded of this today when a family member asked what she could do to improve her tummy.  Have your heard the phrase "abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym?"  Well, that saying is mostly true.  Experts say that nutrition is 70 - 90 % percent responsible for changing your body shape.  I exercise a minimum of four hours every week, and I am able to maintain my current weight.  However, the times that I have lost body fat have been when I have been counting calories and making healthier food choices (what I plan to do for the new year).  Getting toned abs is not hard.  Getting them to be visible is the difficult part.  Exercise will do its part to shape the muscles, but until you remove the fat on top, you won't see them.  This requires a healthy, well balanced diet.  So that is where to start.  But for those of you who are still curious about what exercises to do to strengthen your stomach (and other core areas), do a variety of plank exercises, the basic crunch, leg raises and bicycles.  Keep working hard for those abs this year, and you will not only like what you see in the stomach area, but the rest will look good too.  Have fun!