Summer is coming, and what better way to prepare than getting rock-hard abs? Everyone hits the gym in the last few months before summer trying to get that summer body, but few actually accomplish that. Lucky for you, I have the secrets to achieving summer six pack abs that will give you confidence on the beach or at the pool.
Getting rid of the fat so we can see what’s hiding under there.
Let’s be honest, your abs are never going to show if you have a layer of fat covering them up, so the first step is getting rid of that extra fat.
Water Intake
One of the most common, but overlooked, steps to a toned body is drinking lots of water. Water has a way of flushing the toxins out of your system, and allows for your body to work more efficiently. Cold water will help boost your metabolism even more, in fact you will burn one extra calorie per ounce of cold water that you drink, so the more you drink, the faster your calories burn away!
Eating Frequently
Another way to boost your metabolism is to eat more frequently throughout the day. Nutritionists now tell us that eating 4-6 meals a day helps us burn more calories by increasing our metabolism, causing calories to burn. Eating more also causes your body’s metabolism to never stop working which keeps calories burning all day long, even when you are not active.
Avoid processed foods
Processed foods are very bad for your body and include tons of sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats. Anything processed, such as packaged meats, canned fruits and vegetables, bagged chips, and anything else that is packaged should be thrown away and out of sight while you are trying to lose calories. Lets stick to unprocessed, natural foods and get that six pack showing.
Protein
There is many ways to keep your metabolism running, including eating a good source of protein in every meal and snack. Protein has a greater calorie burning effect than other macronutrients such as fats or carbohydrates, your body has a hard time converting protein into fat, and you actually burn about 40% more calories just by eating protein. Protein will also help rebuild muscle tissue, both increasing your metabolism and building up those ab muscles.
If you are not eating enough fat your body wants to hold onto the fat that it has, so by eating some good fat, your body will burn your stored fat faster.
Nuts, avocados, fish, flaxseeds, and pumpkin seeds are “healthy fats,” which are needed to keep your body healthy. These fats are essential for your body because they help give you energy and help your body absorb nutrients. And let’s not forget, that you have to eat fat to burn fat.
Don’t forget to exercise not just your abs, but your entire body!
Last, but definitely not least, exercise! A very important step to getting those rockin’ abs is exercise, and more importantly how you exercise. Even though the goal of this is to have abs, you don’t want to focus on just one area of your body when you work out. Working out other parts of your body, like arms and legs, also helps keep your body healthy and toned, and will increase your metabolism more than anything else.
Over all, eating healthy foods, drinking lots of water, and exercise is all you need to have a toned set of abs.
Even if you are not planning on flaunting your body on South Beach this summer, you can still take your shirt off and be proud of the progress that you have accomplished.