My friend Kevin, whose advice must usually be taken with a (rather large) grain of salt, once said something incredibly insightful that has stuck with me for many months. We were discussing the occurrence of the ever desirable but extremely hard to attain six-pack abs. We discussed different kinds of crunches and ab exercises, and I expressed my boredom with the same old, tedious, limited exercises that one can to in his or her greatest attempts to strengthen, tighten, and slim one’s core. Kevin then bolded declared, (and I paraphrase,) “Well, what people often don’t realize is that abs are 70% what you eat, 20% cardio, and 10% actual ab exercises.” This statement was striking, and, while it might not be scientifically accurate, I later realized the truth behind his estimates.
We so often focus on doing hundreds of crunches, flopping around helplessly on exercise balls, and unintentionally straining our backs, when we really need to dedicate a large portion of our workouts to cardio and to commit ourselves to clean, lean diets in order to attain a coveted core. We need to take a note from Kevin, who works very hard for his abs, might I add, by consuming Chipotle on the reg, working out when the feeling strikes, and drinking as often as possible. Not all of us are blessed with Kevin’s figure or metabolism, so here are 3 steps we can all take to tone and tighten our cores to reveal gorgeous, lean, and svelte six-pack abs by summer! We’ve got about two months, so who is with me?
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1. Commit to cardio. We’re talking five days a week, minimum, ladies. Your cardio sessions (30-90 minutes… whatever you can fit into your schedule) can be as intense as regular spin or kickboxing classes, or as simple as a jog around the lakes or 10-20 rounds of running up and down the stairs in your dorm. Bottom line: break a sweat. Cardio burns calories that otherwise may be collecting around your mid-section and revs your metabolism to maintain a high level of function all day long and even when you’re sleeping! Remember Kevin’s words: 20% of ab definition relies on cardio.
2. Ab Exercises: Mix it up. Doing 300 crunches a day works the same muscles over and over again. The key to visible results is to keep your muscles guessing. Challenge different parts of your abs every day. Focus on targeting upper abs, lower abs, oliques, and your back (reverse crunches, anyone?) Worried your ab exercises are becoming routine and are failing to challenge the aforementioned muscle groups? Youtube or Google “ab exercise routine.” Laura London (floor ab workout linked in a previous article, “5 Fitness Trends I ADORE” http://www.hercampus.com/school/nd/week-5-fitness-trends-i-adore) does a great standing abs workout routine as well. Challenge yourself to try any workout video once. If you hate it, you burned some calories, and you never have to do it again! Remember, 10% of abdominal definition relies on exercises that target your abs. This is a small but absolutely vital part of your six-pack plan!
3. One smoothie meal replacement a day! Challenge yourself to try to incorporate one fruit and vegetable heavy smoothie into your daily diet as a part of your commitment to eating cleaner and smarter. If the smoothie is large (16 oz) and has adequate protein (Greek yogurt, nut butter, flax seeds, nuts, etc) try adding it into your diet it as a meal replacement. If it’s a smaller smoothie (8 oz) and really only contains fruits and veggies, incorporate it as an uber-healthy snack. For ideas, see recipes below that I have tried and tweaked myself. Each makes about 16 oz (one meal, two snacks, or one snack each for you and a friend!). I like to divide my smoothie into two small glasses and drink one after my workout and the other as “dessert” during those late night study hours. I promise that despite their odd (green/brown) colorings, they are now among my favorite recipes on earth.
(My Favorite) Banana Bread Smoothie
1 frozen banana, 2 cups baby spinach, 3/4 cup almond milk, 3 oz Greek yogurt, a dash of cinnamon. (I clearly couldn’t help but take a few sips before photographing. Proof how delicious it is!) Warning: you’ll be hooked after making and tasting this smoothie.
Banana-Peanut Butter Smoothie
1 frozen banana, 2 cups baby spinach, ¾ cup almond milk, 1 tbs peanut butter
Avocado Cacao Smoothie
½ avocado, 1 frozen banana, 2 teaspoons cacao, 1 tbs almond or peanut butter, 4 medjool dates
Banana, Date, & Almond Shake
1 frozen banana, ¾ cup almond milk, 1 tbs almond or peanut butter, 3 medjool dates, 1 tsp cinnamon
If this sounds like an absurd amount of work to you, remember that you can get bananas, milk of choice, spinach, (regular) yogurt, flax seeds, raisons (in place of dates) and other fruit (sometimes strawberries, peaches, pears, apples,) peanut butter, and cinnamon from the dining halls. You will have to venture to the Huddle or to the grocery store for Greek yogurt, avocados, dates, and other nut butters. Get creative. Once you try making a few of these tried and true smoothies, get creative, and make what sounds good to you! Try combining strawberries and bananas, blueberries and blackberries, peanut butter and honey; the possibilities are endless! Note: All the smoothies above are about 200-300 calories.