We all have a flat stomach and a six pack in us. It’s called the rectus abdominis and it’s hiding behind the fat on our stomach. Unfortunately for a lot of people (probably the majority) we can’t see out abs or six pack because of this fat. Underneath the layers of fat perfect washboard abs wait for us to find them.

Depending on your current weight and fitness level, bringing out these abs could be a difficult and long task. If you are overweight, and a large percentage of this weight is located around your stomach/abdomen there are a few do’s and don’ts for losing the weight and working towards revealing your flat stomach.

1. You SHOULD NOT be working out your abs with any sort of weights at all. You should also not use any sort of abs machines that uses resistance or weights. The only abs exercises you should be doing is some stomach crunches using your own body weight. A lot of people make a decision to do something about their weight and work towards a flat stomach but using heavy weights on your abs is not the way to start off. If you begin to use heavy weights when you start out or do too many abs exercises you will actually end up making your stomach look bigger than it already is. You ab muscles will grow under the layers of remaining fat and push your stomach out making it look bigger.
2. You SHOULD be doing aerobic activity. Completing cardio sessions is going to help you lose fat throughout your body. You can not simply target one area of the body to lose weight and fat from. In other words you can’t spot reduce weight from the stomach. So in order to move fat off your body, inlcuding your stomach you are going to have to combine cardio workouts with proper diet. Cardio workouts can be as simple as going for a brisk walk, completing a general weights session, having a hit of tennis or going for a jog around your local area.
3. You SHOULD NOT be running if you are obese. Running is a great way to include cardio into your life but anyone who is obese needs to find other methods for their source of cardio. Strenuous activities like running can put too much pressure on the knees and heart. Low impact cardio is what you will need to stick to. Walking is probably the best exercise to stick to until you drop some of the weight. Then you could try walking stairs and maybe even using an elliptical machine.
4. You SHOULD NOT be discouraged when trying to achieve that flat stomach. If you lose 1 pound of weight, that is equal to 3500 calories. If you have a lot of weight around your stomach it’s not going to happen over night. You have to realise that you either have to cut 3500 calories from your diet or burn 3500 calories from exercise. Realisitically it has to be a combination of both, typically aiming to reduce your calories by 500 per day so that you would lose 1 pound per week.

If you are struggling and what some extra assistance you should go and see your doctor, get a check up and get them to recommend a course of action for you to take. Alternatively get in touch with a local personal trainer to help you on your way to a better lifestyle, better standard of health and a flat stomach.

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