Sunday, February 15, 2009

4 Ways That Will Assist To Define Or Show Your Abs

By Rob Molloy

Before we look at the four steps you can take in order to get six-pack abs, we need to realize that no matter how much training you do, and no matter hard your six-pack is, if it's hidden away behind a layer of belly fat, nobody will be able to see it. Although this may sound a little strange at first, there are in fact 4 ways to get six-pack abs from the kitchen. If you give it a little thought, it really does make sense because as I've already pointed out, unless you shed your belly fat, those abs you just not going to be visible.

You also need to know that in order for abs to be visible; one needs to have a very low percentage of body fat. It's been established that men can have no more than 10% body fat if they want to be in a position where their six-pack becomes visible. Likewise, woman can have a slightly higher percentage of body fat but here again; it should be less than 14%. If we take this into consideration, I think it's safe to say that this is not going to happen for the average person unless they change their eating habits significantly.

The best way to burn fat is to put yourself into a calorie deficit. That means that we need to be using more calories than we eat. There are about 3500 calories per pound of fat. If you want to lose one pound of fat (3500 calories) per week you need to have a calorie deficit of 500 per day. You need to be eating 500 less calories than you burn. To lose weight you need to be eating less than what your body needs. That way it will start dipping into your food reserves. Working out is going to be the best way for you to use up that energy.

So, you've decided that you'd like to see your abs? Well here are 4 ways to get six-pack abs from the kitchen:

1. Carbohydrates are a source of fuel for the human body. Likewise, your body will always use the carbs you're providing it with before turning to its fat reserves so the less carbs you provide your body with; the sooner it will start burning fat. The disadvantage of this method though, is that for those trying to build muscle; carbs are a very important and much needed source of energy. However, if your goal is to lose weight, then cutting back on carbs is highly effective.

2. Perhaps one of the most common problems people face when they go on diet, is that they tend to lose muscle as well as fat. Essentially this is because while on a diet, one is most often depriving one's body of much needed fuel. The best way to counter this negative result of carb deprivation is by including a lot of protein in your diet. Of course, as I've mentioned earlier, you need to remember that calorie intake must however still be kept at a level which is less than your body requires, which in essence means that you need to eat less than what your body needs. Under normal circumstances, those who are trying to increase muscle mass would need to ensure that approximately twenty to thirty percent of their diet consists of protein. On the other hand, if you're cutting back on carbs as part of your diet, then you should increase your protein content to about forty percent.

3. Cut back on bad fat and eat more good fat. Of course you need to be cutting the bad fat out as much as possible but you don't need to be cutting out all fats. Bad fats are the saturated and trans fatty kinds which can be used for energy and your body tends to store. The good kinds of fat are monounsaturated fats which aren't stored by your body, aren't used as energy, but are great at increasing your metabolism. Increased metabolism means helps bring about fat loss making it easier for you to see your six pack abs.

4. Considering that the human body is approximately 70% water, it makes sense that it requires abundant water in order to operate effectively. Deprive your body of water and you can be rest assured, it will be storing water away when you do give it some. However, if you drink enough water to meet your body's demand, not only will you be helping to clean your system out but you'll not be giving your body any reason to store water. Additionally those on diet can benefit from the fact that drinking plenty of water allows you to feel full. - 15438

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