Let's Talk About Abs...

Photography: @kyle.battersby
Here's a photo of me casually checking to see whether I have abs yet...
Just kidding!
In all seriousness - let's talk about what it takes to develop those defined, visible abs you see in all your fave Instagram models' photos...
I hate to admit it, but all of those sayings are true: abs are mainly made in the KITCHEN.
You can do thousands of sit-ups and core-based workouts every night and still not have a six pack. Why? It's all about what you're eating! This means, your weakness doesn't lie in "not doing enough crunches", it lies in your nutrition.
In order to lose those extra pounds of fat around your midsection, here's a few things you need to do:
1. Eat At A Calorie Deficit - If you really want to see those abs, you absolutely have to make sure you are eating less calories than your body burns per day. Now, this doesn't mean you should drastically cut your calories. (In fact, it's just the opposite!) You should ideally be eating between 100-400 calories under what your body burns per day - that way, you're not shocking your metabolism too much by eating too little for your body to survive, but it's still low enough that your body will be using your current fat storage to supplement the extra needed calories to maintain its regular functions.
2. Eat The Right Foods - To really see those abs, not only do you have to be eating at a calorie deficit, but you also have to be eating the right amount of PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATES & FATS per day that reflect your ultimate goals. (YES - you should still be eating carbs, ladies!!) Typically, you should be eating the same amount in grams of protein that you weigh (so, if you're around 140lbs, you should aim to be eating 140g of protein each day). Then, the rest comes from whatever ratio of carbs and fat best reflects your lifestyle.
3. Train Your Core - Although it's MOSTLY about what you eat, it's not all about the food. Make sure you are training your abs/core about 1-3x per week to strengthen your core muscles and really promote building lean muscle around your midsection. This will help to add that extra "ab definition" once you start to lean out.
By following these three tips, you should get you closer to your #abgoals in no time!
PS - If you have any more ab-related questions you'd like me to answer, leave a comment BELOW!
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