Trim the fat to get sexy abs!

How many of you out there exercise and can’t seem to get those sexy abs that you’ve always wanted?  Don’t use that as an excuse to stop what you’re doing, lets analyze and find a solution to the problem.  If you to want have sexy abs you have to lose the fat around your waist.  The only way to that is by eating healthy, exercising, doing cardio along with abdominal exercises.

If you are exercising and not getting the result, you obviously have to do something different either with your diet or exercise or maybe both.  What you’re doing may seem like a lot of effort but if you’re not getting the result, then it’s just simply not enough.  You can’t expect a different result if you continue to do the same thing.

First thing you have to look at is your food intake.  To gain great abs, you’ve got to be lean.  What do I mean by lean?  Having no “extra” fat in your body. Try cutting your food portions or eating a lighter meal, even if that means eating one spoonful less at each meal.  You may not think that it would make that big of a difference but every calorie counts.  Your liquid intake also has a big impact.  That means no alcohol, sodas or anything with a lot of calories.  Replace your liquid intake with 8 glasses of water a day and you’ll see the changes.

The second part is exercising.  You’re probably not doing enough exercises to see the result you want.  The best exercises to trim down and get sexy abs involve cardio.  Most likely you’re not doing enough cardio exercises to burn the fat.  Some people think that if they walk or jog 30 minutes a day that it will be enough.  What is enough?  Everyone is different and depending on your body and goals, I recommend doing an hour or more of cardio per day if you’re serious about trimming the fat to get those sexy abs.  Cardio is the fastest way to burn the fat.  Without it, no matter how many ab exercises you do, your abs will always be hidden under a layer of blubber.

According to the Health Check System, your body fat percentage categories for women and men are as follows:

Women           Men

Essential Fat    10-12%           2-4%

Athletes           14-20%           6-13%

Fitness             21-24%           14-17%

Acceptable      25-31%           18-25%

Obese              32%+              25%+

Although there are several formulas, using the U.S Navy body fat formula, my current body fat is 12.35%.  Does that make me unhealthy?  No.  Charts are only guidelines and this is only of them.  Don’t be afraid to trim down your fat!  I’m very healthy and my endurance is extremely high.

Three years ago, I was 88 lbs. and by most standards, I was in great shape!  For my height, I was already considered underweight.  My abs were toned but I wanted a more defining set of abs.  In order to do that, I had to do something different.  I was doing 200 ab exercises daily and decide to increase it to 500 ab exercises.  As healthy as I was, I still had to trim down my fat to reach my goal.

Now I weigh 85 lbs and my abs are still toned but just more defined and that was exactly my goal.  To have my abs, I do 45 minutes of ab training daily, a 4 mile jog every other day and 30 minutes of swimming along with a variety of other exercises.  Of course I continue to eat healthy. 

Keep it simple!  If you are at a plateau and are not getting the result, you may need to change your diet or your exercise routine.  Maybe even both.

Protect Your Skin & Look Younger Naturally

A common question I get asked is, “What is your secret to looking so young?”  The most important factor in keeping a youthful appearance is staying active both physically and mentally.  However, what you put in your body has a huge impact.  I don’t spend my time worrying about the aging process, although I do take precautions by making healthy choices in the foods that I eat. 

People are always amazed and surprised when I tell them my age.  They usually think I’m about 10 years younger than I am and when I go out, I still get carded 95% of the time. I’m 100% natural and I don’t believe in any plastic surgeries or injections like botox to look young.  As a woman, you can freak out a young man by telling him you’re pregnant.  As for me, I just tell him my age.  Genetics are only one factor but the rest is up to you.  I personally limit my alcohol consumption, I don’t smoke and I’m careful about how much sugar I eat.  All of the above directly affects the appearance of your skin.

I wear make-up when I’m out in public because it makes me look more mature as I like to being taken seriously.  Without make-up, sometimes I get mistaken for a teenager or they think my husband is my dad.  Although it’s humorous, it’s still a good problem to have.  Looking youthful truly begins with your skin.  If you don’t take care of your skin, you can age pre-maturely.  Besides exercising and being physically active, it’s important to choose healthy foods that are good for your body. 

One wrinkle-fighting super food that I enjoy eating is the pomegranate fruit.  This is one of several options that I personally use to have beautiful skin.  Pomegranates contain Vitamin C that helps fight wrinkle damage caused by excessive sun exposure.  Research indicates that the pomegranate contains ellagic acids and punicalagin.  Ellagic acid is a polyphenol compound that fights damage from free radicals and punicalagin is a super-nutrient that may increase the body’s capacity to preserve collagen that helps your skin look smooth.  It is recommended that you consume a cup of pomegranate per week.  Although it’s not as easy as pealing an orange and can be messy, I enjoy eating fresh pomegranates.  However, you can pick up the juice at any grocery store, drink it straight or mix it in your smoothies.  Pick up yourself some pomegranates and start looking naturally younger!

CHALLENGE YOURSELF

The one thing that helped me to stay in shape is that I’m constantly challenging myself.  We challenge our minds by going to school and educating ourselves.  To gain a healthy and fit body, you have to do the same, by educating yourself and being aware of your body.  You have to put efforts into working out to see results.

My most recent physical challenge is taking Wing Chun martial art class.  If you’re not familiar with Wing Chun, it’s the foundation of Bruce Lee’s martial art.  I’m aware of my age, size, look and sex and being that it’s a male dominant club I know it would be very challenging.

My challenges:

1) Age - In general, most people consider my age as “older” to learn something new.  I tried to persuade a female friend to take the class with me and she denied and said she’d feel silly being “so old” (she’s my age, 37).

2) Size - I’m 85lbs and 5ft tall, smallest person in the class.

3) Looks - My looks works against me in this environment because the men see the ladies come and go in 1-2 months.  For that reason, the men don’t take women seriously especially the attractive ones.  Therefore, some of the men give the least amount of effort to help and are less than welcoming.  As my teacher said, “The pretty ones don’t last.  They quit when they get a bruise”.  I’ll be damned if I will be stereotyped.

4) Sex - In general, men are physically stronger than women so I will always be sparring with someone stronger than me.

I accept my challenges and have a lot to overcome.  I’m 8 months into my martial art class and some people are starting to warm up to me.  I can only prove myself in time.  But the one thing that I won’t do is to say, “I can’t” and give up.  And I’m surely not afraid to fight with a man nor will I be intimidated. 

My goal is to master a new skill and become as good, better than the men or even the best!  I never limit myself to doing or trying something new.  Most females would rather take a dance or yoga class.  There’s nothing wrong with it and I have taken some and enjoyed it very much but it’s not challenging enough for me.  With my martial art class, I’m sparring with men who are physically a lot stronger and bigger than me in size and it forces me to work even harder and keeps me coming back.

This kind of physical challenge keeps me motivated, fresh and young.  Find your challenge and let it do the same for you!  Age, size, looks or sex has never been an issue for me so I dare you to challenge yourself.

Intellectual Beauty

What is intellectual beauty and do you have it?  You don’t need to be a scientist, doctor or even have a degree to be considered intelligent.  It’s as simple as your ability to hold a conversation without coming off or sounding like a moron.  Nothing turns me off more than an attractive person who is dumb.

There’s a certain charm and charisma that comes with intellectual beauty.  In my profession, I meet a lot of attractive people.  Unfortunately, their beauty begins to fade as soon as they open their mouth.  Lets face it, doors do open and opportunities present themselves much more rapidly to an attractive person.  This is why I set the watermark so high for them as well as for myself.  To rely on just your physical attributes is to short change yourself.

I’ve always been drawn to intelligent people and those who have a passion for learning.  People limit themselves when they think they already know everything.  They close themselves off to learning something new or better.  Life is a constant evolution and you can never know too much.  There’s always something new to learn, experience or improve upon.  You’ll never live long enough to know or do it all.  The greatest minds of all time are constantly open to new development, research and data to expand and improve upon their work and contribution to society.  These people are truly beautiful.

There’s nothing wrong with people who like to pamper themselves like going for a facial, manicure or a makeover.  It’s important to take care of yourself, just don’t skimp on the internal.  Be sure to pamper your mind as well as your body.  Fill it with knowledge and ideas.  Most successful people have biographies; you can spend an hour or an evening with some of the greatest intellectual and fascinating minds of all times. 

Physical beauty can only take you so far, and sadly for some, it just may be enough.  Your exterior beauty is temporary and will fade in time.  Intellectual beauty is eternal and gets better as we age and become wiser.  Keeping up with your workout is great but be sure to take time to exercise your mind!