Abs are made in the kitchen AND the gym

Longevity Personal Training and Exercise Physiology Drummoyne,Edgecliff, Marrickville, Bella Vista, Randwick, Lindfield continually preach facts, not myths. Today, we debunk the myths over how to create that ‘six pack’ look. At Longevity, we believe a holistic approach is best.

You would’ve heard the saying ‘You can’t out exercise a bad diet’, and that is true. Let’s take an example; approximately 10 minutes of jogging will burn approximately 100 calories*. Just ONE Tim Tam is equivalent to approximately 98 calories. So, if you have one Tim Tam it’ll take approximately 10 minutes of running to burn it off, but what about all of the other discretionary choices you may have consumed? Is that putting it into perspective?

*Your energy expenditure is dependent on body size, sex, body composition, genetics and activity level.

Everyone has ‘abs’. Yes, even if you weigh 80, 90, 100 or 150kgs. Our body’s anatomy is all the same, i.e we all have over 650 muscles in the body however the amount of body fat we have can differ greatly and is dependent on your nutrition and exercise habits.

Kitchen

A good place to start in terms of your diet is adhering to the Australian Dietary Guidelines; consuming a wide variety of wholesome foods such as 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit per day, and a balance of wholegrains, lean meats and poultry, and dairy. Ensuring you have an adequate balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Click here for the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating 

Gym

Adhering to the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines is a minimum. This consists of a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity, i.e a fast paced walk, or a minimum of 75 minutes of high intensity activity, i.e sprinting, or a combination of both per week. In addition to cardiovascular training, a minimum of 2 resistance training sessions per week targeting all muscle groups is required.

You don’t need to spend hours doing crunches, in fact that will be a slower way to achieve the dreamed ‘6 pack’ look. A balanced workout of large compound movements, including upper and lower body exercises will help to build muscle not only around your core but your whole body. You will be surprised with how much your core muscles are activated in every single movement.

Click here for the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines

Consistency      

Energy consumption vs energy expenditure is key. And in order to have the adequate balance, you need consistency. You can’t expect to achieve results overnight or from one or two ‘good’ days. However, with consistently good exercise and eating habits over months, if not years, you will see your waist circumference decrease.

 

If you need assistance with achieving the right balance contact Longevity Exercise Physiology and Personal Training on 1300 964 002.

 

Written by Angela Vitucci