So you’ve been working out hard, but you still aren’t seeing the results you want, huh? Try making these lifestyle shifts for visible abs.
As you read through these tips, please remember that it is okay if you don’t have a six pack. No one, not even super models, have visible abs all the time. These lifestyle shifts for visible abs are good tips for improving general health as well. I encourage you to always prioritize your health over your appearance.
Don’t drink your calories
Removing liquid calories from your diet is the easiest lifestyle shift you can make. Avoid alcohol, juice, soda, or any liquid with calories in it. Try to drink water, tea, and coffee only.
Cut some carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an essential part of the diet. However, limiting them can help you look leaner. The body stores extra water with carbohydrates. This can create a puffy or bloated appearance that hides the abdominals. Skip the starchy, sugary and processed carbs and eat small portions of complex carbs (vegetables, fruits, and whole grains) instead.
Fat is your friend
Eating plenty of healthy fats will help you stay full and energized on a reduced carbohydrate diet. Research shows that fat helps increase protein concentration in the muscles. So a diet high protein diet works best when you also consume plenty of fat. Use a diet tracker like My Fitness Pal to track your macronutrients, and try to consume a minimum of 30% of your calories from fat.
Protein, protein, protein
If you’re not seeing your muscles, maybe they aren’t being feeding them enough protein. Use a protein calculator, like this one, to determine how much protein you should eat a day. In general you should aim to eat 0.8 gram of protein per kilogram of your bodyweight. However; athletes, highly active people and those with certain illnesses may need to eat much more than that. If you find you are not eating enough protein a day, gradually add more into your diet to avoid overwhelming your body.
Opt for total body training
Remember, diet is just one part of the equation. If your current routine isn’t working, look into changing your exercise regime. Aim to speed up your workouts and challenge multiple muscles groups everyday. My home workout plan, the 4-Week Flat Abs Plan, may be just what your body needs to start changing.