So a lot of people have been asking me lately about abs and not being able to lose the weight around their belly especially in their 40’s and 50’s.
I hear a lot of women say “My saving grace was that I have always had a small waist and a flat stomach but NOW its all been shifting to my midsection.”
AH… ain’t life a bitch??? Hormones my friends.. its all about Hormones.
So what may have worked for you in your 20’s and 30’s as far as diet and exercise may not work for you in your 40’s and 50’s. So I want to tell you the things that have worked for me in keeping the midsection lean.
One of the BIG changes I have learned is that while doing ab exercises is a key area in obtaining that lean mid section , it is not the most important area. The most important area is… DRUM ROLL PLEASE….
Nutrition and I know many of you know this… but repetition is the key to learning right? haha 🙂
Top 4 tips to reducing belly fat in your 40’s and beyond
You can perform hundreds of sit-ups, leg lowers and russian twists all day, everyday but until you change your eating habits, you will not see the results you are looking for. The foods you put into your body are absolutely critical if you are trying to lose belly fat. I learned this the hard way many years ago when I was under the impression that six pack abs should automatically appear as long as I just worked out hard enough. It wasn’t until I completely changed my eating habits that I was able to achieve what I was looking for. I still look back and think wow… I used to do that damn stair master for an hour and then eat a bagel for dinner. did you know bagels are low fat??he he ..
1. Cut down or reduce sugar
My goal is to keep my sugar intake to under 35 grams per day (not including fruit). Sometimes this can be a difficult task especially when you have a family like mine that loves to eat sweets. It seems that there is always a family gathering where sugar dishes are screaming your name. Beyond this, the daily foods we eat can add up higher than you think if you don’t keep a mental note of what you are eating. The best way to avoid eating too much sugar is to stay away from sodas, sports drinks, candies, white breads, pastas and other processed foods that may contain high levels of added sugar. I know what you’re thinking… friggin great Yvette? but I swear.. your body will adapt.. its just about making small changes daily that will add to big results.. DO not attempt to do this all at once or you will crash and keep going on the merry go round
2. Stop eating out and cook your own food
Eating out is a really simple way to ensure that you are reducing your fat and sugar intake. Fix all your meals yourself so that you know all the ingredients used. Of course, you’ll need to use fresh ingredients and create healthy meals when choosing to cook yourself. Processed meals just won’t cut it. Fresh veggies, fruits and lean protein sources should be used instead of the “healthy” packaged meals that you may be used to seeing at the grocery. Remember food manufacturers are in the business of making money.. labels are very misleading.. LEAN CUISINE’s are packed with chemicals, BREAKFAST BARS WITH ADDED PROTEIN are all loaded with chemicals, AND GLUTEN FREE FAT FREE OR SUGAR FREE BREADS COOKIES ETC are all crap. But again one thing at a time, Maybe try steel cut oats vs a breakfast bar for a few weeks .. maybe allow yourself to eat out once a week vs. 5… you get the idea.
3. Don’t drink calories
Unless you are drinking fresh pressed fruit and vegetable juices, you should never get calories from a drink. Water should be your primary source of hydration. Sodas, sports drinks and other sugary concoctions should be off limits when you are working towards ripped abs. These things will slow your progress tremendously. On a side note here. I do drink amino acids as a recovery drink after or during my workout.. but that is it. Oh and another side note.. those coffee latte’s and other foo foo drinks at starbucks and dunkin can really kill all your hard work you have put in.. so beware!!
4. Add intensity to your workouts in order to burn more fat
Getting a lean midsection is HARD.. BUT there is no way to spot reduce. so remember you cannot shed fat from one area like your hips butt thighs or abs.. When you shed fat, you shed it from all over your body. Adding intensity to your workouts will help you to burn more fat. This is especially true if you are combining all types of workout strategies including weight-lifting, cardio, interval training and circuit training. So the strategy here is to mix up your workouts and hit them HARD. NO READING ON THE ELLIPTICAL HEHE
If you go to the gym, or workout at home and are stuck in the same old routine.,, HIT the YSF3 Gym for brand new workouts every week. you will never get bored and you will hit it hard every time.. I know … i know … another plug.. but i just KNOW how great your are going to feel when you just press play 🙂 Try this quick 5 minute Ab workout below so you get the idea of how great you will feel!
Bottom line… Don’t focus so much on sit ups and planks.. of course they are definitely part of the equation but there are other things you can do that will have a huge overall impact on your body composition and where you store fat. We all have the six pack underneath the belly fat so the focus should be on reducing calories and increasing movement while reducing foods that are highly processed and filled with sugar. the end:)
