Sunday, February 1, 2009

Best Ab Workout Is No Ab Workout

By Robert Casewood

Fat around the midsection has long troubled gym-goers with less than stellar physiques. This can be attributed to our bodies' tendency to pack most of our body fat around our bellies, buttocks and thighs. As such, this area can be the most stubborn to trim down when we're working-out.

Businesses and savvy entrepreneurs have discovered the demand for products that produce a six-pack in a short span of time and have been making big bucks in this lucrative market even with less than effective gadgets and "belly-fat reducing" creams.

Unfortunately for people who plunked down a significant amount of cash for these "breakthrough" products, there is no real way to spot-reduce belly fat. Fat reducing creams won't do it and neither can gadgets that isolate the ab muscles. Ab machines and ab workouts only serve to develop and strengthen muscle tissue, but they don't really do much to eliminate the layer of belly fat covering the abdomen.

So body fat burn is the answer. So how do we go about doing that effectively? Legions of leotard-clad women in aerobic classes have long known the answer- cardio exercises. Experts say incorporating total body cardio exercise in our workouts tends to burn the most calories from body fat.

Some ab machines and abdominal workout programs do work mind you. They actually do a good job in isolating the ab muscles- strengthening and building them up to form those glorious six pack abs once the belly fat disappears.

Consuming the right foods can also help us in our quest for elusive six pack abs. Some citrus fruits actually render fat more soluble and hence easier to burn. Timing our consumption of carbs and proteins throughout the day can also help in muscle repair and development and increase our metabolic rate.

Most people think that skipping breakfast is good for fat-loss but on the contrary, it may even prevent it. Our body tries to conserve energy by slowing down our metabolism when we're starving, so it's not really a good idea to skip meals.

Working-out the other muscles of the body aside from the abdomen can also help in the fight against belly fat by increasing our metabolism. It's been discovered that muscle tissue uses-up calories even while we're lounging-around or asleep! Thus, the more muscles we have, the less calories we have to burn in our workouts. - 16004

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