Perhaps the biggest fitness misconception out there is the notion that a person can reduce belly fat by exercising their abs. This is the notion of spot reduction, a notion that has been long proven false.
In actuality, our bodies cannot burn or reduce fat in only one place. Our bodies are genetically predisposed to store fat in some places more so than in others, as well as to burn fat from some places faster than others. And for most of us, our belly is the most persistent of fat storage locations.
The key to flat abs then, if it isn't clear yet, is the one simple fact of body fat percentage. You see, we all have six pack abs. In fact, most of us have pretty well developed abs, as our abs are stabilizing muscles that we use in nearly every kind of physical movement. Why then can't we see them?
Most of us have too much body fat covering that sexy sixer. And this has the unfortunate consequence of giving us a rounded midsection, rather than flat abs. Unfortunately, there are no exercises to actually flatten our abs with, our abs are our abs. We can however lose body fat, and the more we lose, the flatter our midsection becomes.
So what then is the easiest and fastest way to lose fat? Again, the answer is simple, but the method may not be too comfortable. Our bodies store fat if we consume too many calories. Our bodies burn body fat for energy when our energy output exceeds our energy intake. So we have two options.
We can either reduce our caloric intake by eating less, and therefore forcing our bodies to meet energy needs with stored body fat. Or we can increase our energy output through exercise in order to use more energy than we consume, again requiring our bodies to draw from fat stored throughout the body for energy.
The best solution of course is to diet while exercising, to supercharge our metabolic rates and shed the pounds. When our body fat is low enough, not simply in the abs, but throughout our bodies, then our midsection will flatten, and our abs will shine.
The simplest dietary change to make is simply to eat smaller portions of food, more often throughout the day. This keeps our metabolism consistently high, while keeping our muscles fed. The second shift is to have light dinners of lean meat, chicken or fish, and fruits and vegetables. Get back to basics.
Fitness training can vary considerably, but the fastest way to flat abs is by implementing short and intense interval training sessions 2 to 4 days a week. An example of this would be alternating between moderate jogging (2 minutes)and sprinting (1 minute)for 3 to 5 sets, 15 to 25 minutes per session.
These small shifts in lifestyle are all it takes to shrink that midsection and attain those flat abs.
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