I want to get flat abs how can I maybe even a 4 pack?
I am a 15 year old girl. I am 5’2 and weigh 127lbs.
I run…alot. But I just cant get those abs that most runners have any suggestions any types of food that are good and bad for abs?
I am a 15 year old girl. I am 5’2 and weigh 127lbs.
I run…alot. But I just cant get those abs that most runners have any suggestions any types of food that are good and bad for abs?
Getting a nice set of abs is such a misunderstood process. It’s actually a lot easier than most people think which is why most people are in a never ending quest to get that perfect six pack – it’s because they’re doing all the wrong things.
When you eat more calories than you burn, your body takes those extra calories and stores them as fat somewhere on your body. For some people, the #1 fat storage area is around the thighs and for others it might be around the stomach – it differs from person to person. Sometimes the fat is perfectly distributed around the body so it’s not as big of a concern.
If an excessive amount of fat is stored around your stomach, the reason that you’re not seeing your abs is because your body fat percentage is too high. What you need to do is create a calorie deficit (take in less calories than you burn) so that your body is forced to use its fat stores for energy. After a few weeks of doing this, you’ll notice that your abs will start to show.
You first step is to figure out how many calories you burn each day. Use this calculator http://calorieneedscalculator.com for an estimate. Now you need to increase the amount of calories you burn by exercising more and decreasing the amount of calories you eat. Cut out junk food such as fast food, candy and sugar. Eat foods that are high in fiber: bread and pasta made from 100% whole wheat, brown rice, oats, fruits and vegetables.
You shouldn’t ignore targeting your abs with sit ups, leg raises and twists but doing hundreds of sit ups won’t do anything about the layer of fat that is covering them. Cardio and calorie restriction should be your main focus. If you need more details on getting a six pack, visit The Straight Health Forums – http://forums.straighthealth.com
Running can tone your body a bit, and it can especially help you in losing weight. But in order to really get the 4 pack abs, you have to do exercises that are made for toning the stomach or upper body.
The most obvious exercises would be sit ups, crunches, push-ups, and some weight lifting. You have to go slow though, and build up. Meaning (for example) the first week, every day after a run do 35 sit ups and crunches. 25 push ups. And 20 weight lifts on the arms. Of course, these are all examples or suggestions and you can do as much or as little as you want on the first week. The second week you can increase by 10 or 15. Third week increase, and so on. You are trying to build those abs and make them stronger day by day.
This link also has some really good exercises to help you build abs:
http://www.runningplanet.com/training/core-strength.html
Here’s a link to show you what foods are good and bad to eat. A lot of sites and people say to stay away from carbs. But for runners, there is "carbo loading" which is where you eat tons of pasta or anything with tons of carbs the day before running long distances or races. This works on a lot of runners, so I wouldn’t completely take out carbs, because you are most likely going to lose those fats in the pasta (or other carbs) from running those miles.
I’ll copy and paste some of the important paragraphs from the link I showed you:
"Eat a small handful of almonds (at least 6) every morning. Almonds are one of the healthiest snacks you can eat and the protein is good for burning fat."
"Add fiber to your diet and cut down your intake of the bad carbs. Foods such as white bread, pastas, potatoes, and white rice should be limited. Eat brown rice and whole wheat bread instead. To get that needed fiber increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables (especially the leafy green ones)."
"Drink plenty of water. You should be drinking 6 to 8 glasses per day. Not only will it help fill you up so you eat less, but it aids in digestion."
"Stop eating within 3 hours of bedtime. If you have to munch on something, eat a small portion of vegetables or fruit. Not eating late can make a huge difference."
I also suggest reading this link because it give you big and helpful tips!
http://www.womenfitness.net/flat_abs.htm