Hey!
First of all, I have to confess that I “gotchya” a little bit with the title. Here’s why…
There is not one single exercise you can do in the gym that will automatically give you the tummy of your dreams. Whether you are strictly a cardio person, you only do bench press, or you stay on that “ab section” of the gym floor for your whole workout, doing only one of those won’t give you a six pack. And guess what, doing all of them won’t either… UNLESS you do this one “exercise” I’m talking about.
I know what you’re thinking, “just tell me what to freaking do already!” Well, here it is. The one thing that will help you the most in trimming down that tummy fat is……………….. COOKING YOUR OWN FOOD.
There you go. There is the answer that I’m sure you didn’t expect (or want) to hear. But, that’s the truth. If you want to get ripped like Channing Tatum or Jillian Michaels, or even just slim down your midsection a few pounds after the summer of boating and “beer-ing”, you will most definitely have to start cooking your own meals. Now, I don’t mean buying frozen prepped meals in a box or making frozen pizza. I mean buying uncooked, real food that you will have to cut, chop, wash, and cook before you eat it. For example, buy uncooked meat (chicken, beef, pork) with some veggies (carrots, peppers, etc) and then some type of starch or grain (rice, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, yes those white potatoes are fine) and cook them yourself. This way you can control how much oil (you don’t need much) you cook them in. Or, you can bake a lot of foods without oil and use seasonings instead. That way you aren’t getting those extra calories out of the oils and sauces that you would if you went out to eat.
Here is something to think about. Restaurants are preparing foods so that they taste good (and boy do they taste good!), not necessarily in order to make them healthy. Granted, some are becoming better at looking into the health side of the equation. But, most just want to make your taste buds explode with joy so you come back and eat more. That isn’t a recipe for weight loss, or health in general. (Side note, you can make healthy foods taste delicious without all those extra calories. You just have to plan a little bit).
The biggest reason to cook your own meals may not be just to lose those pant sizes and belt notches. But let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to be trim and fit? Whole, real foods are more nutrient dense than their processed cousins. “And, your point is….?” the point is that you get more good vitamins and minerals out of real foods than the processed ones. A cheeseburger you make yourself, will give you more health benefits than the one you get from the drive through up the street, which is comprised of basically empty calories (not completely empty, but I hope you see the point). Whole foods can help you with all kinds of health benefits that your doctor would love to tell you about, or maybe he does/has already discussed them with you… They can help you lower your cholesterol, they have more fiber, which will help you…well, be more regular in the bathroom… and help to keep your blood sugar regulated which helps control or prevent diabetes, and also weight gain (high blood sugar levels lead to weight gain or diabetes, which if left unchecked or unattended to can develop into more serious issues. Like limb amputation).
So, while you’re crunching away during your noon workout (WHAT!? You don’t work out over lunch?!?!?! I can help with that…) think about what you are going to cook for your evening meal tonight. Do you want chicken? A salad? pork chops? Then you can swing by the grocery store on your way home to pick up that fresh meal you’re about to make. (Insider tip, stay around the outer edge of the grocery store. That’s where they keep the fresh foods, and you won’t get tempted by the junk in the middle isles.)
Anyway, there is the #1 “exercise” you’ve been looking for that will help you lose that mid-section fluff. But, don’t forget about that workout either! You can lose weight just through improving your diet, but you can’t look sexy as hell if you don’t work hard in those workouts and build some muscle!
If you aren’t sure where to start in your weight loss or fitness journey, I suggest starting in the kitchen. But, if you need a little more guidance, or a great workout, then give me a shout. I’m here to help! You can shoot me an email right here… or head on over to my facebook page and drop me a message here…
All this food talk is making me hungry, I better go cook something.
Good Luck,
Zach
