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When you are trying to adopt healthier habits to cut fat and showcase your abdominal muscles, you will want to make sure you eat every three hours throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism optimized toward burning calories as well as prevent overeating by depriving your body food and then binging during a single meal. The following is an example of a daily meal plan:
Morning Meal: 1 cup of oatmeal with 2 strips of lean turkey bacon.
Mid Morning Meal: 1 apple, 1 protein shake.
Lunch: 2 ounces of boiled lean chicken with 4 ounces of stir-fried vegetables.
Mid Afternoon Meal: 1 protein shake, 1 banana
Evening Meal: 1 chicken breast, 3 oz. of vegetables, 1 apple.
It is important to drink at least 10 glasses of water per day (8 oz. per glass), and eat whenever you feel yourself getting hungry. Fruit and oatmeal can be used as snacks between major meals; however, monitor the amount of snacks you consume each day, as you can eat too much of a good thing. -
Physical activity is just as important as diet when you are trying to obtain visible abdominal muscles. Working out at least six times per week will provide your body with the necessary activity to burn excess fat cells as well as challenge your muscles to grow and become stronger. Always consult your doctor before you start any exercise routine.
Cardiovascular Exercise: Cardio, or aerobics, can be defined as any exercise that raises your heart rate and causes you to sweat. Performing 45 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercises three times per week will engage your body and cause it to utilize stored fat cells for energy. Cardio workouts can be performed at home or in the gym using machines or simple body movements. Jogging, bicycling and aerobics classes are ideal forms of cardiovascular exercises.
Weight Bearing Exercise: Weight training is a vital tool in shedding excess body fat. By increasing the size and strength of your muscles, your body will be able to burn calories even when resting because muscle fibers require energy (fat cells) to exist; thus, the more muscle you have, the more calories are burned.
Separate your weight lifting exercise days by major muscle groups. For example:
Day 1: Chest and back muscle groups. Perform three sets of 15 repetitions with the following exercises--bench press, chest fly and dead lifts.
Day 2: Shoulder, biceps and tricep muscle groups. Perform three sets of 15 repetitions of the following exercises--military press, bicep curl and chair dips.
Day 3: Quadriceps, hamstrings and calves muscle groups. Perform four sets of 12 repetitions of the following exercises--standard squat with dumbbells, lunges and one leg calf raise.
Weight training can be performed at home using dumbbells and a weight bench or in the gym with the use of machines.
