Abs Are Made In The Kitchen

As a follow-up to Thursday's 6 Minute Abs posting, Catapult Fitness Blog reader Liv asked for a more detailed explanation on my comment, "abs are made in the kitchen". It is a topic that is definitely worth further exploration!

The good news is, we all have a set of 6-pack abs. The not so good news is that some of us have more fat covering them than others. And that's what it all boils down to ...

Lowering body fat.

In general, you body fat percentage needs to be below 10% for a man and 14% for a woman to begin to see your 6-pack. Combine this with the fact that you cannot out-train a bad diet, and it becomes clear that what you eat is going to be the primary factor in getting your core summer-ready.

CatapultFitnessBlog's Top 5 Nutrition Rules for Washboard Abs:

1. Think fiber, not carbs. Foods high in fiber normalize blood sugar levels and keep you feeling full longer. Some of the best sources for dietary fiber include

• Raspberries
• Cauliflower
• Collard greens
• Broccoli
• Swiss chard
• Spinach
• Celery
• Cabbage
• Grapefruit
• Green beans

Have 2 servings of vegetables with each meal and 2 servings of fruit each day.

2. Limit complex carbohydrates to your post-workout meal. It's perfectly fine to consume complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, sprouted grain bread and whole wheat grains. However, only eat these foods after you've "earned" them, which means that they should be limited to your post-workout meals. Your body will use these carbohydrates to replenish your depleted muscle energy stores and to enhance recovery.

3. Eat Real Food. According to George Mateljan, author of The World's Healthiest Foods, un-processed, whole foods contain a combination of nutrients that synergistically produce a much more powerful effect on health than any one nutrient alone.

Mateljan goes on to reference a study by Cornell Food Scientist, Rui Jai Liu, who found that while one medium size apple contains only about 6 mg of vitamin C, it has enough other antioxidants - such as quercetin, procyanidins, catechins and epicatechins - to produce as much antioxidant activity as 1500 mg of vitamin C alone.

4. Water. Besides the obvious fact that staying hydrated will help you feel satiated, water actually helps the body metabolize stored fat by keeping our kidney's functioning properly. Drinking water is also the best treatment for fluid retention (as is monitoring sodium intake, which should be kept below 2000 mg/day).

5. Be Prepared. Ok, granted, this isn't really a "nutrition" rule per se, but it's extremely important.

Look, we're an on-the-go society which is why fast food chains are so popular to begin with. However, if you're looking for that 6-pack, you're going to have to find alternatives to even the "healthy", sodium laden food choices found in those fast food chains. With a little planning, this isn't all that difficult.

Keep healthy snacks on hand such as

• snack size, low fat cottage cheese
• fresh fruit
• nuts and seeds
• string cheese
• pre-cut vegetables
• hummus

Once a week spend some time doing prep work in the kitchen. On Sunday nights I'll often take out my George Foreman grill and grill up 5 chicken breasts so I have a quick source of lean protein on hand throughout the week. I'll also prepare a batch of homemade quinoa chili or white bean chili and freeze individual portions for the upcoming week.

A little prep work goes a long way.

So, what did I miss? I would love to hear your nutrition tips for getting washboard abs. While we're in the midst of a blizzard here in New York today, summer really is right around the corner.

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan