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Gut Busting!
A bunch of you guys keep asking me "how do I get rid of my gut/pot belly/beer muscule, etc.".
In this multi-part blog series I'll attempt to lay some ground rules about the ever-ellusive (for most of us) flat abdominal wall. Then I'll prepare a firm fitness foundation for reducing that front proch sprawl. Then I'll review various specific things to do and to keep in mind to make it all happen.
So here we go...
Most men yearn for a board-flat stomach topped by a set of rippling abs. A large portion of the men's fitness and bodybuilding industry is testament to that single fact. It has become a cultural imperative. Want proof? No guy I know who has a big bulge BELOW his waist wants to reduce that! The cultural imperative there is to want something bigger. We're just never satisfied. :)
Part 1 - A Few Ground Rules
1. Here at ITSGOTTABEFUN we're focussed on fitness and wellbeing, not on body image. The human body comes in many shapes and sizes. Some of us (men more than women) have bodies that are naturally meant to, more or less, stick out at the waist, and as we get older, keeping it flat can be increasingly difficult. So, we may need to learn to love and live with what we have. This is NOT meant to be bad news, it's just the truth. Your first task is to LOVE YOUR BODY. Really.
2. While wanting to get rid of a gut is mostly a body image thing, and often has nothing to do with wanting to becoming more fit, the more we can approach this as a fitness issue, the more successful we can be at achieving our goal. If our body's response to a targeted fitness program is to flatten that tummy, then we are in luck. If not, we still win; we will be more fit, probably feel better overall and also feel better about the shape we were given. It's the same thing as with weight loss. It's been proven over and over, the more we focus on healthy living rather than obsessing about looking thin, the more likely we are to permanently shed those pounds.
3. There is no simple answer to the gut busting question. If there was, most of us would have a flat stomach, right? The reality is that there are different types of bellies that require different kinds of attention. For some of us a bulging waistline can be a sign of real health and fitness issues. These include abdominal weaknesses and the physical stress of extra weight at the front, which may make our back vulnerable to chronic problems. Sometimes it's a sign of underlying gastro-intestinal problems. And for others it's just too much fat. Only your doctor can tell you which of these underlying factors may be contributing to your front porch sprawl. Each condition requires a different set of gut busting responses. (I'm not going to address gastro-intestinal issues. That's between you and your doctor. But it is important to addresss because some of the things I suggest may be incompatible or even harmful if you have a distended stomach or similar condition.
4. If and when you do manage to flatten that tummy, remember, maintaining it that way is a lifelong activity, so find fitness activities you enjoy or can at least learn to enjoy.
Next - Part 2 - Building a strong foundation
In this multi-part blog series I'll attempt to lay some ground rules about the ever-ellusive (for most of us) flat abdominal wall. Then I'll prepare a firm fitness foundation for reducing that front proch sprawl. Then I'll review various specific things to do and to keep in mind to make it all happen.
So here we go...
Most men yearn for a board-flat stomach topped by a set of rippling abs. A large portion of the men's fitness and bodybuilding industry is testament to that single fact. It has become a cultural imperative. Want proof? No guy I know who has a big bulge BELOW his waist wants to reduce that! The cultural imperative there is to want something bigger. We're just never satisfied. :)
Part 1 - A Few Ground Rules
1. Here at ITSGOTTABEFUN we're focussed on fitness and wellbeing, not on body image. The human body comes in many shapes and sizes. Some of us (men more than women) have bodies that are naturally meant to, more or less, stick out at the waist, and as we get older, keeping it flat can be increasingly difficult. So, we may need to learn to love and live with what we have. This is NOT meant to be bad news, it's just the truth. Your first task is to LOVE YOUR BODY. Really.
2. While wanting to get rid of a gut is mostly a body image thing, and often has nothing to do with wanting to becoming more fit, the more we can approach this as a fitness issue, the more successful we can be at achieving our goal. If our body's response to a targeted fitness program is to flatten that tummy, then we are in luck. If not, we still win; we will be more fit, probably feel better overall and also feel better about the shape we were given. It's the same thing as with weight loss. It's been proven over and over, the more we focus on healthy living rather than obsessing about looking thin, the more likely we are to permanently shed those pounds.
3. There is no simple answer to the gut busting question. If there was, most of us would have a flat stomach, right? The reality is that there are different types of bellies that require different kinds of attention. For some of us a bulging waistline can be a sign of real health and fitness issues. These include abdominal weaknesses and the physical stress of extra weight at the front, which may make our back vulnerable to chronic problems. Sometimes it's a sign of underlying gastro-intestinal problems. And for others it's just too much fat. Only your doctor can tell you which of these underlying factors may be contributing to your front porch sprawl. Each condition requires a different set of gut busting responses. (I'm not going to address gastro-intestinal issues. That's between you and your doctor. But it is important to addresss because some of the things I suggest may be incompatible or even harmful if you have a distended stomach or similar condition.
4. If and when you do manage to flatten that tummy, remember, maintaining it that way is a lifelong activity, so find fitness activities you enjoy or can at least learn to enjoy.
Next - Part 2 - Building a strong foundation
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