Personally, my belly is the last to go...like most people. But why? First I notice my face thinning out, then in the following order: arms, legs, butt, boobs, stomach. My stomach, where I hold my stress, worries, insecurities, and waistband, insists on holding onto every last ounce of fat before letting go. My arms are toned. My calves are poppin'. My butt is smaller. And my breasts are firmer. My stomach is finally flatter, and gaining some tone on the top half, but the pooch refuses to surrender it's insulation. This is understandable to me because I know about cortisol, but I think most people exercising will wonder, "What the heck is going on?"
When we stress, cortisol (a stress hormone) is released, keeping us from losing that bottom layer of fat. The best we can do is eat 4-6 meals a day, keep our anxiety to a minimum, take rest days after hard sessions, and focus on the positive. Focus on how toned your other parts are becoming, and your tummy will follow suit soon. The most important thing to focus on is your diet.
As I'm sure you've heard; abs are made in the kitchen. Get skinny with healthy food, get fit with the gym. So eat smaller meals more often to keep that fire kindling in your body.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) (Insanity, sprinting, etc.) also helps burn fat faster. The upside to the rest of your body getting toned is that your body composition is changing. The more muscle you have elsewhere, the more calories you are burning. So even though I don't have ridges down my front, the ridges down my back are helping them come out.
Last Monday I challenged you with a 30 second plank. Today I challenge you mentally to look at the good, and believe the "bad" will be the good soon. Check out your guns, your calves, your face, whatever part(s) of you is the best, and savor all the hard work you put in.
Hello Bicep :)
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