Anna's Ab Challenge

Who doesn’t want to have some ABdominal definition?!

I have been wanting that for the past oh idk? forever! But now I actually am making the changes to give me a prayer at reaching my goals and toning up, (forreal!) For summer. Having a strong core is also very advantageous for your health. It helps with posture, which improves back issues and protects your vital organs. 

My cuzzy BFFs and I always start a “cuzzy ab challenge” to hold ourselves accountable and set a deadline to tone up by. We have tried and fizzled out with failure after failure, falling off of the wagon, but this time we're not messing around. Cuzzy ab challenge for summer 2018 started Dec 31 and our first "check in" is March. We are giving ourselves some abs this summer! 

Changes 

So we all know that doing sit ups during every hulu commercial break alone isn’t going to get the results we want. Being active and targeting the abdominal muscles will help, but real changes that will stand the test of time and yield results come with a whole body change to tone and tighten everything. Ab toning will fall into place with the right measures.  

One time I heard this quote while in a dressing room, “I Keep eating pizza and nothing keeps happening.” TRUE words spoken by some Socal babe (*sarcasm*). But serz Results can only come when you get uncomfortable, the root of this quote is the Einstein definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Don't go insane, I’ve found a way to have my pizza and eat it too even while on the road to abs. 

Lifestyle changes

• Aiming to workout or MOVE my body every day. Sweat. Somehow. Wake up earlier, calendar block the time, no excuses. Your body craves movement and we do NOT get enough of it in the daily office grind. 

• Up those steps. Aim for at least 10,000 steps (5 miles) a day. Fit bits, apple watches and other apps or gadgets will easily track this and even remind you to get up and move every 30 minutes. An easy way for more steps is a standing desk or even better treadmill desk (ideal, but not always realistic). 

• Bring AWARENESS to your core.

  •  Planks- core wErk, I challenge myself to do a 90 second plank a day to strengthen that core 

  • Posture: awareness of my posture helps to stabilize and strengthen

  • Engaging the core. Randomly tightening and engaging your abdominal muscles throughout the day helps bring you back to the goal at hand. ABS.

• Strength Training-Building muscle not only eliminates fat in your body, but also burns more calories than fat. When you build muscle and your body is made up of more muscle it's easier to keep the flab off and continue to tone up. 

• Stay Hydrated. Know when you are hungry and know when you are ACTUALLY just thirsty. Everyone wants to smack me when I ask if they are just thirsty when they very well might be hangry BUT hydration is important for your success. 

• RELAX-stress is powerful and can sway our hormones all out of wack. When your cortisol levels are high it leads to cravings, inflammation and prevents your body to repair muscles post workout. Not a good look. 

Cliché alert: The road to abs are made in the kitchen

1. Cutting out sugar and cutting it wayyyyy back after that. Gigi and I are IN our sugar cleanse for the month and I am honestly shocked at how OK I am with it. Reducing sugar is a MAJOR advantage to your overall health and longevity, it reduces inflammation and you will tighten up. Read about Gigi’s first week cutting sugar here. I will say I have already lost 5 pounds in the first week! I didn’t even realize how much extra I was consuming until I brought awareness to it and cut that shit out!

2. No dairy: Abs aren’t really made of cheese, as much as I love it when I cut it out I feel way better, immediately de-bloat AND the longer I go without it the more I am not even interested.

3. Cutting out the extra, empty calories, desserts, DRINKS, I have slowed my drinking game down these days so that was an easy one for me. If you don’t want to stop drinking completely, know that it will hinder your path to abs, BUT do you and take baby steps, try cutting back to fewer drinks per night or fewer drinks per week. Instead of a margarita get it on the rocks, or soda and lime. Skinny up your drink or try not to drink.

4. UPPING THAT FIBER GAME

5. Cauliflower pizza and lentil pasta-pasta=lentils, that's it. Pizza=cauliflower+corn Top these with added sugar free spicy marinara sauce and MIYOKOS Vegan mozzarella and you are good to go. Low carb, high protein (lentil pasta).

The hardest part is keeping the ball rolling, not sliding back into old habits. It takes time for you to see results and for a lifestyle change to stick. 40 days to make a change, create a habit. I even talk about being on my path to abs in my AM affirmations. I need to believe it to see it and anytime I am tempted to stray I think of the words I say every morning and want to keep them true, that I am on my path to optimal health and abs. 

EASY AB MOVES 

1. Thread the needle: plank pose on your hands. bring your knee to your elbow then bring your knee across your body (obliques) and extend the leg out. Alternate legs

2. Plank Swimmers: Forearm plank, alternate extending one arm straight out in front.

3. Leg crossovers: Laying on back criss cross legs over each other. The lower the legs are to the ground the harder they are. Keep legs as straight as you can while you cross them.

4. Side plank with twist: Side plank on forearm: lift top arm up curl leg under body

5. Boat pose with weights: with 5-10lb weight in hand, twist weight across body from side to side while in boat pose.

Should we do some videos of ab workouts? 

Check back with you in JUNE on the progress-RESULTS*! 

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