blacKandi Fitness

Take a Look at the Big Picture

Want to burn belly fat and gain a nice six pack? If so, I have four words for you: YOU GOTTA EARN IT! Period. End of story. You have to grasp the big picture, first, if you want to learn how to truly accomplish a goal like this so keep reading.

“The” Question & Big Picture: How can I get a flat belly?

How can I get a flat belly? How can I get “six pack” or “washboard” abs? How do I burn belly fat? How do I lose my beer belly? These are some of the questions I run into almost every day when I hit the “new post” button in one of the many of fitness or weight loss communities I am a member of. I remember asking those same questions myself in the beginning when I was a beginner in fitness because that was my main focus at the time.

I feel kind of silly now that I asked that back then, but I’ll cut myself some slack because, hey, I didn’t know what I was really asking. The answer I always got was either, “you can’t spot reduce”, “you have to do loads of cardio”, “crunches are the best way to burn belly fat”, etc. I find myself answering others with this now, “good diet, lots of cardio and strength workouts”. I never go into details until someone asks for it because I don’t want to scare the person off. I’m not kidding.
This article will focus mainly on how you can burn body fat through a good diet and exercise with the use of time, effort and dedication to earn that flat belly you’ve been dreaming of.

My Thoughts RE: Cosmetic Surgery…
I decided to add a bit of text here regarding cosmetic surgery because it seems like the proper place to add it before I get into how one would go about earning a flat belly. If you’re one who does not have the time, drive, willpower or motivation to put into implementing a good diet and fitness program into your life then you can pay thousands and go for liposuction or even a tummy tuck.
Personally, I do not support these types of cosmetic surgeries to rid the body of weight or belly fat unless you are at a point where you’ve burned all the fat you could and that little, baby flap of stretched skin just won’t go away – even then I would have to think long and hard about going under the knife vs. investing in a good pair of Spanx – http://www.spanx.com.

Here is something to think about. A tummy tuck and liposuction does not teach you how you should be eating or how to keep your body fit – that is something you have to learn and make yourself do if want to see positive changes in your physique. Remember, it is easy to put on weight and body fat, but it’s hard to lose it and to keep it off. Imagine going in for a tummy tuck and then six months later having to go back for another one. Not good!

Belly fat (also known as abdominal fat) just like the other excessive fat stores in other parts of the body, come from the same evil sources. So, how do you get rid of belly fat? This question would be easier to answer if it were asked like this instead: “How to GET fat belly?” Here is how you GET belly fat and keep it packed on forever…

…How to gain belly fat?

• by eating empty calorie foods; those with no valuable sources of nutrition, vitamins and minerals like protein, fiber, etc. and those that contains a high amount of calories per serving. These are foods usually located in the middle aisles and freezers residing in boxes in your grocery store.
• by eating foods that are high on the Glycemic Index; those foods that are higher in sugar/carbs than others that are lower.
• by eating fast food and eating out; fast food is high in trans fat, fat, calories, empty calories, sodium, etc. Not preparing your food ahead of time sends you straight to KFC and McDonald’s in a hurry.
• by overeating and non-stop eating; eating without portioning out your meals does damage in the body fat as well as in the weight collecting department.
• by not eating enough; the body will hold onto fat as long as it can and by the time you realize you cannot take the “starvation” (hunger pangs) any longer you will eat to replenish your loss and pack on more weight and fat.
• by exercising a little to none; not being active at all will help to keep that fat packed on.

Now that you know what causes and what you have to do is stop furthering your fat belly building lifestyle we can move onto to ways we can melt away body fat. In addition to changing the way you eat and what you eat, you will also have to get up off the couch and pick up some kind of fitness routine as well. There is nothing to it, but to do it! It sure beats developing Diabetes, heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and the like. The goal is to live as long as we can without pain and suffering for as long as we can. Spread the word!

Exercise Burns Fat

Here is a bit of advice I have for beginners to fitness, DO NOT overwhelm your body by jumping into any fitness program too much, too fast. You don’t have to start out by killing yourself in the gym because if you do that you could end up hurting yourself and/or you’ll give up on it altogether. The idea here is the get your body used to what it has never done before or what it used to do before by increasing your fitness level a little at a time. Here are some ideas!

Start with a little walking!
What you can do first, if you are not used to working out, is to just get outside and start walking. Take a little time each day and take a walk around the block. You should do this for about a week. In the next week, walk two blocks. Third week, walk three blocks. Move on at your own pace until you’re ready to start jogging a little bit. Once you’ve gotten used to walking by distance you can put a little jog into it and jog at a pace where you can carry on a conversation without difficulty. On the first week you jog one block. On the second week you two blocks and so on and so forth.

You can also use a treadmill by taking a 30 minute walk at a pace of about 2mph. And increase the pace and time as if you were using my outside walking program..

Couch to 5K!

Resources: http://www.c25k.com/

A good beginner runner program that will whip you into shape, teach you to run and/or train you to run a 5k race (if you want to) is the Couch to 5K program.

Building your own fitness schedule!
Everyone whose goal is to lose weight and to get fit should have some kind of fitness schedule and program created for him or herself. Your overall fitness program should include a cardio routine and a strength routine. The key to melt that fat belly off and obtaining that six-pack is to burn overall excessive body fat. For me, the fat in my belly was the LAST to go. I didn’t think I’d ever see a flat belly and I still have yet to see my six pack bulge out after less than a year of burning, but I am still working on it because it is possible. I will continue to replenish my body with good fuel (nutritious foods) and push myself to the limit when I go to work out.

A “How To” regarding how to create your own personal fitness routine and what to put into it is coming soon!

My Thoughts RE : Hiring a Personal Trainer
If you absolutely do not want to do the footwork of creating your own fitness schedule/program or follow a beginners strength training program like The New Rules of Lifting (For Women) or Body For Life (I recommend both books to beginners who want to learn how build muscle and burn fat the right way) then you can, by all means, hire yourself a personal trainer. A personal trainer will do a personal assessment of your body makeup, weight loss/fitness goals and will come up with an appropriate fitness program for you. This program will include both cardio and strength routines that will help you achieve your personal weight loss/fitness goals.

Some pros of hiring a personal trainer is that you will have your own personal cheerleader, someone to push you to your limits, someone who will make sure you are performing your exercises correctly (form), someone who will move you into the right direction fitness/diet wise and this person will teach you how to properly fuel your body.

Some cons of hiring a personal trainer is that they can be a bit pricey, you will have to find a trainer you “click” with because they all will have their own style/approach as to how to get you to where you want to be. Sometimes the trainer trainee relationship will not work because of personality issues. You will most likely have to fit into their training schedules meaning that they have other clients besides you to focus on.

The hiring of a personal trainer is solely a personal decision. You know what you can do and what you cannot do on your own to get your body where you want it to be.

How long will it take the burn body fat?

Well this depends all on you. It took me twenty-six weeks to lose fifty pounds, which took me from a size 20 to a size 8 in clothing. It took me almost a year to drop 13% in body fat, and I’m still going strong and burning fat at my current sixtieth week (8/31/09) in a size 6. The faster you hop on the healthier eating and fitness bandwagon the faster you will achieve your goals. There is no overnight solution to achieve this goal so if you take it one day at a time you will eventually get results without even realizing it.

My “FOOD = FUEL and EXERCISE = ACTION BULLETPROOF DIET AND FITNESS PLAN”

Finally the good stuff! Are you ready to burn fat? Yeah? Well, here is how you will do it!

If you are ready to change your life, the way you feel inside and the way you look on the outside then here is a template for you to follow on the long-term and I guarantee that you will get that flat belly you always wanted. If you use my advice below you will never lose your mind, get frustrated or give up. You will reach start to see and feel changes in yourself as time go on and that is how you reach the goal. Simple is as simple does…

FOOD = FUEL: What should you be eating in order to burn body fat?

• shop for foods that are rich in nutrients like lean cuts of meat, breasts of poultry and fish, 100% whole wheat, multi-grain wheat bread, potatoes, nuts, seeds, beans, etc.
• eat fresh fruits and veggies as well as whole foods also known as unprocessed foods
• lay off the fried foods, heavy sauces that contain sugars and oils other than avocado, olive oil, sunflower and canola
• try to prepare all of your meals at home and take your meals with you on the go
• stay hydrated with H20, green tea or sugar-free beverages

EXERCISE = ACTION: What should you be doing in order to burn body fat?

• perform cardio workouts three times a week, as a minimum, between 40-45 minutes for each session
• perform strength workouts two-three times a week, as a minimum, for up to 45-50 minutes for each session – remember to work hard

That’s it. Simple!

Disclaimer: This article was written by yours truly in support from my own ideas and personal experience in earning my flat belly, the natural way, through diet and exercise. I am in no way an expert on diet and fitness, but I can only tell you all, through my article and experience, as to how I was able to get a flat belly after years of having a very excessive and fat belly which is currently no more!

I do not believe in the use of cosmetic surgery as a weight or body fat loss method or cure, but I am not against it either. I think people should be able to do whatever they want to do as long as it doesn’t offend and hurt others. All sources referred to in my article are those that I have used and support wholeheartedly.

I am wishing all of you who have read this…the best…until next time!