My core is has been one of the toughest areas for me to tone & strengthen, even when I was dancing full-time. Besides wanting a fit looking midsection, there’s the health aspect; waist measurements are a key benchmark when assessing diabetes and other health conditions. Personally, I kind of accepted that I was not a midriff kinda girl and that was ok with me. Then I had kids and that illusion of great abs seemed even further away, I was just trying to get back closer to where I began when I got pregnant; flat, but soft tummy with no definition “mini muffin top”. So, how after 2 kids do I feel confident about my core? Here’s what I learned and what has helped me get strong and feel good about my abs:
Fitness Tips for Abs
1. Cut the sugar
This is not news, I can see you rolling your eyes. 🙂 But unfortunately, it’s true. You can have desserts and chocolate occasionally. The worst offenders are those processed foods; pop, packaged goods and granola bars, crackers, candy bars, corn syrup and hydrogenated soybean oil, processed baked goods and even the “healthy” packaged goods at Whole Foods. I have found that I can eat pizza, burgers, even fries or real sugar/real hearty food, but boy does my body hate the cheap sugars that are in much of our food. Read the label! This may be the only change you need to make. Once you cut out a lot of the chemical sugars, once you do have them you’ll really feel them as soon as you ingest them, and they’ll feel toxic.
2. Cut the Sugar
Yes, again. This time, the fake sugar. It’s also in a lot of stuff; gum, pop, yogurts, health drinks. Do some sensitivity analysis; have it on empty stomach and many of you will experience bloat. I know that I do. Nothing bloats me better than a piece of gum. :\ Do I still have gum? Yes, sometimes, but I used to be chronic chewer, like always chewing except during meals. Opps. Watch that label, there’s plenty of fake sugars in food that’s not “diet”.
3. Intermittent Fasting
This lifestyle has gained traction on the health field and my husband and I really see results with it. The benefits are impressive, you can read about it here. There’s a lot of benefits and my favorite is feeling clear headed and less tired overall, but I do notice a difference in my midsection and overall skin tone. I try to eat all my meals within a 10 hour window. Some people eat them within a 8n hour window but that’s too long for me.
I prefer to start eating later in the day (12:00-1 PM) since I’m not that hungry in the morning and I have a lot of work ahead of me getting the kids out the door, and checking in to the business. I get by with a large coffee with whole milk until lunch and it’s lunchtime before I know it! Ask your health professionals about it and do some research, it’s not for everyone.
4. Too blessed to be stressed
I like this saying because it’s literally true. One of my favorite holistic mentors, Dr. Pontarelli at Windy City Wellness (also an intermittent fasting guru) had me do gratitude exercises when he diagnosed me with Adrenal Fatigue. Adrenal Fatigue is rampant and if you can’t sleep, can’t wake up, feel edgy and hungry all the time you probably have it. It’s when your adrenals are firing too much cortisol in your system and causes adverse effects.
The gratitude exercise consists of lying down, placing your hand on your belly and deliberately breathing into your belly expanding it and making your hand go up and down for 10 mins while you think of things you’re grateful for. This releases the counter hormones to cortisol that help you decompress and reduces stress. A symptom of Adrenal Fatigue is weight gain in your mid-section, so find a holistic practice and get tested! Treatment involves lifestyle changes and straightforward supplements.
5. Corework
Yep, also have to do some of this! The absolute best combo is strength and cardio, preferably in interval formats. But when push comes to shove, what’s gonna make the biggest difference? Strength work. I know…..that’s not what most of you wanted to hear. Cardio is so much more fun, it feels like you’re working harder “look at all that sweat”, it feels good, and you’re good at it. And it’s great, I love it too, but I’ve seen it countless times at MaZi Dance Fitness, abs don’t change significantly unless you put the muscle work in. And, it’s the last thing to change right after your arms, legs, and bum get in order.
To help, here are some of my favorite exercises: HERE & HERE. Or you can check out my IGTV channel or MaZi’s for some clips. The other “magic potion” for core is utilizing ankle weights when doing leg and glute strength work (NOT cardio). The couple of extra pounds on each ankle trick your mind into being mindful about how your core is assisting and working through movement.
Do you have any core tips or exercises you love? Have you noticed a difference in your core after eating certain foods? Thanks for reading! XO, Z
Ph by Frank Rocco in New York City
