muffintop-less:

My Top 5 Tips for Getting Abs & Toning Up:

• Clean up your diet! If you are eating a lot of processed junk food and/or sugar.. you are not doing yourself any favors! A clean diet will not only help you shed unwanted fat, it will keep your body happy and healthy! “Eating clean” means eating foods as close to their natural state as possible. More lean meats, healthy fats, fresh fruits and veggies… Less fast food and packaged goods! By the way, this includes getting rid of the alcohol!! Alcohol promotes fat storage and breaks down muscle tissue.
• Incorporate resistance training, don’t just focus on cardio. While aerobic activity is great for your heart and burning calories, focusing too much on THAT and not enough on resistance training will only hinder your progress. The more muscle on your body = the more calories you burn doing anything and everything (even sleeping!). Too much cardio can break down muscle tissue, the opposite of what you want! Also keep in mind, “tone” comes from building muscle! Don’t be afraid to hit the weights ladies!
• Drink plenty of fresh, H20. Our bodies are primarily composed of water, so drinking lots of it keeps our bodies functioning at high levels. It also helps flush out unwanted toxins. Water is crucial in body & organ processes.. even losing fat! It gives you the added bonus of energy and youthful skin! Drink up!
• Have protein at each and every meal, but don’t forget fresh fruits, veggies and healthy fats! A balanced diet rich with protein will help build and maintain muscle tissue which as you know, helps shed unwanted fat! Getting plenty of fiber through fresh fruit and veggies will also keep you feeling full, which helps keep you from over-eating at meal time! Also, don’t be afraid to break up those 3 meals into more frequent, smaller meals! This will keep blood-sugar levels stable and keep you from over-eating at meal time!
• Get plenty of sleep and keep stress levels low! Lack of sleep and high stress causes cortisol levels to rise. Excess levels of the hormone cortisol in the body contributes to stomach fat gain and makes it harder to lose fat!

Stay positive. You didn’t put on the weight in a day… it’s not going to come OFF in a day. Believe in yourself. You will have slip ups and you will make mistakes (you’re human!), but that’s part of the journey. Make these changes, LIFESTYLE changes, not just a diet or a quick means to an end and you will be MUCH more likely to succeed <3