Summer is rapidly approaching and before you know it, you’re going to be looking at yourself in the mirror in your swimsuit wondering why your current diet isn’t doing the trick. Well, here are a few tips to assist you to get a sick pack fast.
Eat more protein
One very strong benefit of eating more protein is that it will make you feel fuller after your meals. This will ensure that you stay away from fatty or sugary junk foods shortly after your meals. Multiple studies have suggested that increased protein consumption is a sure-fire way to ensure appetite control.
The foods with the highest amount of protein are:
- Almonds – one of the most popular nuts, they are filled with valuable nutrients and vitamins that are very essential to any diet. Amount of protein: 12% of calories in an almond are made up of protein. A special mention here to pistachios, which also make up 12-13% of the calories inside them.
- Oats – grains, grains, grains. Oats can be consumed at breakfast and are packed with the nutrients, fibers, and vitamins that you need on a daily basis. Amount of protein: With a mere 300 calories, 14% of the calories in a half cup of oats are made up of protein.
- Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast – You can eat the chicken with bone-in & the skin on, however, you will lose protein. There are multiple ways to make boneless/skinless chicken taste great and remain healthy as well. Add garlic powder, onion powder, a dash of cayenne pepper, and a dash of cumin for tasty chicken. Amount of protein: A whopping 78% of the calories in the chicken breast are made up of protein.
- Eggs – Whole eggs are one of the best foods that you can eat, given how nutritious and protein-packed they are. Enriched with protein, nutrients, vitamins, and healthy fats, these bad boys are your claim to fame on the road to getting a six pack. Amount of protein: The protein in whole eggs make up 34% of the calories in each, individual egg. One egg contains 6g of protein and has only 77 calories.
Cardio is king
One of the best ways to burn calories is cardio. There are multiple forms of cardio that attribute to a healthy body: Jogging, using an elliptical, use a bike or an exercise bike. Cardio reduces your BMI (body mass index) and assists your body in controlling your blood pressure.
Why is cardo important in regards to getting a six pack? Cardio helps your body burn excess fats and speeds up your metabolism. What’s left after you shed excess fat? Lean muscle. To obtain a six pack, you need to have a low body fat percentage.
How to do cardio, the right way: Like anything, it is recommended that you start off slow. Gauge your body and see what you’re comfortable doing and for how long. Start out with briskly walking for 5-10 minutes. Progress to a power walk or a light jog. From that, we recommend a full-on jog for 1-3 minutes. Then descend back down to a more comfortable speed of power walking.
It is recommended you do this until you are comfortable increasing your times. This form of cardio, coupled with protein intake, and exercising your ab muscles will guide you directly to having a six pack just in time for summer.
Exercise your abdominal muscles
The key to exercising your ab muscles is exercising more than one area of the abs at one time. There are multiple layers of muscles in the abs and all of them need to be worked. The rectus abdominus (abs) is the outer abdominal muscle and runs up & down your abdominal wall. The sides of your upper body & below your chest, are known as the obliques. There are two areas of obliques: internal and external.
So, how do you get a six pack from exercising your abdominal muscles? The answer is quite simple. The more ab exercises you do, the more your muscles will have to work. Adding 3-5 different abdominal exercises to each work out will get you the results you’re looking for in no time. Below is a list of a few exercises we recommend to work the abs.
- Sit-ups – Sit-ups are one of the most popular/well-known ab exercises. You want to make sure to not crank your neck or cause any lower back pain. Start out by doing three sets of 10 sit-ups. You may gradually increase these numbers once you are more comfortable.
- Crunches – Crunches are a good way to shred the abdominal muscles. You may do these with or without an extra motion of leveling your legs.
- Leg lifts – Simply lay with your face towards the ceiling and arms down at your sides. With your arms down at your sides, pull using your ab muscles and keeping your legs perfectly straight. When your feet are aimed towards the ceiling, pull your legs back down, while keeping your legs straight the entire time.
Conclusion
Monitoring your health can be draining. Working to get a six pack can take a tremendous amount of effort. However, fear not! Reading this ensures that you are on the road to getting a six pack and are making the right steps towards a healthier body.
If you’re concerned about your heart health and are looking for more information, check out our article on heart health here.