Monday Motivation – 5 Minute Abs

You know that saying – “Abs are made in the kitchen” well it’s true. Annoyingly true. Yes, genetics play a big factor in how the abdominal muscles show through, but if your diet is sh*t, it’s incredibly unlikely those abs of yours will be poppin’ (especially as we age). You can do all the sit ups, all the crunches, all the mountain climbers in the world, but if you don’t eat clean on a regular basis, it will be tough to get that six pack you’re dreaming of. I once had a friend ask me how to get his abs to show through and when I told him to quit drinking, he called me a b*tch. The truth hurts.

I’ve always been a person who has a smaller waist and can get my abs to show through (just how my genetics are), BUT that is only the case when my diet is clean 90% of the time. For me, a clean diet means staying away from alcohol (only 1-2 drinks/month, if that), staying away from sugar as much as possible, and staying away from food that causes inflammation for me – gluten, too many gf grains, nuts, and eggs. When I stick with this clean eating routine, abs show. As soon as I don’t, they are suddenly gone. Even after 1 day of drinking in Mexico (where I currently am), the abs are gone because of the inflammation from alcohol. I say all this as a friendly reminder that diet is SO FREAKING IMPORTANT. I think most of us know at this point that diet is a huge factor when it comes to physical changes, but I like to remind everyone in my posts since I have my remind myself of that, as well.

With all that being said, a strong core means strong lifts. If you’re not engaging your core before you lift any kind of weight, you’re not only putting your body at risk for injury, but you’re also not getting the full potential from the movement. Learning to engage your core while working out will be incredibly beneficial in many ways. So instead of thinking about doing abs to simply get that six pack you’re hoping for, think about the big picture. A stronger core will mean a stronger body, especially in the long run. A stronger body means a life full of more adventures and whatever else you throw at it!

Now before you read the ab finisher, check out this video below!

The quick 5 minute finished looks like:

:30 sec Plank

:30 sec Rotating Mountain Climbers

:30 sec Plank

:30 sec Corkscrew Planks

:30 sec Plank

:30 sec Toe Touch Sit Ups

:30 sec Hollow Hold

:30 sec Alternating Crab Toe Taps

:30 sec Hollow Hold

:30 sec V-ups

While doing any of these movements, truly think about the core before you begin. Think about the core coming together like a corset, squeezing together and down towards your spine. So often we go into a movement without engaging the muscle first or throughout. Try to change that when doing these movements. In the plank, picture yourself in a crunch position, which will round the back a bit and make you shake more. The shake is a good thing. When starting a v-up, think about the core pulling your body together, instead of the arms and legs doing the work. The more you can engage the core before you begin the movement, the better!

Now go give this 5 minute abs finisher a try and let me know what you think!! But remember – if you want to see those abs POP, you gotta clean up that diet! And as you know, I have A TON of recipes to help with just that!