Abs are made in the kitchen!

BEFORE

4 WEEKS LATER

Let's talk about belly fat...I have had numerous people come to me asking how to get rid of it. The answer is simple...diet and cardio. Some of my clients are usually surprised when they come to me complaining about this problem area and I don't have them do hundreds of crunches and sit-ups every session. Ab exercises are great to strengthen the core, however, they do not get rid of the layer of fat over your abs. So, instead of spending a ton of time on the floor doing crunches, I take my clients through circuits and cardio intervals. I also find other ways to focus on the core by having them stand on a bosu or sit on a stability ball. I write up prescription cardio programs for my clients and have them do cardio as their homework. All of the work in the gym is awesome, however, you will not see the results you want without the proper nutrition. Abs are made in the kitchen! By sticking to a clean diet along with my workouts, I can see drastic results in my abs. I can't believe I am posting my progress pics, but I  figure I can TALK about my results all day, but I want y'all to actually SEE what a difference a clean diet (no cheating and no alcohol) can do. The before picture above was taken January 1st (I let myself get a little fluffy over the holidays. ha!) and the after picture was taken exactly 4 weeks later. I have always had a flat stomach and pretty strong core, but I've never had a 6 pack. Although I still have a lot more work to do, I am excited about my results so far. I have lost 2% bodyfat and 6 inches (1 inch in my waist) since January 1st.  I used to train my abs every night for about 15 minutes, but honestly I have not done a whole lot of ab work lately...those results are from proper nutrition. I have also been taking CLA (conjugated linoliec acid) which has helped me burn the fat around my mid-section.  Now that my bodyfat is almost where I want it (2% more to go) I am going to start doing more weighted ab exercises to hopefully define my abdominal muscles...I've found 2 abs, but I have 4 more to find! haha! I will be posting some of my favorite ab exercises in the following weeks. I have some crazy workouts coming and I am pumped! :) 

Below I have posted a few of my meals from the past couple of weeks. I will also post some of my favorite recipes. Remember: Eat clean, get lean! 

Spinach Salad w/ Chicken, cucumber, apples & celery served with chick pea and cranberry quiona

Baked Chicken, "mashed cauliflower" & a  spinach salad with cucumber, celery & avacado 

Grilled chicken spinach salad and a baked sweet potato

One of my favorite snacks- Baked sweet potato bites

Jud and I make our chicken in bulk on Sundays. We just use any Mrs. Dash salt-free seasoning and he grills tenderloins and I bake some chicken breasts. I keep spinach and fresh veggies in the fridge to throw salads together during the week. 

*Baked Sweet Potato Chips: Cut sweet potatoes into about 1/2 inch slices. Place on aluminum foil and sprinkle with cinnamon and stevia. Bake at 350 for 35 mintues. Let cool and place in individual ziploc bags for a quick snack on the go. (I got this recipe from Natalie Hodson on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/NatalieHodsonOfficial It's a good one)

*Mashed Cauliflower: Cut up 1 head of cauliflower. Place in ziploc steamer bag and microwave for 5-6 min. Place in food processor. Grind it up then mix in unsweetened almond milk, pepper, and garlic powder. It taste just like mashed potatoes.


Yours in Health, 
Brittany