The Top 4 Myths About Toning Your Stomach

Everyone seems to have tips on how to tone your stomach. Your cousin has a foolproof method of shedding abdominal fat. Bill from the gym seems to have come up with a routine. But how much of that is believable? How many of those are myths? How much of that have any basis in truth? This article will separate the real from the fake; the fluff from the substance.

Myth 1: If I don’t eat, I’ll have a more toned physique.

False! Skipping meals is bad for you! It will throw off your metabolism, which will hurt your ability to digest and process the meals you do eat. If your metabolism is negatively affected, much of the nutrients will be stored as fat, which will INCREASE the size of your belly. It will also probably cause you to eat more on the meals you eat. This could leave you susceptible to diabetes, by overloading your digestive system. So don’t skip meals – the best way to eat is by eating five smaller meals a day. This will enable your metabolism to keep up with your eating, enabling it to burn more fat. And that’s a good thing!

Myth 2: If I do more crunches, I’ll have a more toned stomach.

Not necessarily. You don’t want to overload yourself. Don’t go until you can’t do another sit-up or crunch. This will only serve to tire you out, and will also hurt your ability to build muscle. Strained muscles don’t grow as quickly. So the best thing to do is to do a certain amount of sets with a comfortable amount of repetitions. Say 5 sets of 20. Or however many you can do comfortably, but still work up a light sweat. This way, you do not overtrain, still get a workout, and will develop your abdominal muscles in a healthy fashion.

Myth 3: If I just exercise consistently, I can eat anything I want.

Nope. Six-pack abs are made in the kitchen. So that means you must cut down on the burgers, burritos, and potato chips. Even if you exercise diligently, eating those high-fat foods will leave you with a layer of fat on your stomach, covering whatever abdominal muscles you build. And since it takes 20 minutes of jogging to work off JUST ONE chocolate chip cookie, I’d stay away from the junk food, and reach for some fruit instead.

Myth 4: To get a six pack, I only have to work my abs.

This isn’t true either. You can’t spot-reduce abdominal fat. That means that you must shed fat overall before you can see results in your midsection. That is, you can’t just do crunches to have a flat stomach if your body fat percentage is too high. As a result, you need to lose fat all over your body, and reduce your overall body fat percentage. The best way to do that is listed on my 4 Easy Tips On How To Tone Your Stomach.

So now you know! Armed with this knowledge of common misconceptions with respect to toning your stomach, you will be better equipped to figure out what works and what doesn’t, which will help you in your quest for a flatter midsection. Good luck, and happy toning!