Tips On Getting A Flat Stomach

I have compiled few pointers on achieving that washboard abs. Hope it is useful. My readers can perhaps take a tip or two from it. Here it goes :-

1. Eat 5/6 small meals a day instead of 3 big meals.

2. Don't eat 2 hours before going to sleep.

3. Drink atleast 8 glasses of water a day.

4. Do lots of abs workout like crunches, planks, hanging leg raises etc.

5. Do atleast 30 minutes of cardio 5/6 times a week.

6. Get at least 8 hours of sleep.

7. Eat more fruits and vegetables.

8. Cut down on the junk food.

9. Eat more fibrous food to keep feeling full.

10. Will power and perseverance.

You will say that these are quite common pointers but isn't it challenging to follow them. It's a reminder to keep you and myself on track. All the best.

Rest Is Also Important

For me, REST means RESET. Wow, that's was original. Anyways, for any athlete, rest plays a crucial role in overall physical and mental development. But somehow, it is mostly ignored which leads to frequent injuries or it is followed in an incorrect manner leading to loss of fitness levels gained earlier.

Rest means to relax the muscles and mind after a or bouts of hard workouts. It certainly does not mean to stay on couch or bed the whole day until and unless you break some bone. Also, it does not mean to eat whatever is on the shelf just because you have worked hard. A proper rest will prepare the body for more future workouts for a longer time. Isn't our aim to keep working out throughout our lives than to burn out in a few years and never workout again! So, let's see what a proper rest and recovery will entail to make us stronger -

1. LISTEN TO YOURSELF - There are some days when mentally we are tired and don't feel like exercising. It is a nature's way of telling us that we're tired and need rest. Listen to yourself and take a break. You will, probably, come back stronger after the well deserved rest. Not listening to yourself may sometimes result in injury as one is not attentive to maintain proper form or the muscles may not be primed to exercise again.

2. GET IN THE ZZZZZZ - Sometimes symptoms of overtraining or need to rest is best cured with a proper good night sleep. Nothing beats a good 8-10 hours of slumber when you are tired. Think your bed as a charging station but also see to it that you don't overdo the lay in.

3. HYDRATE - While resting, it is important to hydrate properly. Exercising tends to dehydrate our bodies, so on rest days it is essential that we drink plenty and frequently. I exactly won't be able to tell you how much water one should drink but the best test for checking the hydration levels is by the colour of urine. The clearer the colour, the better one is hydrated.

4. EAT WELL - Eating junk on rest days won't be useful at all. Indulge in them but be smart and do not overdo. You certainly would not like to waste what you have gained over a long period of hard workouts.

5. MASSAGE - Nothing beats a good massage to relax the muscles. Also, it restores strength, flexibility and prevents injuries. Check out a good masseur and enjoy the magic.

6. YOGA - I believe that yoga restores mental and physical well being. I guess, I don't to dwell more on it. Just start doing yoga.

7. CROSS TRAIN - There are some people who simply hate to rest. For them, it is best to cross train like cycling, walking, swimming, yoga etc. Basically do what they generally don't do in a training week. The idea here is to work different muscle groups, which in turn will make you stronger and injury free.

 Follow the rest days religiously and include them in your training program. Think of them as an important part of your workout which will keep you injury free.

Stay Fit During Holidays

Staying fit or avoiding putting on weight during vacations is tough for me as well as many others out there. And also, I feel it is a sin to avoid eating all the good things during that time. But then how do we stay away from gaining weight during vacations? This time, I have realised that it is not so difficult to avoid becoming chubby by the end of holidays.

Last week I went on a diving holiday to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. I had around 4 days in Havlock Island, which is THE diving destination in India. The first day, my wife did a beginners' diving capsule of two dives and I was babysitting the whole day. Well, not exactly the whole day but till late afternoon. Frankly speaking, it took time for my son to get used to me, alone, but it was a lot of fun and was damn tired by the time my wife came back from the dive. In next two days, I did four deep dives in which I saw four sharks (from close quarters), a Marble ray (one of the varieties of Manta Ray), a turtle, lots of Napoleans and Groupers. The sea was quite rough both at surface and below (lot of currents), so had a awesome workout kicking my fins and working up my lungs. The last day, enjoyed the white sand beach and clear water with my family. So, the bottom line is I did not laze around in my bed during holidays (which I earlier used to do) but had a action packed schedule with my family. And also, I forgot to mention about lot's of beer and seafood we devoured there. After we reached back home, I checked my weight and I was surprised. I nearly lost a kilo in 6 days and I was looking quite fit and tanned. The break did not hamper my running progress which I made prior to leaving for the vacation (infact, this was the issue I was fearing about the most).

Now, my readers will say that not everyone can go on such expensive diving holidays. The issue which I am trying to prove here is that do not make a dent on your bed or couch during a break and keep mulling afterwards that you have gained weight or lost the fitness levels which you achieved before the break. Instead, enjoy the nature or stay active by spending time with your family, play with your kids, go for a walk with your wife, go hiking and exploring new places which you always wanted to do or anything which works up a sweat or even walking some distance to go shopping. Studies have shown that  the families which follow an active lifestyle tend to stay fit, happy and loose more weight during the year. So, my advice is to plan vacations accordingly to compensate for a break in fitness goals. And don't just stay in the bed. Also, these vacations will be more memorable and fun. Trust me on this and do share your experiences. Ciao.