You may have heard the saying, abs are made in the
kitchen, and not in the gym. Well, it’s
true and without a healthy diet, no amount of exercise can help you lose
weight. Ekta Tandon, who is a nutritionist at Fitness First chain of
restaurants, lists out a few things you should know about eating for six-pack
abs.
First things
first – we all have abs but they are hidden due to the coverage of fat. In
order to define and flaunt them, one must eat right and exercise.
Here’s how you can do it:
Eat small
meals: The rule is to eat small meals at equal
intervals. So if you are eating often and eating good food, you would not have
cravings for any kind of junk food. It will also help regulate your body’s
blood sugar, which stabilises the release of insulin. This helps promote the
use of fat as fuel and helps prevent it from being stored in the body. When
excess fat isn’t stored, the abs are more prominent.
How to do it: Eat three standard meals and three smaller snacks. For
example:
Early
morning: 1-2 glass water
8-9 am: Breakfast
11-12 pm:
Snack
1-2 pm:
Lunch
4-5pm: Snack
7-8 pm:
Dinner
9-10 pm (if
hungry): Milk
Importance of
protein: Protein plays a very important role
during workout. The recommended daily intake of protein for a person is 1g/kg
body weight. It increases or decreases according to the activity done by the
person.
Protein acts
as the building block for muscles but doesn’t bulk up the muscles, a myth that
many people carry. The only way to bulk up muscles is to hit the gym and perform
progressive resistance exercises. Protein helps provide the raw material to
build muscle, but the protein has to be pulled into muscles through
exercise. You may also read how
important is protein for bodybuilding.
Non-vegetarians
can get their share by eating white meat like chicken, fish, eggs, etc. For
vegetarians the choice is no less, they can have cottage cheese, soya, sprouts,
milk, curds, etc. One can even have protein shakes if needed. According to
celebrity fitness trainer Kris Gethin, ‘A palm-sized portion of protein with
every meal will help your muscles rebuild and recover from the stress placed on
them during workouts. Since eating protein six times per day can get a little
inconvenient, you can try drinking it occasionally.’ Here are some diet tips
for non-vegetarians.
Hydration: It is very important to keep yourself hydrated. Water is an
essential nutrient that is involved in every function of the body. Except for
oxygen, there’s nothing your body needs more than an adequate supply of water.
And the more you exercise, the more important it is to drink the right amount
of water before, during, and after your workouts. Dehydration can make it hard
to get the most out of your workout and in extreme situations, can even be
dangerous to your health.
Good
carbohydrates: Carbohydrate is arguably
the most important source of energy for workout. No matter what exercise you
do, carbs provide the energy that fuels muscle contractions. Once eaten,
carbohydrates breakdown into smaller sugars (glucose, fructose and galactose)
that get absorbed and used as energy.
Any glucose
not needed right away gets stored in the muscles and the liver in the form of
glycogen. Once these glycogen stores are filled up, any extra gets stored as
fat. Adequate carbohydrate intake also helps prevent protein from being used as
energy. If the body doesn’t have enough carbohydrate, protein is broken down to
make glucose for energy.
Fruits and
veggies: Fruits and veggies provide you with all
the nutrients and fibre which is required by our body. They are a storehouse of
various nutrients and are a must-have if you want a fit body with six-pack abs.
Following a
well-balanced diet and exercising can help you get the abs you desire.
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