I've been exercising and dieting, but my belly is still flabby. What gives?
The media leads us to believe that Hollywood has found the secret to lean, flat abs. What you may not know is that for many people, it's not physiologically possible to achieve a completely flat belly. Maybe the genetically gifted folks in Hollywood can do it, but the rest of us probably can't without an uphill battle.
The factors that dictate how our bodies look are often out of our control: age, genetics, and gender are just some of the factors that decide where we store and lose fat.
Yes, you can exercise and reduce your body fat, but you many never have a flat belly. Take a look at your parents and relatives. Does your mother have a flat belly? Does your father? Did they ever? If not, chances are, you'll have a difficult time getting flat abs too.
For many of us, getting a flat belly would mean reducing body fat to levels difficult to sustain without struggling. If this is true for you (as it is for many of us), now is a good time to set new reachable goals instead of worrying about one little imperfection (an imperfection that most of us have!).Instead of flat abs, why not focus on getting stronger or faster? Set a goal for trying something you've always wanted to do but never got around to. Breaking your body into imperfect parts will only leave you frustrated while focusing on the whole--what your body does for you each day--can help remind you how amazing your body really is. If it didn't work right, you probably wouldn't care as much whether your abs were flat.
For some great guidance on flat abs, check out my review of Shawn Phillips' book, "ABSolution."
