Hardly a minute passes after we turn on the TV that we see a commercial portraying a scantily-dressed female with a great body and a man with great abs and “six-packs”. This image of perfect body structures is pushed to us by the media day-in day-out and has become what the mind accepts as the reasonable body tone and appearance. This has resulted in a spike in gym enrollment as more and more people try to achieve that look.
Obesity is the condition where the body accumulates so much fat that it is deemed unhealthy. This is reflected by the hundreds of thousands of deaths that take place each year due to obesity. Obesity can cause artery blockage and hence heart failure and stroke. It can also cause sleep disorders, breathing problems kidney failure, a depressed immune system, high-blood pressure and even a low self-esteem as the media portrays the obese person as generally unattractive.
While dieting is a great way to lose weight, it must be coupled with a good exercise regimen. This is because fat accumulation is really about the body not generating enough metabolic heat to burn the fat. Exercise forces the body to burn the fat accumulated in the belly and turn it into energy.
Exercise need not be hard. As a matter of fact, it is not really the type of exercise that matters, it is whether there is consistency and due diligence. Combining the two can be a very effective way of ensuring that the body’s metabolic rate increases and all fat deposits especially those in the belly are burned to give way to great-looking abs.
The best exercises for stomach abs are running and conducting routine sit-ups. Push-ups are also great but one must not overdo them.