It seems an American obsession to have a great looking abdomen!  Doesn't it seems crazy to obsess over one body part like that?  You would think that over all health would be more important.  And what is also interesting is that when you have a six pack, people think you are healthly and fit.  While this is mostly true, there are some downsides to having a "rock hard abdomen."

Talking to some of my peers a few weeks ago was very enlightening on this subject.  One peer of mine is also a Cross-Fit trainer, and seems to take the good looking abs seriously.  What was most interesting was that she had read lots of research on the subject (of achieving six-pack abs), and the research shows that 10% comes from exercise while 90% comes from diet.  Imagine that... 90% from diet alone!  Pretty incredible when you think of it.  [Edit 4/21/09: Doing my own reading lately, I have found research that backs this up.  See my blog post on meal composition.]  So those with the six-pack are not necessarily fit, but at least they are eating less fat.  [Edit 4/21/09: I should mention that when I think of fit and fitness, I think not only of strength but also flexibility as well as being otherwise healthy and disease free.  One of the problems with people that focus too much on "rock hard" abs is that they truly get rock hard and don't allow the visceral space to expand and contract.  This can cause irritation and inflammation in the bowels and other organs.  So again, the optimum is strong AND flexible.]

And speaking of fat in the diet, while most people eat too much in their diet (or the wrong kinds of fats... trans fats/saturated fats), completely eliminating it isn't good for the body either.  Especially in children who need fat to grow their nerve cells and brain.  Of course, any diet change can be taken to the extreme, so moderation is the key.

It is a good idea for each of us to examine what we put into our bodies.  Food creates the building blocks of our bodies.  Poor foods are less efficient with more waste that our bodies need to deal with.

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Ethan098  - Re: Six Pack Abs   |59.90.247.xxx |2009-09-13 22:54:37 Great post. Nice information has been given. The post seems to be very informative one. To get a six pack ab regular exercise and proper diet control should be maintained. Not all type of exercise help to loose fat and get six pack ab. I got more tips for getting six pack ab from the below site. They gave many useful tips and easy ways to get a six pack ab. http://wwww.real6packabs.com Reply 0   0

Mark Pearlscott  - Re: Re: Six Pack Abs   |75.165.61.xxx |2009-09-15 07:12:47 Ethan, More important than just getting a good looking six-pack, is that while one is in the process of trying to achieve it, you are actually doing something good for yourself... losing abdominal fat. And not just the fat on the outside of your belly, but inside the visceral cavity too. Fat inside the visceral cavity can press on our organs and cause them to have reduced function. Recent research has shown that when cells are pulled or pushed out of shape, then their function decreases. In other words, if the cell produces hormones, then it produces less hormones. Also, stress and space determine part of the process of how cells are replaced (whether they just die off or if more growth occurs in that area). So cell research in this area is really fascinating and informative... but the same principles are in place for the organs too. More fat in the visceral cavity, more pressure on the organs, more trouble having a Reply 0   0

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