It’s actually rather simple…The only type exercise for your abs that will make a difference is  whatever exercise occupies your hands so you can’t constantly put food in your mouth! Your diet is everything when it comes to Abs.

My goal involving this topic is to infect your mind with the “exercise smart & eat clean” virus. You need to burn that layer of subcutaneous fat you have wrapped around your midsection. Burning fat is roughly 70% eating “clean” and 30% working out “smart”. Doing that in reverse is a whole other story. I don’t care if you can do decline sit-ups holding a hippopotamus over your head. If your fitness regimen is more like 70% working out smart and 30% eating clean, you’ll never see your superhuman abs.

Another important fact…you can’t spot reduce fat.  You reduce fat all over your body or you don’t lose any fat at all.  You have to move your center of gravity through space. What does that mean? Move your BODY! Boost your metabolism by lifting weights and interval training. Lying on the ground and doing a million crunches is going to do more damage to your neck than benefit to your Abs. That would be equivalent to me trying to obtain lean and chiseled legs by sitting and standing off a bar stool. Yes, eventually my legs will get tired, but most likely out of boredom than anything else. You need to treat your Abs like any other muscle in your body. If you want to build them, you need resistance. Using kettle bells, medicine balls and ankle weights will take you light years ahead of standard sit-ups and crunches.

Most people are so over “fat” no amount of abdominal work will make any difference to your abs at all. You need to exercise smart AND eat clean to burn the fat. Exercise alone will not give you the Abs of your dreams. If your food plan sucks, you’ll have the Abs of your nightmares.

1.    Ginger

This root has the spice it takes to get your metabolism running laps. It’s a vasodilator, which means it expands blood vessels to increase body heat and metabolism by as much as 20 percent.

2.    Garlic

This spicy bulb is known as a thermogenic, packing enough power to keep insulin levels low to maximize fat-burning and boost metabolism. Garlic also supports a healthy immune system.

3.    Plums

Mother Nature’s “eliminator.” Plums are a great source of fiber, which can help keep you regular an important (and often overlooked) piece of your fat-loss puzzle. Just one plum has up to two grams of fiber, or about eight percent of your daily recommended intake (which is around 25 grams per day).

4.    Extra-virgin olive oil

Recent study suggests that monounsaturated fats increase the breakdown of fat in fat cells. Also, swapping other fats, like saturated oils and butter, for extra-virgin olive oil is a better, waist-happy option overall. However, keep in mind that it is still fat ( at 9 calories per fat gram) so let’s keep it to a tablespoon per serving.

5.    Balsamic vinegar

A Harvard study looked at the benefits of this ancient goodness and found that it not only carries essential enzymes to help digestion and boost metabolism, but it’s also a natural appetite suppressant. And if that wasn’t enough, the amino acids in balsamic vinegar have been shown to slow the effects of aging.

6.    Spinach

The iron maiden of leafy greens. Spinach is a fat-free way to get a dose of iron to help boost energy when you’re pumping iron at bootcamp. Unlike red meat (which is also packed with iron, but contains fat) spinach is a good choice for vegetarians or people who have a difficult time digesting meat. Not to mention that it’s portable, less expensive and easy to eat on the go.

If you’re doing an overall comparison, chicken is the healthiest (skinless of course). Red meat tends to be higher in saturated fat. The bottom line with chicken…ditch the skin and stay away from the wings. If you’re paying close attention to your fat intake, choose the leaner breast.

The only real difference is that red meat contains a high amount of iron. But you can get iron from many sources such as spinach and lentils. Does this mean you should avoid red meat altogether if you’re trying to lean out relatively quick? Nope, you don’t need to take that route if your only concern is fat loss. Just opt for the leaner sources like top sirloin. Buffalo and venison are great alternatives to either chicken or beef. However, when purchasing buffalo ( a.k.a bison) make sure it doesn’t contain any added fat. Anything containing more than 3 grams of saturated fat, has added fat.

Weather you decide on chicken or beef, don’t order it charred (black grill marks).  Those grill marks are carcinogenic. Over grilling any protein source creates HCAs (heterocyclic amines) which have been found to cause cancer. If grilling at home, using a marinade will help protect your meat.

And on that note…here’s a chart I found that I thought you all might like to reference when choosing the right protein for your needs.

** THE CHART IS BASED ON A SERVING SIZE OF 4OZ.

TYPE & CUT OF MEAT            CAL          TOTAL FAT              SAT. FAT                 CHOLESTEROL

                Chicken breast                     160         2g                            1g                            93mg

                Turkey breast                       160         1g                            0g                            74mg

                Chicken wings                       329         22g                         6g                            95mg

                Chicken thigh                        187         9g                            3g                            113mg

                Ground turkey                      120         1g                            0g                            55mg

                Ground chicken                   230         15g                         5g                            169mg

                Top sirloin steak                   280         16g                         7g                            100mg

                Eye round steak                   227         9g                            4g                            80mg

                Brisket steak                         387         28g                         11g                         107mg

                Chuck steak                           294         22g                         11g                         93mg

TIP: Careful when buying ground chicken, if it doesn’t say anything on the package, there is a big chance that it contains chicken skin, thighs and all other parts of the chicken that are NOT lean.

 Patty Diaz *  (on the left): Amazing Bootcamp Transformation:

From 159 lbs and 31% bodyfat to 139lbs and 14.5% bodyfat in 7 months!

Squat Thrust from Joe Robaina on Vimeo.

Bear Crawl from Joe Robaina on Vimeo.

Diving Pushups from Joe Robaina on Vimeo.