Some thoughts and discussions from me.
How to Get My Abs (Or Anyone Else’s Abs, for that Matter)
I’m sure upon reading this title, you thought, “Wow! Well doesn’t she think highly of herself!”
But let me explain.
When I drop a little body fat, my abs become pretty visible and start to pop. I lose body fat here first, as I do not have a tendency to carry body fat in that area.
Of course, when I’m a little softer in the winter, my abs aren’t as visible, but as soon I lean out a bit, they start to pop.
(when I focus on fat loss training + tighten up my nutrition – on the right)
Every now and then, I’ll get a comment like, “How can I get your abs?!”
But here’s the thing — instead, I carry body fat in other areas, like my lats (bra strap area,) hips, and thighs.
You guys, I remember wasting SO much time and energy hating my upper back – and especially my legs. Wishing they would some how look like Christina Aguilera’s (hey, I was a freshmen in high school in 1999-2000,) took up way too much mental space. Somehow, maybe if I didn’t eat for long enough, that I’d get them. Instead, that just lead to a horrible eating disorder – not to her legs, which in my mind equated happiness (spoiler alert: my 15-year-old mind was SO wrong.)
Since then, I’ve come to terms with my legs – and my lats – , and the fact that while I can certainly build and shape them, it’s just always where I’ll carry some body fat. The fact is, if I get lean enough to where my legs look “shredded” or “cut,” I’m too lean and my health starts to actually decline – for me.
Christina Aguilera – and anyone else who doesn’t tend to carry body fat in their legs/thighs – carries it elsewhere. Likely in the abs. How to get her legs? Don’t, unless you have her exact body structure make up. Instead, I accept the genetic makeup of my God-given body, and work with – and appreciate – it.
Listen, I’m not saying if you don’t have abs then it’s forever impossible to get them. It’s not – at all! In fact, some hard work though training and nutrition will 100% help you lean out the mid-section. It’s just impossible to get someone else’s abs. (I mean really we all already have abs…abdominal muscles. It’s just making them more visible.)
And in fact, when I’m working with a client it’s important for me to know where she specifically wants to lose fat, where she tends to carry it, etc., as that has a quite a bit to do with our plan for nutrition and training.
I’m simply saying that it’s not always a good idea to point to someone else’s body as your goal, when it’s structurally impossible to achieve the exact same look.
So, how do you get my (or anyone else’s) abs?
You don’t! Because it’s A-OK to appreciate and accept your own body while working on it (or not!) at the same time 🙂
YES. Thank you so much for this, Paige. I’ve had a visible six-pack before, but I was at the most deprived, disordered state of my life at that time. I have quite a bit more fat in my midsection now, but I feel stronger and more energetic than ever. I have to remember that.
You’re awesome!
Which is ultimately the most important! <3
Well said, Paige! A valuable message… We all carry weight differently and lose it differently – continually learning to appreciate my own body and not compare mine to others’. 😀
Thank you, Bonnie!! XO
One of my favorite posts, Paige! When we focus too much on “abs,” we can be working towards an unattainable goals. Even at 16% bf, I didn’t have abs. Had I kept working for fat loss, I would have dropped in an unhealthy weight. Time to embrace our bodies as they are!
Well said, Katherine!
Why does this lesson take so many women a very long time to learn? I’m 40 and I’ve finally accepted my body is what it is. Some I like very much (my legs in fact as I don’t tend to carry fat their) but for the record…I have bra “fat” too. Unless I thought it was until I realized it was just my lats that got huge after swimming endless laps in the pool. I was embarrassed until I realized this is most likely why I can do multiple chin-ups & pull ups. Boo-yah. Muscles are so cool. 🙂
Haha! Huge lats are definitely a factor. But, if being able to bust out pull ups means a little larger lats, I’ll take ’em!
Love this, Paige! This definitely goes deeper into how we are all different and it’s essentially pointless to compare ourselves to others.
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XOXO!
Great post! I have found that not only do I appreciate my body as I get older, it also changes with each baby I have. You are strong and beautiful in God’s eyes… and that is what matters!
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