How I Got the Abs I Wanted (Without Crunches or Hating Food!)

I really debated whether or not I should even write this post.  In fact, this post might even be slightly more narcissistic than my “Secrets of a Pregnancy Unicorn” series.  But here’s the thing: lots and lots of people are self-conscious about their midsections.  They’ve tried all the conventional tips and tricks to no avail.  They still don’t have the abs that they want (or arms or butt or thighs or whatever they’re trying to “fix”).  I just want people to know that they really can have the abs (and the body!) that they want, and, in some ways, it may be easier than they think!

You see, my approach doesn’t involve a single crunch (please just stop doing those things…they’re really ineffective at core strengthening, and they’re not too great for your neck or your back…not to mention how extremely boring they are)!  I also don’t recommend any crazy “diets.”  In fact, I hate the term “diet” they way Americans use that word.  Guess what?  You’re already on a diet.  Your diet is simply what you eat.  A “diet” is not a list of rules that force calorie restriction for a short period of time until a magic number appears on a scale.  That’s (most of the time) just self-sabotage.  What do you do when your “diet” ends?  Generally, gain the weight back slowly over time (and maybe a little more…you’ve now tanked your metabolism with all your calorie restriction).  So if my plan doesn’t involve crunches or “diets,” what should you do?

Here’s how I got the abs I wanted, and how you can too…

1.  Eat real food.

Keep it simple, please!!  Just eat real food.  Not chemicals.  Not things you can’t pronounce or that can only be produced in a chemistry lab.  Real food.  It grows on a tree, or in the ground, or it has a mother. Look at the back of that bag or box and ask, “Could I, theoretically, make this in my kitchen?  Are these ingredients something I could find at the grocery store?”  If so, it’s probably made of real food!  If not, ditch it, please!

Now, I have eliminated about 90% of gluten from my diet and maybe 70% of all dairy.  I really don’t think wheat, the way we grow it today, has any nutritional value, and I know I feel terrible when I eat it.  Some people would argue that both wheat and dairy are “real food,” but I don’t think that’s true in the way they’re made today.  Wheat is crossbred and contains significantly more gluten than it ever has before (which could be why suddenly everyone seems to be intolerant to it), and dairy is in no way the health food that it was in its raw form (before it got stripped of its vitamins and minerals due to all the pasteurization and homogenization).

Let me make sure that I make this clear before moving on: I eat the way I do because it is delicious and makes me feel great.  I really don’t believe in making food choices based on how you will look.  I believe in making food choices because God gave us food to fuel our bodies, and that fuel also happens to be a wonderful treat to our senses of smell and taste and sight, like good music is to our ears.  Food is a sensory experience, not one to feel guilty about.  BUT, if you’re eating real food, your body will thank you from the inside out, and you just might notice things tightening up and shrinking down.

2.  Sprint.

Prepare to pick your jaw up off the floor for this one: I finally got the abs I wanted after I stopped running all the time.  I’ve been a competitive distance runner since I was eleven years old.  I have logged a LOT of miles in my time.  I’m one of those crazy people that truly loves running.  But once I stopped logging all those miles and miles and miles, I got faster (I beat my college 5K time 9 months after having a baby.), I was not so tired all the time, and I dropped three pants sizes (and got some abs along with that).  I still go out for a nice, relaxed run of maybe 5 to 7 miles or so about once a week, but usually the other one or two “cardio” days that I do in a week involve HIIT (high intensity interval training) with sprints at the track, Insanity Max30 in my basement, or a game of indoor soccer.  This is so much healthier for my thyroid, and, while it is a harder worker, it definitely keeps me leaner.

(Note, if you can’t “sprint” per se due to any sort of physical limitation, please know that “sprinting” comes in lots and lots of forms!  Any time you’re alternating between high intensity and low intensity it qualifies as “sprinting” as I intend to use that word.  Wall push-ups performed really quickly would count!  You can be creative based on what you can do!)

3.  Lift.

I finally got serious about strength training!  Funny thing is, even when I was a personal trainer at a gym, I wasn’t as committed to my own strength training as I am right now.  It makes me feel great, and I love being stronger!  Ladies, can we all just stop stressing out that lifting weights will make us get big and muscle-y?  Because it won’t.  It will give you beautiful curves in all the right places!  Again, the stronger I got, the smaller I got.  Strength training boosts your metabolism (read: thyroid function) and balances your hormones.  I can’t think of a single woman who doesn’t want that!

4.  Move.

I’m a big believer in just general activity throughout the day.  If you’ve got a desk job, get a stability ball to sit on at the very least (and if you can somehow get a standing desk, please do!).  Take walks at lunch time, park as far away as you can (hey, at least your doors won’t get dinged!), and just opt to always take the stairs.  Maybe once an hour you stop and do twenty air squats (eventually your co-workers will get used to your new quirks).  Or, just drink a lot of water so that you have to get up to go to the bathroom frequently.  I’m a mom, so most of my day is spent being pretty active, but even still, I opt to run up the stairs instead of walk.  And this might be the best reason for to get an activity tracker of some sort (I don’t have a FitBit, but in this case, it could be helpful to see where you can add movement to your day).  For heaven’s sake, if only for the sake of your “daily constitutional,” add more activity into your daily life!

So there you have it.  How I got the abs I always wanted without a single crunch and without hating food.  But wait!  Where’s the picture of my abs so you can see all my hard work?

You won’t find it here.  My abs are for me and for my husband.  And frankly, maybe my “goal abs” look different than your “goal abs.”  Who cares?  You can check your comparison games at the Sprinting Spoon front door, please and thank you (or just browse Instagram for a while; there’s more than enough of that across social media these days).  The important thing is that we’re all moving the needle toward healthier lives visible from the inside out.   

(Important Disclaimer!  I’m not a doctor, and this is not medical advice, nor is it intended to replace the advice of your doctor.  Always consult your medical provider before starting any new exercise protocols.)