9 RULES to them Six-Pack Abs

svelte (adj) /svelt/ /sfelt/ 

Attractively thin; gracefully slender; refined

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Ladies and Gents, summer's upon us and I know you all are getting ready to hit the beach at some point. What's better than having a killer beach-body - flat stomach, lean muscle definition, and strong core, all inclusive?

Follow these simple rules and guidelines that I have had experimental success with, over the past few years. Any questions? mjlnutrition@gmail.com

RULE #1

Cut out the white stuff (this means white bread and rice, EVEN BETTER if you can cut out grains altogether). I truly believe that 85% of our physical appearance and overall bodily health is attributed to our diet. Load up on the good stuff - veggies, protein, nuts, seeds, fruit! Sweet-tooth? Dark chocolate 85%+. One of my favorite desserts, watch out for the caffeine.

RULE #2

Drink a ton of water. If you eat out a lot, it's very easy to consume large amounts of salt since you have limited control over the amount of sodium that restaurants put in your food. Too much sodium-consumption causes bloating in the face and other parts of the body due to water retention - FALSE FAT. If your mouth is dry and your urine is bright yellow (yes, I'm very serious), this is your body telling you that you are dehydrated. So drink up that H20! Add some sliced fruit to your water for taste. Fish oil (omega 3) helps with the bloating as well.

RULE #3 

walk more. Don't freak out about not running 2-3 miles a day.

RULE #4

Switch up your work-outs in the gym by incorporating full-body work outs that require heavy weight-lifting instead of isolated body part work-outs. Research 'muscle-confusion and shock' work-outs. If you're looking to build lean muscle, you must incorporate heavy lifting into work-outs and shoot for medium to high-repetition sets. Weighted pull-ups, dips, and squats work wonders.

RULE #5

Don't need crunches. Just don't do them, they are uncomfortable. Eat right.

RULE #6

Leave the dinner-table a little hungry. Listen, this is probably the most difficult rule to follow. I cannot stress enough how important portion control is. Portion control the amount of food you eat and your body will automatically maintain a healthy weight. Your brain needs about 20 minutes to fully realize that your body is satiated so eat slowly. Load up on veggies that contain a lot of water (cucumber, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots); these will fill you up. Eat more protein to keep your metabolism running (chicken, eggs, fish, meat). Yams and potatoes are OK.

RULE #7

Healthy fats - coconut oil, grass-fed butter, olive-oil, dark chocolate, avocado, fish-oil. This stuff will make you shredded. GREEN TEA will kick-start your metabolism like a ferrari engine, if you're feeling bold, drink 4-5 cups a day. Decaf after 1 P.M.

RULE #8

Most importantly, be patient. A six-pack does not magically appear on your stomach overnight. IT IS DEFINITELY ATTAINABLE FOR ANYONE. Consider your overall long-term health goal and don't do it just to look good for the beach. Do it for yourself, your health..... your well-being.