Popular men’s health and fitness publications mix images of torsos with tanning creams in a ‘vain’ effort to entice men over to the darker side of male perfection.
Looking well and keeping fit it seems is the new mantra for Irish men. Of course this is not a bad thing, though a few wives and partners have begun to bemoan that man’s new mistress is in fact a sport called Triathlon - he couldn’t even walk round to the shops a year ago now he’s off doing three sports back-to-back! It seems the days of shining the classic automobile on a safe Sunday afternoon has been replaced with a rummage for the runners in the early am, and on a weekend no less.
But as the body begins to shed pounds, and you start to question why you didn’t take to the fit road earlier in life, there is still one common denominator shared amongst the new fighting Irish which does not relate to any personal best or weight target, instead it centres on man’s physicality - one that is often reserved for personal trainers, Diet Coke ads or Men’s Health cover models, that is, attaining the washboard stomach or in other words, achieving the holy grail of muscles mass that is often referred to as the ‘six-pack’.
Now the six-pack I speak of is not six cans of ‘probably the best’ resting on your belly but a set of individual abdominal muscles which when incredibly prominent are usually aligned so that they are stacked in two columns. A fascination shared equally between both sexes with men wanting to have them and women wanting to see them. You just have to peruse the pages of any women’s glossy and you will no doubt find a poll that asks the favourite part of a man’s body. Our fair maidens are diplomatic in their answers, however, ranking eyes, abs and smile as their top 3. Number 4 which relates to the size of a certain appendage is a discussion for a later date!
Sometime or another we have all randomly attempted sit-ups in our pj’s before bedtime and felt like a plank in doing so (if you excuse the exercise pun) and with very little results to show for it after several weeks of trying. Gradually our determination has been replaced with acceptance, acceptance that when you arrive at a certain age you begin to see it as no longer a possibility that the best a man can get is a reduction in the flab around the mid-section so you decide to leave the art of body sculpting to the next young lad coming up behind you. Yet the clue in solving the riddle of the ripples begins with what we put in our mouths.
In order to achieve your goal of six-pack success you must focus first on what you eat, and not on how many sit-ups you can do at night. We all know that diet plays a pivotal role with regard to weight loss, but a healthy diet combined with the correct cardiovascular training and right abdominal exercises can in fact reveal what lies beneath - irrespective of your age.
Your abdominal muscles sit behind a layer of fat, and unless you get rid of this, it doesn't matter how toned those muscles are, they'll never get seen through it. Admittedly watching what you eat is the easy part you’re not exactly going to build up a sweat from eating a Grilled Chicken sandwich - unless that is, you’ve popped in a Snickers bar when the better half’s back is turned.
The saying, 'abs are made in the kitchen' really is one of the best pieces of advice you could take. To help you on your way in achieving your goal pay special attention to some of the following foods:
Fruit & Nuts:
All nuts contain healthy monounsaturated fats, almonds in particular are not only full of protein to build muscle but can also play a key role in reducing cholesterol. Apples are full of natural sugars and contain a lot of water, so they will make you feel full without a lot of fat intake. Be sure to factor in berries which are also high in fibre as well as antioxidants.
(Lean) Meat & Veg:
Meats that are high in protein include turkey, chicken and lean beef whilst fish such as salmon and tuna contain a healthy dose of essential fatty acids. Super leafy vegetables e.g. lettuce, spinach, and broccoli are very low in calories but at the same time have a high mineral content.
‘Dairy I say it?’
Keeping a good measure of low fat dairy products in your diet will help you build strong bones as well as helping you to lose fat. Eggs are very high in protein and are a great source of food which promotes muscle building.
