Six pack abs – 6 Reasons why you should never aim for it!
Your health and wellness are not correlated with how many abs you see in the mirror!
Six-pack abs is the new-fanged craze! From top-rated celebrities to self-proclaimed fitness geeks, everyone is sweating it out for those chiseled abs! No doubt the sexy midriff is an absolute stunner, but are the abs worth the sweat?
Check out what science says about the sizzling six pack abs.
1. Six pack abs are over-rated
The Six pack on your abs do not define fitness. Yet an entire industry is thriving on that myth.
Six pack abs are not health markers.
Rather in the quest to achieve those abs you might just toss your health.
Six pack abs need you to be the beast. Pull the weights, do the squats, count the push ups and kill the crunches. But that’s not it!
Abs are actually made in the kitchen or rather by avoiding the kitchen.
Lack of nutrition filled by supplements can lead to serious eating disorders. Missing out on a balanced diet is a big mistake!
The human body is not designed to live like that.
2. The obsession over minimum fats
Six packs abs are more about eating less than training hard!
It the extreme low percentage of fat in the body that makes those ab chisel.
Healthy body fat percentage is vital for good health. Fat in the body is responsible for many important functions. It regulates temperature, cushions vital organs, maintains hormone levels and stimulates enzyme production.
A man has to get down to about 10 percent body fat for his abs to float. And for women, it is about 15 per cent fat.
Shockingly, that’s not what the healthy body quotient recommends!
The below table depicts the average percentages of essential fats as recommended by the American Council on Exercise
Description | Women | Men |
Essential fat | 10–14% | 3–5% |
Athletes | 14–21% | 6–14% |
Fitness | 21–25% | 14–18% |
Average | 25–32% | 18–25% |
Obese | 32%+ | 25%+ |
Source: Wikipedia.org
3. Six pack abs – a curse for women
A woman needs more body fat cushioning than a man. Very low body fat is particularly unhealthy for women. That’s why most doctors discourage these fad diets that promise a zero figure!
Low fat in the body can interrupt a woman’s menstrual cycle. It may result in stress, mood swings and even cause depression.
Doctors suggests to aim for good health and healthy weight!
And six pack abs do not fall into that bracket.
4. Strenuous crunches can crush your body
That abs of steel comes at a cost!
The ripped chest and sculpted abs demand more than what you have bargained for!
Excessive abdominal crunches for abs have resulted in severe cases of hunchback. It might lead to flattening of the lumbar curve. This creates a weakened spinal structure. Not to mention the permanent damage it does to the body!
5. The drastic downside of six pack abs
Though six pack abs look all fit and macho, but the real picture is a flip!
Extremely low-fat levels required for those six packs can have some adverse effects. Some common complaints include:
- Reduced bladder control
- Irregular bowel function
- Hormone imbalance
- Weaker immune system
- Muscle aches and pains
- Inadequate cushioning around joints and organs
- Increased risk of injury
- Increased fatigue, tiredness and mood swings.
6. The side-effects of six pack abs
The bemusing videos on your feed and bewildering workout routines are not the right inspo to follow!
Overdoing anything is bad! Even if it’s something good!
Stretching your workout routine beyond limit can result in cramps. It can cause muscle sprain and strain. This can lead to serious muscle injuries.
It is also important to keep hydrated. Otherwise, such a routine can result in serious dehydration.
The goal is ‘healthy’ not ‘flashy’
Here are a few simple and realistic ways to optimize your fitness quotient and still achieve that midriff, if not the six pack!
- Choose a healthy home-made diet.
- Pick a workout that do not wear you out.
- Stick to a disciplined set of actions.
- Include the essentials in your diet.
- Avoid binging at all costs.
- Replace your sugar with jaggery.
- Focus on hydration.
- Do not abuse your body with artificial products.
- Try lemon and honey for a flat tummy.
- Start your day early in the morning.
Conclusion: Say no to six-pack abs
Everything that looks good is not gold. The chiseling abs and sculpted body is not the crest of fitness. It wears the body and damages the structure. That’s why the aim should be healthy and not flashy!