RoJoHen's Abdominal Halloween Challenge!

[RoJoHen]

Right now I do not have visible abs. I haven't had visible abs since I was a freshman in high school. I'm not fat by any means, but there is a bit of flub around my tummy, and I am sick of it.

This coming Halloween, I will be one of the Thundercats, and I feel like I should have visible abs for the occasion.

So that's it. I have 3 months to burn the fat from around my tummy and get a six-pack going (and hopefully get rid of these stupid love handles as well). I will take a BEFORE picture tonight sometime and hopefully be able to proudly display an AFTER picture on October 31st.

It is your job to yell at me and force me to do cardio every day.

 

[Me-Ike]

How exactly are you planning to get rid of love handles in only three months? Give us some pointers.

And can I yell already or do I have to wait until you're giving in for the first time?

Oh, who cares. DON'T SIT ON YOUR FAT ASS! MOVE, DAMMIT!

 

[RoJoHen]

How exactly are you planning to get rid of love handles in only three months? Give us some pointers.

Cardio, cardio, and more cardio.
And also more emphasis on core and leg workouts.

As I said, I'm not even remotely fat. I just have a tiny bit of padding around my midsection that needs to go.

And can I yell already or do I have to wait until you're giving in for the first time?

Go for it.

Oh, who cares. DON'T SIT ON YOUR FAT ASS! MOVE, DAMMIT!

Actually, my ass is quite small.

 

[Me-Ike]

Cardio, cardio, and more cardio.
And also more emphasis on core and leg workouts.

As I said, I'm not even remotely fat. I just have a tiny bit of padding around my midsection that needs to go.

Ditto on the fat, but jogging alone seems have reached its limits on the handles. Don't know if I have the stamina for cardio, cardio, and more cardio.

Oh, who cares. DON'T SIT ON YOUR FAT ASS! MOVE, DAMMIT!

Actually, my ass is quite small.

And you expect me to just take your word for it?

 

[DarkHelmet]

Avoid booze and you'll hit your goal.

 

[RoJoHen]

Avoid booze and you'll hit your goal.

Yep, that's the main plan.

I ate an absurd amount of pasta today, though, so that probably won't help.

 

[BigFoot]

^ Probably not no.

 

[RoJoHen]

All right, I started taking a fiber supplement tonight, which will hopefully help a little bit too.

I'm going to try to limit the majority of my carbs to the first half of the day so that I don't have a bunch of them in my system when I go to bed. They will also help provide energy for my workouts, which usually take place at night.

 

[RevDMV]

Low carbs, cardio, and good luck...

 

[Mallory]

Good luck Rojo! I think once you've established some new habits things will fall into place for you.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Cutting down on sugar helps, too. It's not always easy, especially if one has a sweet tooth.

 

[RoJoHen]

I am going to try and cut out soda as well. I don't drink much of it anyway, so that won't be a big problem.

Honestly, the cardio is going to be the hardest part, as it is the bane of my entire existence.

 

[RevDMV]

I've switched out to bicycle(moving and stationary) and swimming for cardio. It's made it much more palatable for my nearing 50 body...

 

[RoJoHen]

I would love to swim for cardio, but there really isn't a good place around to do it!

 

[RoJoHen]

One week without alcohol and adding extra fiber to my diet: I feel awesome. I've been starting my workouts with 10 minutes of cardio to warm-up, and tonight I did an additional 20 minutes after I was done lifting. I hate cardio. I never do it. This was a big accomplishment for me (especially since it was also Leg Night!).

In order to keep me from being bored during cardio, which is the main reason I never do it, I have started watching Doctor Who on my iPod.

I hope I'm able to do cardio tomorrow, but I have a feeling my legs are going to feel like hell!

 

[RoJoHen]

Cardio is getting easier. It's that first 5 minutes that's always the worst. Once I push past that, I'm good to go.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Do you run or walk? Running can be a challenge, epecially if you're just a beginner or haven't done it in ages. When I used to walk in the park, I felt like I could never get tired of it as I had a high level of stamina. Every time I ran, though, I had a tendency to do it really fast; then I'd get tired easily. You might want to start slowly by walking the first quarter mile to warm up and another quarter mile walk to cool down. Remember that running is high-impact exercise, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes.

 

[Tim]

As many crunches as you can handle!

I'm no exercise maven, but I try to squeeze in 25-30 good crunches (or sit-ups) each night before bed.

 

[RoJoHen]

Do you run or walk? Running can be a challenge, epecially if you're just a beginner or haven't done it in ages. When I used to walk in the park, I felt like I could never get tired of it as I had a high level of stamina. Every time I ran, though, I had a tendency to do it really fast; then I'd get tired easily. You might want to start slowly by walking the first quarter mile to warm up and another quarter mile walk to cool down. Remember that running is high-impact exercise, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes.

I've actually been doing the Elliptical at the gym.

I need to start going for more bike rides when it's nice outside.

 

[Gryffindorian]

See, I don't know if ab crunches can really trim or eliminate the fat (adipose) tissue around one's belly. They're supposed to strengthen the ab muscles; thus people with chronic back pain are often encouraged by physical therapists to do core training and ab-strengthening exercises to support their back muscles. Cardio (brisk walking, jogging) is thought to have more effect on burning fat than ab crunches do.

I also hear eating whole wheat bread, whole grains and fiber assists in taking inches off of one's waistline.