Let us in on your secrets!

To my mind, the best motivators can often be right next to you – in the express line in the grocery store or behind you as you pick up your toddler at daycare. It is, I think, in the sharing of stories that we often derive the most inspiration. And you’ll find tons of it in our Abs Special where we actually reprint comments and tips from readers like you in our feature “You Told Us! (The secret to great abs)” on page 104. Let us in on your secrets right here!

Check your labels

When it comes to nutrition labels, I’m slightly obsessive – I read it all! Fats/calories/sugar/sodium…the whole mix. And I have to share my excitement about the new recipes that are included in our new Abs Special – lots of fat-busting recipes to add tons of variety to your meal plans. Try ’em out and let me know what you think! Love 20-minute meals? I know I do!

Run outside!

I just love it when stories get shared among like-minded women who are passionate about fitness. And that’s exactly what happened just a week or two ago when three inspirational women – Marjo Selin, Anja Langer and Tosca Reno, got together at a photo shoot to talk about what keeps them motivated. Tosca, author of the best-selling Eat-Clean series and our Raise the Bar columnist, was recalling how on a recent vacation she loved running outside on the beach. Not only did she work her legs and butt, she said, but she also told us she felt it in her obliques. And in our Abs Special, experts all agreed on the importance of working all areas of your core with more than just crunches. So take a page from the gals of fitness and mix it up a bit. You’ll not only stay interested – you just may surprise yourself – and your muscles!

Vacation secrets

Okay, I’m heading off to the first vacation I’ve had in three years and my biggest fear? All the hard work I’ve done in the gym over the past several months will vanish the moment I step off the plane. Do you feel the same way? Tell me this – how do you stay motivated – and on track – when you’re on vacation? Got any secrets to share? I’d love to know! One of the ways I truly try to stay in shape is to do a modified version of my program no matter where I go – if there are weights around, I’m in business! I’ll go for a run, then grab some weights…all before breakfast. But what do you do? Let me know if you have a minute…me, I’ve got to run. (I have, of course, left my packing for the last minute and I know I’m doomed…wish me luck!)

Ouch! My abs ache!

You know what I mean when I say I want to speed dial in my abs – when we chatted last week my vacation was imminent, and it’s even closer today! At the gym this morning, I did serious abs work. And it already aches when I laugh, though the day is only half over! I also know that it’ll probably hurt even a bit more as the day progresses, and likely moreso tomorrow. But that’s normal and a good thing, as far as I’m concerned. It tells me I’ve done the job right. That I didn’t hold back; that I pushed a little more than last time.

You see, swimsuit time is coming on fast so I grabbed the Six Minute Abs story in our new Abs Special and now I’m paying the price…but that’s ok, as long as it gets me to where I want to be next week (just don’t make me laugh).

Set your own clock

At its quietest, my gym can be an oasis in the mornings. Peaceful (much more so than after work) and unfettered, the perfect place to jump-start my day. And the prospect of a quiet hour to myself is one of the reasons I’ll set my alarm clock for 5 am – I love the peace of the gym in the mornings. Finding the perfect time to work out – mine and not anyone else’s – is one of the key reasons I’ve been able to stick to my workout. And if I decide to do cardio – another important part of any flat abs routine – then the morning works best for me. And scientific research supports the fact that early cardio, on an empty stomach, produces first-rate results. If you want to mix up your own cardio routine, there’s a terrific 20-minute fat blaster in our new Abs Special. I tried it and loved the fact I was in and out of the gym so quickly! Plus, I knew I was revving up my fat-burning metabolism for the rest of the day, getting the blood flowing early on and feeling energized to tackle the world.

Everyone has a good time to work out. When is yours? Do you also find that a good time to work out is in the morning? Does it work better for you?

"I hate my 'pooch'!"

I got an email this week from GraceAnn who, at age 32 is like most of us – bothered by the dreaded “pooch” of her lower abs. Hey, I can relate!

GraceAnn wrote asking for a few exercise moves and guess what? Although you and I know that you can’t really isolate “upper” and “lower” abs, you can target various areas more than others depending on the angle or direction of the exercise. I know that once I started to do more than just crunches, my own abs training changed – new moves, for me, make me more excited about an area I often neglect. In our new Abs Special, we share some of these moves for creating a tight mid-section by training from assorted angles.

So, GraceAnn, and anyone else concerned about the “pooch” issue, my message to you is this – help is at hand! (And the best part of it is that many of these abs moves can be done anywhere – no equipment required!) The new Abs Special is on newsstands now (think of it as your own personal abs coach) – and then let me know what you think!

Looking Abs Fabulous!

Check out this video below from our cover shoot with Maggie D and you’ll get a sense of what a real set of abs are. No photo edits on this gal! And how does she do it? She says, in her interview in the upcoming Abs Special (on sale tomorrow!), that she likes to mix up her routine and believe me when I say it works! I have to admit that abs are not my favorite body part to work and I’m often tempted to head to the showers early. But yesterday I tried out one of her more unique abs moves and today, I have to admit my abs are feeling it. (Better yet, I was so re-energized by doing abs a different way I didn’t head to the showers early!) I’m working out hard and sticking to my workout plan because of an imminent vacation – just a couple of weeks away. Follow me as I use a couple of the newer moves in the Abs Special to get me to my goal – flat abs. I’ll let you know how I’m doing on Friday. Can’t wait to hear from you!



p.s. Let me know what motivates you – take the poll on the right or simply send me a few words to social@oxygenmag.com.