Dear Ralph: Getting rid of the pot belly

 Hello Ralph i was introduced to your blog by a friend so i decided to try it out. Well my problem is a classic case of a round stomach. I think my frequent drinking of beer is a big problem but at a point i started doing sit ups, the problem was continuing cos the next day my stomach hurts so bad that i cant continue and that's how i give up what can i do?

    First of all i'll like to say yaaaay my first session in advice on the blog...*clears throat* ok back to business...


Answer: Dear Anonymous
                                          From your message i understand that your problem is from your habit of excessive beer consumption and most likely some other edibles that at the wrong time. You also have a problem with continuity. let me start by saying this, forget about the situps for now. One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that sit ups automatically lead to flat and firm abs, well it doesn't Think of it this way, your fat is converted to muscles by your body so if you have big fat arms you would get big strong arms like chris hemsworth (thor) if you work on your biceps and triceps   but if you have slim hands and hit the weights in the gym your results would be like that of Gerard butler (king leonidas in 300) with the lean muscle. The same applies to all muscles in your body including your abs, you first want to melt away the fat in your tummy before attempting any abdominal workouts. Start out with you cardio exercises like jumping, running, jogging or skipping if you don't feel like stepping outside. To accelerate your results or even begin to see any results in the first place you have to regulate your intake of beer, alcohol breaks down the muscles in your stomach twice as fast as it take a crunch or situp to build that core muscle, but i know it isn't easy cos you know what day say about old habits dying hard.
 
           The pain you feel the next morning is your body's way of telling you that your doing something its not used to and that you need to stop but don't worry it gets used to it and the pain eventually fades or you become so used to it that you don't notice it.Try using food rich in protein to accelerate your muscle repair. Don't do the same exercise everyday, if you get up and your stomach hurts a lot from the previous days workout you would just end up tearing a muscle if you keep pushing which is really dangerous, instead focus on a different body part for the next day and try to put in some of that cardio workout i told you about earlier. It wont be easy but no pain no gain when it comes to the world of physical fitness.
       
         You don't have to stop indulging in your favorite brew every now and then, but it shouldnt be done every day. Your drinking habits are a big factor right here. No matter the amount of crunches you do if you keep drinking frequently all your effort will be in vain. But then again you need some serious self discipline to be able to fight the urge. I'm not asking you to stop all at once, i'm just asking that you slow it down a little and keep pedaling down until you get the results you are looking for then you'll know what work for you

Here are some tips:

• When you walk into a bar alone or with friends your first order should be a bottle of water. You should feel fuller by the time you are done with that bottle of water and you would have less space to take in more alcohol
• Slow down your drinking so that time passes faster and at the end of the day you would have consumed less
• Dont repeat the same workout everyday, you would just get bored and give up and by the way you need to give your body time to recover from the last workout so work on a different body part the next day
• Eat smaller portions of your food
• Eat early and no late night snacking
• Cut down drastically and if possible eliminate the junk food, but if you must snack try to snack on nuts and fruits