I once heard someone told another person: 

“You can say what you feel because that means you are self-confident.”

I love this. This person is right. When you are confident in yourself and who you are, you can say how you feel without worrying what others might think of you, especially when it comes to something you dislike. 

The second most thing that is Googled with regards to exercise, is “Ab Workout.” I always wonder why this is? Why do people Google this? Is it because of how we are bombarded with images of six-packs? That we see a six-pack as healthy? Is it because someone desperately wants to feel better because of the obstruction, which is in their abdominal area? Or do people Google, “Ab Workout” because they genuinely understand why it is important to have strong abs?

I think and want it to not be this, that people Google ab workout, is because they want to look better. The Mountain State Centers for Independent Living explains what self-image is:

“Self-image is how you perceive yourself. It is a number of self-impressions that have built up over time… These self-images can be very positive, giving a person confidence in their thoughts and actions, or negative, making a person doubtful of their capabilities and ideas.”

When we do not look the way that fitness trainers, personal trainers, celebrities, and skinny people look, we feel fat. We feel fat when we are bombarded with people who show off their six-packs and many trainers and influencers do this, to sell their product. 

I once had a mentor who took the time to teach me when I did my shadowing hours as a student personal trainer. He wasn’t skinny at all. He was slightly overweight and had/still has a heart problem. He used medications which side effects are weight gain. The thing with this mentor of mine is that although he wasn’t skinny, he was a great coach. All his clients reached their goals. He didn’t have to show them one exercise but only coach them with his words. 

The point of all of this is, that I want you to make the right decision as to why you Google, “ab workout.” If you are influenced by social media of what your abdominal area should look like, then you are Google “ab workout” for the wrong reasons. But if you are Googling it for the reason to lose the fat around your middle or because you were instructed by your doctor for some medical reason, then you are on the right track.

Ab workouts (crunches, sit ups, etc) are good to strengthen your abdominal area to support your lower back but also because these muscles are responsible to keep you upright. If you didn’t have abdominal muscles, it would not have been possible for you to walk, run, cycle or even sit. Ab workouts are not to form or lose belly fat. You can have a six-pack underneath all the belly fat. 

Why am I not prescribing any ab workouts in this article?

As a personal trainer, it is my job to get to know your medical history, current lifestyle, and goals. With this information, I then program a workout for you which will assist you in reaching your goal, strengthen your body, make you more mobile while I keep in mind all your medical conditions and injuries. When you Google “ab workout”, the information out there is general. They don’t know about your back fusion, your pelvic tilt problem, your tummy tuck procedure, or your hysterectomy. Articles are written in general for audiences that are relative to mostly healthy. They are not written to people with numerous health conditions or injuries. We all live life and along the way, we obtain numerous injuries and/or operations in our life span. These things need to be taken into consideration and that is why the help of a fitness professional is so important. Not that of a website nor an influencer. 

References:

C.E. Ackerman: What is self-image and how do we improve it, 16 April 2021