I Want a Six Pack

Till 20 years back when you said I want a six pack it meant lets get beers and get drunk in most parts of the western world.

In the year since this has taken on another connotation. It means wanting chiseled and washboard abdominal muscles.That should be fantastic won’t u say.Well yes and no

From a health perspective it is surely great news.If people aspire and work towards a flat and chiseled stomach that means less fat on the body,in turn a fitter individual.But..

The root of the problem is the methodology used to achieve this six-pack.Most people fueled by the media/gym driven mentality of modern life start their training programs with the six pack as the pinnacle of fitness.Anything less is considered a failure.

Is achieving a six pack so difficult?I was told all it took was 3 months.When i heard that i was firstly surprised.At that point i weighed over 90 kg with a BMI(Body Mass Index of over 35% at least)and my waist was a super-size 40 inches!!I asked the trainer again “3 months is all it takes”He confidently uttered  “yes”.

With my curiosity tickled and me daydreaming of having Brad Pitt abs i asked him “How is it possible “

He was like “Sanjeev it’s all very simple.Exercising your abs or core as we call it just strengthens your muscles from the inside .If u want to get a six pack you will need to change your diet.Start by having 2 egg whites before your workout,after u finish have one scoop of protein powder in water,then again before lunch have 4 egg whites,then have 3 rotis,dal and subzi for lunch.In the afternoon have another scoop of protein powder in water,evening have 2-3 hi-fiber biscuits,dinner should be half a tandoori chicken or a big bowl of sprouts/salads.One more thing please take personal training from me.I was like how much will that cost.He was “only 6 thousand a month.”

So after paying 15 thousand a year,plus another 3 thousand for a jar of protein powder(that weighed 3 kgs itself!!),plus  6 thousand for personal training i started on my quest for the elusive 6 pack.

3 months into the program  i didn’t get the six pack.The reason i was told is genetically my body type is not suited to get a 6 pack.Dejected i started another program.After 2 years of this merry go around of  different exercise programs,protein powders etc what i  discovered what an idiot I was.

The six pack doesn’t come with all the above.It comes from a serious and regimented form of exercise and balanced diet.Also the six pack is not the barometer for strong core muscles.It is just a reflection of the dedication you have put in towards your health

I still don’t have a six pack but what i have now is knowledge of right exercises and diet.I focus more on strengthening my core,overall fitness  than looking like Brad Pitt.

But why this obsession with a six pack?Why do we consider it the summit of fitness achievement?

The health care industry which is a multi-billion dollar industry survives on the basic greed of us humans wanting to look like greek gods without the hard work. We are subjected to and told that eating only protein enriched diets combined with synthetic protein powders is the answer.The question that we should ask here is instead of spending enormous amount of time and money trying all this, why don’t we take a trip to the villages of India .

There every second farmer has a lean and  of sinewy muscular body which is achieved by  hours of toiling in the field and eating the simplest food  known to man.I am not saying we should all become farmers but what we can surely do is learn from them.

They stretch every muscle in their bodies doing this work,they push,pull,lift and do all the things which the human body is capable of.This is all the exercise we need.

They eat a healthy diet of grains,pulses,proteins,carbohydrates which gives the body the nourishment and character it requires to stay fit.

And all along they never once focus on a six pack or any other term that we city slickers use to define fitness.They understand fitness as a whole and not as a part of something.This knowledge and understanding comes at such a cheap and simple cost that it amazes me why we can’t learn from them

This is a recurring theme in all my blogs about going back to basics in terms of fitness and health.I strongly believe and know that the  way to achieving good fitness and health is by doing what man has been doing for centuries.

Eat simple food.Walk when u can,take the stairs as much as possible, exercise to enlighten and enrich your mind and body, not as a goal to look good. Think of making your muscles strong and long not beefy and bulky, strengthen your core instead of damaging it, strengthen your heart not weaken it by following some godforsaken routine. Understand the importance of correct breathing as opposed to being breathless all the time when u exercise.

You walk down this path and the joys and pleasures of fitness and health will be yours to savor.

I Want A Six Pack to be thrown out of our lives. Strong health and fitness the motto

Stay healthy.Get fit now