Hey Bloggies! I just walked in the door from the airport, but wanted to give a quick hello! Colorado was amazing and I can’t wait to give you a thorough recap. I have one more fabulous guest post for you while I catch up on life. Enjoy.

Hi Fit Foodie Finds Readers! My name is Miriam and I write over at Bellaspire, a healthy living blog that focuses on aspiring for beauty in all aspects of life. I’m so excited to be joining you all today on one of my favorite blogs! I’ve been reading Lee’s blog for about a year and truly enjoy her perspective.

Today I wanted to talk to you about abs and the elusive six pack! What is it exactly about this body part that brings so much joy, pain, excitement and sheer frustration? Having a six pack seems to be the holy grail of fitness, especially for ladies. Our hormones, workouts, diet, and genetics (especially the thickness of the cartilage) all play an integral role, some more so than others. No matter how many crunches, planks, or sit-ups we do, the most important indication for whether or not we’ll see the fruits of our labors is our body fat percentage.

Body fat is essential for survival. Men need about 3-5% body fat while women need 8-12%.  Women need more body fat to maintain their reproductive organs, which explains why they often lose their periods if they fall below that range. While each individual differs from another, most women will see a six pack at around 12% body fat.

If there’s one take home lesson that I can share with you today it would be this: “Abs are made in the kitchen”! A clean diet consisting of lean protein, veggies, and low glycemic carbohydrates is the number one way to a flat tummy. Here are my other top tips to getting that chizzled effect ;).

1) Food prep- Just to reiterate the point above, preparing clean meals to have on hand is incredibly important!

2) Sprints- Perhaps you’ve never considered this as an abdominal exercise. Not only does sprinting recruit all of the core muscles for all out exertion, but it also kicks off a hormonal cascade. That flight or fight response can have major fat burning effects which last for hours after you finish your workout. I like to do ten 100-meter sprints twice a week.

3) Traditional Exercises- Hanging kneeling cable crunches, in and outs, leg raises, etc. You’ve got to grow that muscle so that once you’ve leaned out there’s something to show ;). Often times people focus on this aspect alone. They’ve probably got some pretty chunky abs until a layer of fat.

4) Avoid soda and limit salt- Last but not least, consider the effects that these vices may have. Bloating can add yet another layer of puffiness that can cancel out your efforts. Aim to drink green tea rather than soda and drink around 3 liters of water a day to avoid fluid retention.

For more inspiration, recipes, workouts, and more friend us on Facebook, tweet us on Twitter, pin our pins and swing on by the blog to say hello! (Whew! Lots of social media there!). Thanks for reading and let me know how it goes!