A mum has gained a six-pack for the first time at the age of 48 and is wearing a bikini with confidence for the first time.
Vikki Ginks ditched fad diets and built a slim stomach in just four months – telling others to stop doing crunches and crunches.
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Instead, she reveals what really worked to change her body with a change in the type of exercise she did.
Vikki Ginks, a freelance marketing consultant from Oxfordshire, says: “This is the fittest and most toned I have ever been in my life. And I never imagined I could do this at 40 years old.
“I never felt comfortable in a bikini, not even in my 20s or as a teenager. But now I feel comfortable in one for the first time.
“I’m going on vacation soon and I’ve already bought a lot of bikinis to wear and I never imagined that at this stage in my life I would feel comfortable in a bikini. It’s brilliant!”
Vikki realized that despite reaching perimenopause, belly fat can change at any age.
And your friends and family are in awe of your new look.
“My husband thinks I look great,” says Vikki. “And my daughters are very proud of me.”
Vikki spent years trying different diet plans and programs, only to find that they never worked.
She focused her workouts on cardio, even though she hated it.
She says: “I’ve always been good at exercise, but I have a busy life with three kids and I ate when I could and ate big portions.
“I’ve never been very overweight, maybe a few pounds at most, and I’ve tried Slimming World and Weight Watchers and they haven’t worked for me. I knew I needed something more responsible that didn’t involve diet food.”
Vikki, who is a mother of three teenagers, admits that unless someone is constantly on her shoulder, guiding and helping, she slips up and fails.
I lost 9 kg (first 5 pounds) in total, which isn’t a huge amount, but my body has completely changed.
Vikki
A lunch with an old friend gave him new hope, telling him about It’s so simplefounded by Rachael Sacerdoti, who underwent an incredible weight loss transformation in her 40s.
Vikki decided to sign up after seeing that her friend had lost weight using the method.
She says: “It involves eating well, exercise that I enjoy doing, and ultimately for me this responsibility – people who are training, giving advice and noticing if you’re eating something that might not be the best choice. That to me was what was missing.
“They send you lots of recipe ideas and you can adapt them to whatever you want. You have daily protein and calorie goals and you can work around that with the recipes they provide.
Lifting weights
Before discovering the program, Vikki attended training classes three times a week and forced herself to run almost every day.
But all that exercise wasn’t changing her belly fat.
In her new program, she began incorporating resistance training.
Your abs don’t come from doing sit-ups, but from all your weight and resistance training.
Vikki
Resistance training is a term used interchangeably with weight training. This is when you lift or pull against resistance.
Typical training uses dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, and resistance bands. Movements may include squats, deadlifts, chest or shoulder presses.
Vikki says: “At home I now have kettlebells and dumbbells of varying degrees. And then when I’m outside, I use resistance bands.
“You can do it at home, you don’t need to go out in the cold or rain, you can do it with a friend or at the gym.
“I try to do five resistance classes a week and three cardio exercises – but cardio might be what suits you best, like a long walk with the dog or playing tennis.
“Your abs don’t come from doing sit-ups, but from all your weight and resistance training.
“Every movement is always working your core, you always have your core turned on. I do bicycle crunches and I can do full sit-ups now, but that’s not the main part of my training.
“Just things like doing bicep curls or squats or bent-over rows, the whole time you have your core engaged.”
Vikki says she’s gotten into the habit of waking up early to exercise every day – and the results of her new workouts speak for themselves.
She says: “I lost my belly fat, which was always my worst area.
“My weight always goes to my belly and now the belly fat is gone and it only shows what is underneath what was achieved with these workouts – abs!
“I lost 9kg (first 5lbs) in total, which isn’t a huge amount, but my body has completely changed.
“All the clothes in my closet that didn’t fit before now fit perfectly. It’s amazing, it’s like having a whole new wardrobe.
“I had all these beautiful things that I couldn’t wear or only wore with pants for tummy control, but now they fit well.”
Vikki’s diet didn’t change drastically, further showing that her change in exercise made all the difference.
Previously, she ate yogurt with granola and fruit for breakfast, but now focuses on protein, adding a scoop of protein powder to some oatmeal.
Your lunch will typically be avocado on toast or homemade soup.
But the biggest change was in dinners, which used to be pizza, pasta or fajitas.
Now, Vikki makes a point of making homemade meals, such as fish and vegetables or bolognese made with minced chicken, which is leaner.
Vikki still enjoys the foods she loves, but in moderation, having previously snacked and eaten treats throughout the day.
She says: “It’s an 80-20 approach, so on special occasions you can enjoy a slice of cake.
“Keep it to 20% of the time, but 80% of the time you eat well and exercise. I like it, it’s not boring diet food, it’s good, healthy food. “
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The exercises that work to give you abs
Personal trainer Jenny Francis-Townson reveals three exercises you should incorporate into your workouts to strengthen your core and develop your abs – and why crunches are useless.
- The board
A “maintenance” exercise, this full-body movement stimulates your core and helps improve your posture by increasing the strength of all the major belly muscles.
Start on the floor on your hands and knees, then place your forearms down and step back with both feet so your body is in a straight line like a “plank.”
Hold this position for a minute or two, depending on your ability.
2. Climbers
A great way to build core strength while also increasing your heart rate, the mountain climber challenges multiple muscle groups without much risk.
Starting in a high plank position on the floor, lift your left foot and bring your left knee across your body toward your right knee.
Return to the starting position and do the same movement with your right knee.
Continue, alternating between legs, for 35 seconds.
3. Reverse Crunch
A great alternative to the sit-up is the reverse crunch.
Lie face down on the floor, with your knees bent at 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor.
Lift your feet off the floor and lift your thighs, bending your knees toward your face as far as you can without lifting your back off the mat.
Your hips and lower back should lift off the floor and your knees should remain bent.
Lower your feet toward the floor until they reach the floor.
Give up on sit-ups
Jack Claxton, Personal Coach Specialist David Lloyd Clubs says the sit-up does “absolutely nothing for your abs” while also posing a risk of injury.
“The sit-up is one of the most common exercises associated with visible abs,” says Jack.
“However, people don’t realize that at the wrong speed or done wrong, it can actually have a negative impact on your neck and lower back and do absolutely nothing for your abs.”
Doing sit-ups quickly is the most common mistake Jack sees.
“Not only does this make them much less effective as you don’t challenge your core muscles, but it also encourages you to lose shape and have poor posture,” he warns.
Poor posture during a sit-up can put pressure in the wrong places and also reinforce bad posture habits in everyday life.
Jack says, “Many people round their backs, pull in their necks, and allow their lower back to arch off the floor, which results in using the back and neck muscles rather than the core.
“The problem with poor posture is that it puts unwanted tension on the back and neck, which can overstretch or even tear these muscles, which can be very painful.
“Poor posture while exercising can also lead to a reduction in circulatory and respiratory problems, which can seriously affect a person’s overall health and well-being.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
