Six Pack Abs for Women?

Women often make a big deal about their physical appearance and are thus labeled vain
creatures.  There is nothing wrong with women wanting to look good.  The fact that you
are curious and searching to attain a good physical appearance makes you a health
oriented individual.  Six pack abs are not only for men; women are well-qualified to
strive for a curvaceous body and to lose belly fat. However, there are risks you need to
be aware of.

Women should be careful in "ripping their abs." Why?

Your health is precious and if it's degraded, the other conditions arising from that may
prevent you from living the best out of your life. While beginning an exercise routine
to lose belly fat is absolutely a brilliant idea, there are some downsides.  Utmost
caution should be practiced. Check out the details below.

Hormones may be affected in the process of intensely ripping abs. This is a negative
effect showing why some believe six pack abs are not for the female populace. They
believe the extremely low percentage of body fat is not good for body.

You may suffer from distraction that is created by the achievement of the goal. Your
striving for perfection, particularly something to do with your physical appearance,
could lead your self-esteem to being more sensitive. (Of course, just the loss of belly fat
could boost your self-esteem, at least temporarily.)

The Effects of Excessive Ab Exercise

If you are determined to lose belly fat to have flat abs, you must retain a body fat
percentage (look it up on Google) of less than 18%.  Some women must sustain less than 12%
body fat to keep their six pack abs. In order for the body to function properly, it must
have a certain amount of fat. For example, if you have a very low level of body fat,
hormones (particularly sex hormones) tend to get disrupted.  Excessive exercising could
eventually lead to dangerous health issues.

Amenorrhea is one of those health conditions that can be caused by low body fat.
Suffered by women, it develops when you keep intensely working out AFTER your body fat
percentage has plummeted. The symptoms include:

Cessation of the menstrual cycle
Tendency to stress fractures
Loss of bone density
Loss of fertility (the worst!)


Of course, if your self-image depends on those six pack abs, you will just have to face
the perceived risks. I say perceived because some believe you won't be affected if you
follow a healthy, balanced and adequate diet. The trade out of being proud of your new-
found body could very well be worth it.

Next time we will explore some basic workouts to start to on lose belly fat.