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Former Ms. Fitness USA, Cynthia Ekman on family life, marriage, and awesome abs.
| Cynthia Ekman |
Oxygen #76,
pg. 74 |
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Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina.
Occupation: Physical Therapist.
Fitness Background: “I was a National Aerobics Champion
(1994) before winning Ms. Fitness USA in 2000.”
Personal: “I’ve been married for 10 years and
have two children: Evan is three and Clara is six months.”
Goals: “Having fun with my family, building my business
and working on my six-pack.”
Absolute Truth: “You can’t expect to see your
abs unless you stay consistent with a regime of exercises done with strict
form, high-intensity cardio and a low-fat, high-protein diet.”
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Three of Cynthia’s ab-revealing
tips:
Training: “You should get a heart-rate monitor so
that you can focus on training at 65 to 85 percent of your max heart rate,”
she says. “I recommend splitting the cardio sessions into two-minute
intervals, alternating between two minutes of higher intensity (75 to 85
percent of max) and two minutes of lower intensity (55 to 65 percent of
max) for a total of 35 to 55 minutes.” Do this cardio routine three
times per week for starters, building up to five or six times per week –
it usually will take four to six weeks to reach this stage.
Diet: Clean up your diet and stick to a strict meal plan
– portions of carbs, protein and fat (in small quantities) every two
to three hours. Cynthia says, “I go with four egg whites, one whole
egg and one cup of oatmeal for breakfast, and small portions of a spinach
salad with vinegar dressing, chicken or fish and a steamed vegetable for
my other three or four meals”
Mix & Match: Step number one to making progress is
to follow a diet and cardiovascular exercise program that reduces the percentage
of your body fat, while providing you with enough energy to complete your
workouts.
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To read the full article, pick
up a copy of Oxygen
#76
today!
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