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So, we have all seen these infomercials with the sexy models and the incredible abs, right? And though we know that it sounds too good to be true, still you have probably thought whether you should give it a try and buy an ab machine.

Have you ever wondered why every year new breeds of exercise machines come out while the older models just disappear? This is because time and people prove that some abs machines are inefficient and you will be lucky if you can get one that can give you acceptable results.

The main problem with ab machines is the myth about spot reduction: we lose store fat all over our body, and in the same way we lose fat from every area of our body when we burn fat. There is no way to burn away fat from one area (say your tummy). And more importantly, the fat burning happens as a result of cardio exercise. Anaerobic exercise like weight lifting our working on an ab machine with much resistance is going to be of little help.

So, does this mean that ab machines are a complete waste of money? Well, kind of. They are a waste of money if your objective is to lose weight. For this objective you better focus on a good diet and on cardiovascular exercise (like running, aerobic, body pump, etc.). However, if your objective is to tone your abdominal muscles and gain core strength, then an ab machine can help you.

When I first heard about the concept of intuitive eating, I laughed.  How could it be possible to eat what my body told me it wanted and still manage to maintain a healthy weight?  Even though I read books that told me that intuitive eating and weight loss can happen simultaneously, I didn’t believe it.  I continued to start and stop on ridiculous diet regimens and continued to lose and gain the same ten pounds, year in and year out.

After years of this, years of a cycle of undereating and overeating, I started to rethink my impressions of intuitive eating.  Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all, and maybe it would… help me?  After all, the idea continuing on the path that I was on for the rest of my life exhausted me.  Overeat, waste time feeling lethargic and fat, come up with some crazy new diet plan, starve myself, overeat… over and over again.  It sucked the mental and physical energy right out of me.

I eventually found an online intuitive eating coach who helped guide me through the process of ditching the crazy dieting and exploring the real reasons why I was engaging in such exhausting behavior.  I was turning to food so frequently for reasons other than hunger and the real solution was in identifying those thoughts and feelings before they turned into overeating or the desire to start on some crazy new diet.

If you are struggling with eating for reasons other than hunger or you’re stuck in a binge/diet cycle, I highly recommend that you look into the concept of intuitive eating.  It’s not easy — in fact, it’s the hardest thing I have ever done — but being able to break out of the vicious cycle I was in and give my body and mind what it truly needs is a gift that I will carry with me the rest of my life.