If you have ever watched TV ads about latest machines that will magically reveal your abs...

If you have ever gone to a gym and saw tens of people lying on floor doing crunches....

then beware because chances are you are a victim of two biggest abdominal training hoaxes!

Myth No: 1

Just doing some midsection exercises can reduce your "love handles".

Fact

You cannot reduce fat from a certain targeted area of your body just by using exercise alone.

And abdominal area is no exception.

So if you want to get a flat stomach and to reveal your abs, losing fat covering them is way to go.

And only way to do this is to lose fat proportionately from your entire body by burning more calories than you consume.

How? By doing these two things:

1) Have a healthy and balanced permanent diet: dark green vegetables, fresh fruits, whole wheat and whole grain products, non-fat dairy products, fish, poultry breast, lean red meat, egg white.

Yes, you should cut out all sugar, soda, non-whole grain products and saturated fats: these aliments should only be a reward for achieving a goal, not a habit!

2) Start exercising

Physical fitness may be ultimate investment opportunity. Think of it this way. If you are willing to make commitment (investment), you will feel and look healthier, have an abundance of energy, be more self-confident, more productive and discover a more joyous and fulfilling life. These are rewards that money cannot buy and substance of high quality living. And, investment of exercise becomes even more attractive when you consider that there is absolutely no down-side risk. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. How much better can it get? How many times can you remember ever having a better offer? The honest answer is probably never, and yet many of us fail to act on this extraordinary opportunity. We simply choose to procrastinate or ignore proven benefits of exercise!

Here are a few reasons that sometimes inhibit our willingness to "step out" and make a change or take a chance:

- Sometimes our vision gets clouded. We lose tract of what is really important. When this happens, it's time to forget trees and look at forest. Try to focus on exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Sometimes we get so caught up in detail that I forget where I'm going.

- If we look at "big" picture, it can seem overwhelming. And bigger task, more overwhelming it can seem. Break task apart into smaller pieces. Want to lose 50 pounds? Go for 10 pounds, five at a time! Need to start an exercise program? Begin with short, simple exercises and slowly expand your routine. The absolute worse approach to exercise is to overdo it when first starting program. We seem to have this all or none mindset where we end up killing ourselves first few times out. We end up stiff, tired, disillusioned, and then quit. Moderation is key.

- Have you ever not wanted to start something for fear of failure? Take first step and acknowledge fear, then next step will come easier. Fear of unknown scares us so much we don't want to even begin. Once fears are acknowledged, they usually quiet down. Taking first step allows us to go past fear and on to next step.