How to Get a Six Pack (for Girls)

culled from:wikihow.com

Part 1 of 2: Exercise

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   Try the "bicycle" workout. This can help you get abs fast. Lie on your back, (with your back flat on the floor), lift your legs up, and move them as if you are peddling a bicycle. Put your hands behind your head, and every time you move one of your legs toward your face, touch it with your elbow. For example, when your left leg comes toward you, touch it with your right elbow. 

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   Do crunches. Crunches are another great way to get abs quickly and effectively, and there are tons of variations on crunches. Basic crunches require you to lie down on a matted floor, with your back flat to the ground and your knees bent at a 60 degree angle. With your hands near your temples, or crossed on your chest, lift your shoulder blades off the ground a small bit and feel the "crunch" in your abs. Exhale and go back down to the ground. Repeat.
   • Try the hands overhead crunch. Instead of keeping your hands at your temple, do a basic crunch while stretching your arms overhead with your palms crossed. Keep your arms outstretched above your head at all times while you complete the crunch.
   • Try the cross-body crunch. With your hands clasped gently behind your head, bring your left elbow and right knee together when you crunch. Go back down and bring the right elbow and left knee together as you crunch. Try to bring your shoulder up towards your knee rather than just your elbow. Remember that the key is to contract the abs as you perform the movement.
   • Try the legs on exercise ball crunch. Instead of having your legs bent on the ground, place your legs at a 90 degree angle onto a large medicine ball. Slowly roll your shoulders off the floor and contract your abs, as in a regular crunch. Move down and repeat.
   • Try the decline crunch. Get a decline bench and secure your legs at the highest point so you won't fall off. Lower yourself down so your body is completely in-line with the bench. With your hands crossed over your chest, gently lift your shoulders up, contract your ab muscles, and hold it for a second. Go down and repeat.
   • Try a rotation of crunches. Example: 20 regular, 10 cross-body, 15 hands over head.
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   Do the plank exercise. The plank exercise is one of the most reliable, deceptively simple ways to give great definition to your abs. All you need is a flat surface, a little bit of time, and some serious gumption as you feel the burn.
   • Get down in the prone position. The tips of your toes and your forearms — from the bottom of your elbow to your balled-up first — should be the only parts of your body touching the floor.
   • Make sure your weight is supported by your toes and your forearms.
   • Keep your body as straight as possible at all times. Hold this position as long as you can.
     
     • To increase difficulty, an arm or leg can be raised. Place one foot on top of the other to also increase difficulty.
     • To further increase difficulty, wear a weighted vest or carefully place a plated weight onto the small of your back.
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   Lift your weight. Take two chairs of equal height, and rest your forearms on them, then pick your legs up off the floor in an up and down position. But be careful that you don't slip or fall.
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   Do leg raises. Another great ab-builder is leg raises. You'll be able to feel how effective this exercise is as soon as you get into starting position.
   • To get into starting position, lie down flat on a matted floor, your head, back and legs completely even with the floor. Shift your hands underneath your glutes.
   • Gently lift your feet an inch or so above the ground, so that they are just barely hovering above, and are parallel to, the ground. Keep this position until you start to feel a burn in your abs.
   • Slowly lift your outstretched legs, with your knees bent a touch, until they make a 90 degree angle to the floor. Your body should form an "L" shape.
   • When your legs have reached the 90 degree angle, contract your abs for a second. Gradually lower your legs back down to the starting position, exhale, and repeat.
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   Do cardio as much as possible. Set aside at least one day a week to run a mile. Playing games like tag and hide and go seek outside can even burn calories. Taking your dog for a run is also a convenient way to run, and make sure you drink plenty of water!
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   Work out your abs for about 30 minutes, 3 days a week, at first. Work up to exercises all 5 days of the week. Eventually, when it gets easier, do ab workouts twice each day, 5 days a week.

Part 2 of 2: Diet

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   Watch what you eat! Eat plenty of protein to build those ab muscles. Avoid sugar all together and reduce your caloric intake.
   • Eating dos:
     
     • Lean meat, such as beef, chicken, or turkey.
     • Lean protein, such as soybeans (tofu) or other beans.
     • Antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, such as spinach, kale, blueberries, or strawberries.
     • Nuts and seeds, such as walnuts and sunflower seeds (unsalted).
     • Whole grains, such as oatmeal or whole-grain pasta.
   • Eating don'ts:
     
     • Fast-foods.
     • Excessive cholesterol (butters, creams, etc.) and carbohydrates (breads, starches, etc.).
     • Sweets, such as candies, cakes, and pastries.
     • Processed foods, such as sweet breakfast cereals, chips, or fish sticks high in sodium.
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   Eat small portions of food in regular intervals. Shoot to eat about 5-7 times a day, just with really small portions. For a snack, go for a banana and some walnuts, or a small bit of caprese salad. Your biggest meal of the day should be lunch.
   • Try not to eat right before you go to bed. Food that gets consumed right before bed often doesn't have enough time to get metabolized by your body, and so is converted directly into fat. Avoid those late-night snacks!
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   Drink plenty of water. The Mayo Clinic advised females to consume about 9 cups of water (2.2 liters) each day.^[1] That doesn't mean you need to hit that target every day, but you should try to shoot for it.
   • Cut out all sugary drinks from your diet! Sugary drinks — even those like Diet Coke, or Coke Zero — will not contribute to your overall health like plain, filtered water will. You don't have to be fanatical about it, but try to avoid soft-drinks as a general rule.
   • Drink green tea! Green tea is packed with antioxidants, which are instrumental in curbing free radicals — cells in your body that attack other cells and contribute to aging.^[2] Without sugar, green tea is a great way to get some fluids and antioxidants into your body, and it contains maybe 1 calorie or less per serving.
   • Drink a big glass of water or green tea right before a meal. This will give your stomach the illusion of being full, which means that you're likely to eat less.