I am in need serious need of a kick in the pants. This time last year I was beginning my competition training with Coach Rita – I was getting ripped. I can tell you today, I’m not ripped and I’m not even hitting the gym as consistently as I should. Life has been interesting!  I need to set new goals for summer – lord knows my “bikini body” deserves it. In the search of inspiration, I stumbled upon this old Oxygen column I wrote for the Abs Special and I think it will benefit you as it has me. Here’s to the the Abs Project 2013!!

EVERY YEAR IN VOGUE, we get advice about how to dress suit- ably for any age. I, for one, enjoy reading it, but always remember that age is nothing more than a state of mind. I use any angle to “Raise the Bar” for myself.

Rebels like Iris Apfel, the 90-something New York fashion icon who calls herself a “geriatric starlet” and who exhibited at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Jane Fonda, who recently released her newest series of workout DVDs, Prime Time, at the age of 73, seem to flip the bird at age and related advice. They have made a fan out of me because I am grateful to them as standard bearers to pave my way to old age in an extraordinary way. Turns out, I can do it with style and even a six-pack if it’s only a state of mind.

With my state of mind pointed in the direction of uber health and fitness no matter the age, I launched “The Abs Project” earlier this year. What, you ask, is this? I’m a 50-something gal (turning 54 next week in fact) who always needs a goal. I didn’t want another nebulous resolution – I needed a black-and-white goal to net big results this year – like abs. This project was my idea to make the next several weeks all about carving out abs.

You know my abs are not my strong point. I know it too, don’t worry. I never stood on the back of my abs to make my career, though I do admire the washboard variety sported by the likes of Ava Cowan. I won’t even try to go there, as I am certain my genetics are not up to hers, but I know I can do better – and the only way for me to achieve something even close to Cowan’s is to do something about my abs every day. I follow the same approach when I prepare to write a book. I plan, think, live, dream, do research, and pretty much eat, sleep and breathe the subject, so that when I put fingers to keyboard, I have optimized my ability to execute.

YOUR MIND IS YOUR STRENGTH

As I sat pondering “The Abs Project,” I felt the same dedication was in order. There are only so many ways a muscle can be teased out of hiding – impeccable nutrition of the eat-clean variety, training, genetics and mindset. The latter is an addition I made when I observed firsthand how much can be accom- plished with the power of your mind. Folks sitting on a recumbent bike year after year, reading book after book don’t get max- imum physique results. because their mind isn’t hooked up to the bike – it’s deep in the pages of Tolstoy’s War and Peace (that’s the longest book I know). My mind has to be completely in gear for these abs of mine to show up. Recently, I was in New York City for work, and stress levels were high. What kept me grounded in my hotel room was practicing The Breath of Life (see “Your Breath of Life” below) on my bed. My abs felt fully engaged while I did this, so the big takeaway is this: I actively put my mind into the muscle and spent a lot more time thinking about my abdominal muscles. Man, did I feel energized!

Your Breath of Life

One of my abs tricks is simple – breathing! How empowering is that? But you can’t just breathe in the usual way. Sometimes called “The Conscious Breath” or “The Breath of Life,” this way of breathing puts emphasis on breathing out fully, which requires you to push all the air out of your lungs using your abs. The exhale, or hu, from the Chinese practice of Qigong places a great deal of importance on getting old air out. When you do this, you make room for new, fresh air, fully oxygenating and nourishing the cells in your body. The inhale portion of your breathing is called the xi. Make an attempt to do this for a good 10 minutes every day.

Photo Credit: Paul Buceta Source: Oxygen Magazine Abs Special 2012

Comment below with your favorite Ab moves and let’s get our 6 packs going!