Do you ever wake up in the morning, look outside or flip on the TV, and automatically, involuntarily, a song pops into your head and sings incessantly inside of it throughout the day? That happened to me when I woke up today, ready to pack a bag and drive down to Austin to see some friends. I heard the pitter pattering of rain drops falling on the skylight in my bathroom. Boom! Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Who’ll Stop the Rain” instantly becomes my song of the day:

Long as I remember, the rain been coming down.
Clouds of mystery pouring confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, trying to find the sun;
And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain.

It’s been raining nonstop since yesterday! As you can probably deduce by the simple fact I’m blogging and not driving, I’ve opted out of the four-hour drive in favor of Sabbath rest and banjo practice ;-).  (In my mind, driving and relentless rainfall just don’t jibe.)

While I’m sure you’d love for me to blog about flat stomachs and six packs ‘til the Mayan calendar ends, I think it’s time to share some practical advice that you can hopefully use to sculpt your own set of museum-worthy abdominals. Before I do, I’d like to make mention of a medical reason we should all pay attention to the state of our stomachs…

The two types of fat people often carry around the midsection are subcutaneous – right below the skin – and visceral, which is deeper and often responsible for the ever so desirable “beer belly” look. It’s this type of fat that increases one’s risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and some types of cancer. There is a surplus of information about this on the Internet, but you get the idea: healthy-looking abs aren’t just healthy-looking – they are healthy…and they attest to healthy organs underneath.

I got home late a few nights ago from some friends’ house and flipped on the TV as I partook of a cup of vanilla Greek yogurt (love that stuff!). I seldom stay up long enough to enjoy the late-night infomercials, but Friday, I felt privileged to behold the ad for this newfangled device that promises sleek, sexy abs “easily.” I don’t remember the name of it (bad marketing!), but if I recall correctly, it was lime green, wave-shaped, and rocked back and forth as the model crunched up and down. I don’t know about you, but I’m highly suspicious of exercise equipment that looks like a pool toy. And forgive me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t momentum sort of keep one’s muscles from working 100 percent?

Any doctor will tell you that gimmicky gadgets sold by spray-tanned jocks and Barbie dolls are not your ticket to trim abs. The only sure way to eliminate deadly visceral fat and dispose of muffin tops is to combine a diet of nutritious, natural, non-processed foods with old-fashioned hard work.

I’ll be back soon with my favorite core exercises and ab-healthy foods!

Stay fit, stay faithful ~<3 Di

 P.S: I am not endorsing the above product! Do people actually buy those things??