One of the most circulatedfitness mythsis that having a visible six-pack equals being in peak physical condition.
Certified personal trainerNoelle Tarr, the blogger behindCoconuts And Kettlebellsand co-host ofThe Paleo Women Podcast, learned this firsthand.
She devoted all of her time and efforts tosculpting her absand lowering her body fat.
Morgan Renee Photography / Courtesy of Noelle Tarr
It was a lot ofsit-ups and crunches, she explains.
She continued her rigorous exercise regimen, logging more and more time in the gym.
The look, the exercise, being the fit girlthat became my identity, she says.
Courtesy of Noelle Tarr
But the more time she spent training, the more she felt dissatisfied with her appearance.
She was seeing progress, but it was never enough, she explains.
With this goal in mind, shed try toout-exercise the limited calories she ate.
Courtesy of Noelle Tarr
Eventually I progressed to a point where I was working out two to three hours a day.
And once I dropped below 19 percent body fat, my period just stopped.
I got praised for how dedicated I was, but I was just killing myself.
Morgan Renee Photography / Courtesy of Noelle Tarr
And she still didnt have the six-pack abs she originally set out to get.
While she knew she looked extremely toned, she still wanted more results.
I was waiting to achieve the six-pack abs to be happy.
Morgan Renee Photography / Courtesy of Noelle Tarr
I was sick and I felt trapped.
And eventually, it did.
She decided to push it a little further, against herrunning coachs advice.
I literally had to crawl back, she says.
At first, giving up exercise was extremely difficult.
As she gained strength back in her hips, she also found ahealthy weight for her body.
It was very stressful and scary [to see my progress go away], she says.
But personally, my body doesn’t enjoy being super lean.
We all have different genetic makeup and conditions and even starting weights.
Strong bodies can be all shapes and sizes."
