At the heart of the matter is the fact that the universe is a dichotomy. Dichotomy merely means that there are two sides to a thing. Right and left, up and down, and so on into the abstract realm of ideas.

Within the Martial Arts we find that crux of war versus peace. And, one finds all sorts of other dichotomies in studying the martial arts. Dichotomies which strike right to the soul and heart of the discipline, and even question our very right to exist.

The beginner enters the school and is, in the very short while, confronted with the dichotomy of freestyle v form. Does he elect to study battlefield ready techniques of death and destruction, or does he opt for forms, with their abstract perfectionism?

The question of destruction v control underlies this simple question of dichotomy. Does the student practice destructive techniques, which are perhaps not in keeping with the philosophy of the human soul, but are quick and easy to learn, or does he practice techniques of control, which take longer to learn and make work? The answer will dictate what kind of a human being he will end up being, and which way he goes in life.

Then there is the always question of sport v art. Should he seek abstract in his study of the martial arts, and be willing to wait perhaps decades for its benefits, or should he seek athleticism and a strong body, and then put that body to risk in contest? Again, the very worth of his life and his direction as a human being are the real question here.

Really, we are talking mind v matter. Is the body the container of the spirit, or is man an animal? Should he study in hopes of living a wild and exciting journey, and that is the point of it all, or should he study to illuminate the spirit within, and that is the point of it all?

Really, man is making significant decisions in just considering these simple questions. With no sense of direction, and in a murky fog, he is choosing to go up or down. For what is the worth of the human being, and who is to direct us in this question of wrong and right in the human soul…but ourselves?

Alas. Right or wrong, we choose. Right or wrong, we are unique, and it is a choice to be treasured.

The abdominal or belly area of the body is the part that most people are unhappy with. Eating too much of the wrong foods, pregnancy, sedentary lifestyles and lack of physical activity all lead too much belly fat and soft muscles. This gives the flabby, rounded belly. The best workout for flat abs isn’t about spending grueling hours at a gym; there are strategies you can do at home to get into shape.

It all starts with what you eat. Yes, of course you have heard it all before! That’s because it is correct. We eat too much and move too little. To lose that rounded belly, we need to burn fat and build muscle. The best way to do that is to eat less and move more; we need to burn more calories than we eat each day.

Before beginning a workout regimen, think about what you eat and maybe make some changes. Try eating 5 or 6 smaller meals or snacks a day; this increases your metabolism and stops you feeling hungry. Make protein your friend as it builds muscle, and muscle burns more calories than fat. Go for a variety of lean protein and don’t forget about dried beans, lentils, nuts and seeds.

You need a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrate and fat, so eat vegetables, fruit, wholegrain cereals and breads to get your carbs, and nuts for the good fats. You need a minimum 8 glasses of water a day, sufficient sleep and rest and to stay away from fast food and anything that is overly processed.

The next stage of your workout is to get moving; do 30 minutes of something active every day, with 5 days being a cardio workout. In a cardio session you aim to get your heart rate and breathing rate higher than normal and sustain it for 20 minutes. The remainder of the session is a warm up and a cool down – necessary to avoid injury. You can walk, jog, swim or cycle; whatever you like to get you puffing a bit. You will be burning fat, building muscle, increasing your mobility and flexibility and you will start to feel great!

Undertake strength training and specific abs exercises that are aimed at increasing and strengthening your abdominal and core muscles. Toned muscle gives you more shape and a flatter belly. By focusing your training on muscles in the torso or core, you are strengthening the whole area for improved balance, coordination and a more shapely body. Make sure you warm up before doing strength training, with light cardio and stretches to prepare your muscles.

Gyms have a wide range of weight training machines, but you can do strength exercises at home, using your own body weight as the resistance to the muscle action. Good exercises include the plank and side plank and oblique crunches. If you go online, you will find many sites that give specific abs strength exercises that you can do at home as part of your best workout for flat abs, and avoid the expensive gym fees.

The abdominal or belly area of the body is the part that most people are unhappy with. Eating too much of the wrong foods, pregnancy, sedentary lifestyles and lack of physical activity all lead too much belly fat and soft muscles. This gives the flabby, rounded belly. The best workout for flat abs isn’t about spending grueling hours at a gym; there are strategies you can do at home to get into shape.

Any reduction in body fat and strengthening of muscle begins with what you put into your mouth. You hear it over and over, but that is because it is the truth. To lose body fat, you need to burn it by building muscle and getting active. You need to burn more calories than you eat – common sense when you stop to think about it.

The first step in your workout for flat abs is to control what you eat. Eat five to six smaller meals each day to keep your metabolism up and prevent hunger pangs. Eat lots of lean protein, as it is the building block of muscle. Good sources of protein are skinless chicken, fish, dried beans and lentils, nuts and non-fat dairy products.

You need a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrate and fat, so eat vegetables, fruit, wholegrain cereals and breads to get your carbs, and nuts for the good fats. You need a minimum 8 glasses of water a day, sufficient sleep and rest and to stay away from fast food and anything that is overly processed.

You need to start getting active to burn extra calories and fat. Make a decision to have 30 minutes of activity every day, but make 5 of these cardio sessions. Increased heart rate and breathing is what makes a cardio session, and you need to maintain this for 20 minutes, allowing time for a warm up and cool down. Cardio exercise burns extra fat and calories and builds muscle. What’s more, it makes you feel good!

When you are ready to move on to strength training, you focus on the muscles of the torso, also called the core. Here, you are preparing your muscles for harder exercises, improving your balance and coordination. It is important to warm up before strength training and cool down after, with a light walk or jog and some stretches.

You can use weight machines at a gym for strength training, but you can also do strength exercises at home, using your body weight for the resistance needed to build new muscle fiber. Good exercises include the plank, the side plank and oblique or twisted crunches. If you go online you will find numerous ideas for strengthening abs exercises to use as part of your best workout for flat abs program.

How would you consider to be the best shape of your life? For most people it is getting that ripped appearance, together with a well toned and defined six pack abs. But we often get drowned in an information overload stage where we find it difficult to actually achieve our goals, so exactly what is needed for your best abs?

Sometimes, all that is needed is a well laid out fitness plan that will help determine almost all our fitness goals. Working the rectus abdominis will definitely give you the six pack look, but over emphasizing on working out solely on that muscle group will leave us disappointed with the end results instead. Because you can not achieve a balance six pack abs look without exercising on your other muscle group in the core together.

The muscles in your core group are going to take you through later stages of strength and weight training, therefore overlooking the simultaneous development of the whole group will sometimes leave us prone to injuries while training. Best approach to training your abs are actually not over working them, instead alternate your ab training every other day. YOu will also need to start doing cardiovascular training, because then you’ll be able to lose fats, as well as increasing your overall fitness level.

One of the more popular exercise for working your rectus is crunches. Crunches directly tones and gives the needed definition to your abs. Other form of crunches includes abs bicycle and reverse crunches.

Your obliques are responsible for giving you a more defined waistline, and these group of muscles can trained by doing exercises that have a twisting motion. The bicycle exercise is the most popular form of working out, as it involves both the rectus abdominis as well as the obliques.

Popular core exercises such as planks and ball roll outs will help work your whole abdominal area, and also your torso at the same time. You’ll want that because you’ll achieve a more defined and toned overall appearance, rather than just one area that are toned.

When you go to the gym and focus only on working out your abs, you’ll probably won’t like the end results. Instead, choose a workout program that will help you achieve an overall healthy and fit body, a good workout program should includes strength and weight training as well, so that you’ll gain a more healthy and balance appearance at the end of the day.