Allison Westfahl - Core Envy: A 3-Step Guide to a Strong, Sexy Core

Copyright 2016 by Allison Westfahl

All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by VeloPress, a division of Competitor Group, Inc.

3002 Sterling Circle, Suite 100

Boulder, Colorado 80301-2338 USA

(303) 440-0601 Fax (303) 444-6788 E-mail

Distributed in the United States and Canada by Ingram Publisher Services

A Cataloging-in-Publication record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-937715-34-2; ISBN 978-1-937716-75-2 (e-book)

For information on purchasing VeloPress books, please call (800) 811-4210, ext. 2138, or visit www.velopress.com.

Cover design by Katie Jennings Design

Cover photograph by Matt Hawthorne

Interior photographs by Julia Vandenoever

Photo-shoot location courtesy of Pura Vida Fitness & Spa

v. 3.1

A note to readers: Double-tap on illustrations and tables to enlarge them. After art is selected, you may expand or pinch your fingers to zoom in and out.

CONTENTS

When I sat down with the team at VeloPress in the spring of 2014 to discuss this project, I had no idea what a labor of love it would turn out to be. Throughout the entire process, I have received incredible support from countless people:

Renee Jardine, editor extraordinaire. Her attention to detail is truly tireless, as is her creative vision.

The entire team at VeloPress, especially Vicki Hopewell, Connie Oehring, Dave Trendler, and Julia Vandenoever.

My incredible families. I couldnt have asked for a better family to have been born into (the Westfahls) or married into (the Wagners).

All of the women who motivated and inspired me to create this plan over the years. Go get that enviable core!

My dog, Muppet. Sometimes a fuzzy snuggle and a friendly paw are all I need to find motivation.

And most of all, my husband, Brian, whose encouragement and unconditional support have given me the confidence to take on challenges I thought were impossible. Its a true gift to spend every day with your best friend and partner in crime.

When I take on new clients, I have them fill out a questionnaire to help me better understand their fitness goals. Clients are asked to rank potential areas of focus in order of importancecore strength, weight loss, muscle toning, injury rehab, better energy, etc. The top three are almost always the same, especially when it comes to my female clients: Core strength is the primary goal, followed by weight loss and toning.

Its not surprising that most women are looking to improve their core; after all, the term core strength has become practically synonymous with fitness in the past decade. Weve all been told that a stronger core is absolutely essential to good health, fewer aches and pains, and most importantly a better physique. There is certainly no shame in wanting a more defined midsection. After all, isnt that what were all saying when we profess to wanting greater core strength?

As women, we are presented with an overwhelming number of products, supplements, and workouts that promise a tighter tummy and perfect six-pack abs. The irony about that flashy six-pack is that it does not in any way imply that you have functional core strength, yet it continues to be the hallmark of a fit, sexy body. The pursuit of goddesslike abs is the reason we are willing to engage in self-inflicted torturehundreds of crunches, a cycle of diets and cleanses, and a litany of unregulated supplements that claim to burn belly fat in mere minutes. In our desperation to find a solution to the flabby abby, we can be easily swayed by perfectly sculpted models, most of whom did not get chiseled abs by using the product they are promoting. The problem is that most of these efforts deliver short-lived results, if any at all, and leave us utterly frustrated. How can we keep our waistlines from expanding without starving ourselves or devoting hours a day to grueling workouts? Why isnt there a solution that is both effective and sustainable? These are questions that I hear from my clients on a daily basis, and this is why I developed the Core Envy program: to give you a strong, sexy core that is functional and looks great.

You might look at me and assume that I cant empathize with your fitness struggle, but let me assure you that Ive run into many of the same dead ends you have in my attempts to control my waistline. Growing up, I was never categorized as overweight, but I certainly was never referred to as thin. In fact, the term that was most often used to describe me was stocky, which basically meant I was short and thick. I never paid attention to food or calories because I was an athlete and thought I needed the fuel for performance.

When I got to college I was confronted with a frightening realityno more team sports and an unlimited dessert bar in the dining hall. I was well aware of the freshman 15, but I didnt think it would happen to me. I was putting in 30-minute sessions on the elliptical at the fitness center and walking to classsurely that had to burn lots of calories! By sophomore year I had managed to put on close to 20 pounds, which is pretty noticeable on a stocky 5-foot-2-inch frame. I clearly remember the day at the end of my sophomore year when I could no longer button my jeans. In a fit of panic I immediately started doing crunches, hoping that my waistline would magically shrink over the course of the next 100 repetitions. It didnt, but I continued to incorporate crunches into my exercise routine for more years than I like to acknowledge, convinced that if I abandoned this time-honored exercise routine, I would surely be tempting the muffin-top gods. It took a masters degree in exercise science, scores of scientific studies, andmost convincinglypersonal experience to persuade me to ditch the crunches and turn to a more integrated approach in order to achieve an enviable core.

In this book, Ill share with you what Ive learned about achieving and maintaining a strong, sexy core. Ive done my research; vetted my approach with thousands of clients over the past 15 years; and landed on a program that is effective, is easy to follow, and wont leave you in a continued state of frustration and dismay. I cant promise you a flat stomach overnight, but if you have 8 weeks to devote to a program based on fact, not fad, you will see a significant change in your core.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

This program is designed for real people with real time constraints, real jobs, real families, and a real desire to follow a program that isnt complicated. Im not going to ask you to do hundreds of crunches, set aside two hours a day for workouts, or spend money on weird vegetables and supplements that arent normally a part of your diet. My Core Envy program integrates three routines to build a strong, sexy core:

Sculpting exercises to tighten and tone

Cardio workouts to melt belly fat