5 Best Lower Ab Flattening Exercises + ED Awareness on Social Media Sites!

5 Best Lower Ab Flattening Exercises + ED Awareness on Social Media Sites!

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Hey guys!

Today is Spring Fling Cardio Tuesday on the #MIGHTYMARCH Calendar (click here to see today’s workout) and I am seeing so much hard work and dedication from you guys. You make me so proud! Ever since I added in the “Before and After” section on the Blogilates App, I can truly see that you are first hand making the changes necessary to sculpt the body and life of your dreams. It’s not easy to do, and I applaud you.

Today I present to you my 5 best exercises for flattening your lower abs! After years of teaching you hundreds and hundreds of ab moves, I decided to narrow it down to my favorite 5. Some are classic, some are new. Here they are:

1. Lower leg lifts

2. Heel Clicks

3. Reverse Crunches

4. Cheerleader L’s

5. Rocket

Watch the video above to do it with me now! Or head over to YouTube to see what other POPsters are saying about this routine. So far the consensus I’m getting is that it’s short, sweet, and oh so painful (in a good way).

Now onto something quite interesting…

Did you know that when you type in “skinny” on instagram, this advisory warning pops up?

instagram thigh gap

Did you know that when you type in “thinspo” on Tumblr, this shows up?

Screen Shot 2014-03-10 at 9.01.05 PM

Did you know that when you type in “thigh gap” on Pinterest, that this shows up?

Screen Shot 2014-03-10 at 8.59.57 PM

I love the fact that these hugely influential social media sites noticed that there really is a rampant spread of unhealthy ED messages on their platforms and that they are actually stepping in to do something. I like that. When you have power, use it to do something good. Don’t look blindly to one side and let it happen. Do something about it. Help people.

Now there’s 2 sides to this:

1. Great! This will help young girls understand that having an ED is a problem and that they need to seek help.

2. These messages further alienate people with EDs, making them feel unwanted and ashamed of themselves.

I can see the argument on both sides, but I think the greater evil is not doing anything about it. So I applaud these companies.

I see a lot of girls and young women fall into the fitness-for-vanity trap or dieting-for-vanity trap. Their motivation is driven by a need to get thin to look like the models they see on covers and in the media. It’s not their fault. It’s just a misguided portrayal of beauty. A lot of these models are photoshopped so in some cases, these “coveted” body types are not even possible. It’s the powerful influence of the fashion and beauty industry and our young women’s impressionable views of body image.

Some people are born naturally thin. Some people have to work hard to achieve a certain body type. Some people will never be able to look thin because their bone structure and metabolism won’t allow it. Thinness should not be the goal. The goal should be health, strength, love,  and confidence.

1. Health – This is your wealth. Your life. Without this, you cannot do anything.

2. Strength – To be able to continuously grow every day and become a better person than you were yesterday. Become better and stronger to help move and lift others.

3. Love – Because what is a life without love and care for people or creatures who can love you back? Love yourself first and your body will listen (and love you back too!). Hate your body and it won’t want to gain muscle or lose fat. It’ll get stuck. It’ll be stubborn. It’ll rebel.

 4. Confidence – Because believing in yourself will help you succeed. It starts from within and glows on your skin of PURE and REAL beauty.

Focus on bettering yourself every day and you will sculpt your body and your life to it’s best potential. That’s the key word…your own BEST POTENTIAL. Not someone else’s. Yours.

Stop obsessing about thigh gaps and bigger boobs. Start loving yourself so that you can succeed at what you’re meant to be #1 at.

We are all put on this earth to contribute something different and great to our society. You must look inside yourself, find your passion, and live it out!! You’ve got this one life…so do what you love!!

Hope you have an amazing start to your week!

Love,

<3 Cassey

PS – You will notice that when you type “thigh gap” on Pinterest that my “How to Get an Inner Thigh Gap” printable will show up. That’s something I made about 3 years ago when I first started blogging and when someone asked me how to tone their thighs and get a gap. I thought it was the new “How to get 6 pack abs” or “How to get rid of your muffin top” craze. Thigh Gaps weren’t even “a thing” back then. So I made the printable for the people asking for it and well, now it’s floating around the interwebs. Probably not the best titled printable, but the exercises are still a great way to tone your inner and outer thighs. So just wanted to put this message out there in case someone sees it and gets confused as to what my intentions are!

39 thoughts on “5 Best Lower Ab Flattening Exercises + ED Awareness on Social Media Sites!”

There are 39 comments posted by our users.

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  1. Jeff says:

    Thank you for bringing up this important topic. I am researching this topic and hope to publish my study. I hope that people can take my confidential survey, with a chance to get a $50 amazon card https://docs.google.com/a/tricity.wsu.edu/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdeTBRHflq4Mn0urjry8aGNeCZubQy44DUtmHi1CEsS76K0IQ/viewform?c=0&w=1

  2. NZGirl says:

    Thanks Cassey for that last message about misquided reason for getting fit.. I find that I start off eating healthier and exercising to feel good but then after a couple days it gets warped into “I’m trying to lose weight so I will look good in a bikini like the girl in the magazine”, wait. What.

  3. Truly, nothing we do will ever make sense if we ourselves are not a 100% sure of what we want in our life . The point of all these work out routines is to lead a healthy life not to lead a vanity fair. I am no expert on health and fitness but who knows, what I know and share might actually be enough to help someone. Our past experiences may it be of joy or anguish might be a source of strength or inspiration for others who felt alone during difficult times. Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much, right? Let us all be proactive!

  4. Léa says:

    I have been cutting for a while now … and It’s hard to stop, I mean really ! But It needs time, I just need to work harder on my health, happiness and confidence. I believe that one day I’ll feel better. I don’t really remember why I started, it’s probably because of all those photoshoped women that we see, this obsession to get skinnier … there are so many things bad about it, I mean, our society sucks ! Anyway, If there’s one advice I could give you it’s this one : do never ever start cutting guys !
    Enjoy your life and stay hapy and healthy, and follow Cassey, she’s just an amazing person, full of love and hapinness <3

    1. Amy says:

      Have you told anyone who can help you with this? I am glad you’re trying to stop and make healthier choices!

  5. Rhiannon says:

    I can’t feel any of these moves apart from the last one in my abs, they just make my back really really sore. I’ve found this is the case for nearly all of your floor base abs workouts and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong as I try very hard to concentrate on keeping my back flat 🙁

    1. Jana says:

      Try to keep your legs higher. Like Cassey always says, we’re all on our fitness journey. Try to lower your legs just as much as your back starts to lift and keep your hands under your tailbone.

  6. Michelle says:

    Hey Cassey,
    I’ve been doing your workout videos sporadically for about the last year since my sister introduced me to the Call Me Maybe Squat Challenge (awesome!). Over the last month I finally decided to get serious about my health and am faithfully working on the beginner calendar until I am ready to take on one of your monthly challenges. I just wanted to say thanks very much for this motivational post. about the ultimate goal being health, strength, love and confidence. I think you got it exactly right. I appreciate your awesome workout videos and enjoy reading your positive blog posts. Thanks so much!

  7. Run DMT says:

    I love your four goals of fitness and health. Perfection! Found you via E! online today and the Target piece. Love your site!

  8. Grace says:

    Did this workout yesterday and my abs are so sore now!! Never experienced this kind of soreness for my abs before! THIS IS AWESOME!!

  9. Genevieve says:

    I’ll freely admit that I’m bulimic. Trying hard not to be, but that’s just where I am right now.

    I can’t talk for others but I’ll happily say that your site has never been any sort of trigger for me. The complete opposite in fact.

    Regardless of the fact that the title you’ve given your video today focuses on Ab “Flattening” Exercises (Just nitpicking 😉 ) the biggest thing that I’ve gained from your videos is that you encourage folks to be happy, I challenge anyone to not be happy watching you. When I’m happy, I’m less worried about what I look like.

    You encourage folks to be healthy, Darn it, those alphabet abs exercises with the healthy food alphabet then the the YOLO alphabet, are giving (in my opinion) EXACTLY the right message. That food is in no way your enemy. Choose healthily, but you can also eat stuff you love! Work with food not against it and enjoy it. Though I do curse Cassey for making me do so many Abs exercises.

    You encourage healthy exercise in healthy doses! Five, ten, fifteen minutes… you don’t do give us or encourage in any way cardio binges for five hours, in a desperate attempt to get us to shift that extra half pound.

    Ok, so I’m never going to have a body like yours. Because among other things I’d have to lose a foot or two, and gain some serious flexibility ( Although I’m working on that second one, though probably not hard enough as I’m a bit of a lazy blogilataeser 😀 ).

    Curse it, there was a recent study that I can’t find a link for, they showed two groups images of peoples bodies for 60 seconds one of ‘larger’ people, one of ‘skinnier’, then showed them a second picture and asked them to rate a random group of people on their attractiveness. Just looking at larger bodies or skinnier frames for 60 seconds seriously affected their results.
    If you really want to encourage positive body image, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of blogilataesers… (Yup, you must have come up with a better collective noun for us Cassey fans) … who don’t fit the standard mode who’d happily get involved in some of your videos.

    As to the whether it’s a good thing or not. Everyone is different. However I know looking back that when I got to the point of searching for images or forums on things like thinspiration or thigh gap (Not that it was around then…ha 😀 ) I already had serious body dismorphia and a terrible relationship with food.
    When I was looking I was in such a wierd place that a link to take me to a site to give me more information on an eating disorder, would have been something that I would have clicked on. The fact that the site is one that might have helped me before it developed any further is only a good thing.

    You say that “These messages further alienate people with EDs, making them feel unwanted and ashamed of themselves.”.
    From the groups I go to, we all already feel that way. Some of the common phases in the groups are “I thought I was alone!” or “Oh my gosh I’m not the only one that does that?!”.
    In some ways the messages are actually showing them that it’s an issue where they’re not alone.

    Cassey, you have nothing to worry about, you’re doing everything right. You are happy, warm and positive and I believe that you’re approcable and sensible enough that if you ever do anything that’s not positive image friendly, that you’d get a lot of Casseyites(?) asking you whether everything’s going ok?

    Something like: “What’s wrong hon? This isn’t like you, sit down, have a drink, break out the downward dog, and get a grip alright?”

    Waffle waffle waffle. x x

  10. mia says:

    Instagram does the same thing when you look up the tag mia it’s great to see social media taking a head-on response to eating disorders!

  11. Jelli says:

    I had no idea that holding my head up a little higher and pulling me chin towards my chest just a bit would help my sore, sore neck when in Pilates stance. Goodness, that tip helped me survive this. Love lower abs workouts since I’ve had 2 babies in rapid succession and really need to tighten up and tone that area. Thanks, Cassie!

  12. Katie says:

    New to the blog world and I’ve browsed through your blog in the past. I love this video! Was just looking for workout moves to target the lower abs yesterday sooo perfect timing for my first comment!

    Gonna try this one later today
    ~ Katie

  13. Connie says:

    I’m loving what you are promoting. I wasn’t getting anywhere with my diet and exercise goals until I discovered the true reason(s) to put in effort on the diet and exercise. You nailed it!

  14. Emmy says:

    I found this information to be interesting, but I’m extremely confused as to why you had to include the ED awareness information AFTER a video that will help you “flatten your abs”. As someone who is recovering from an eating disorder, I try to avoid triggering information on the internet, especially things about exercise and losing weight. Eating disorders aren’t just about food, I struggle with compulsive exercise to change the way I look. If you are going to make a post about ED awareness, you may want to stray away from adding exercise videos or information in it. Kinda wish this article had a warning sign like you talked about.

  15. Cassey, I love this video even though I haven’t even done the workout yet, because you start out talking about eating clean. I feel like in some of your videos you talk about slimming and toning a specific body part with exercise, but leave out the part about eating healthy, which is so much more important for slimming and toning than exercise. You don’t always leave it out, but it doesn’t always seem as important as it should be, so I’m really glad you made a point of it this time!

    Also, you explained one of the problems that I’ve been having–the neck strain when in Pilates position–so I’m going to make sure to look forward from now on! Thank you!

  16. I think this is really great. I hope that it doesn’t alienate anyone with ED, but that they start to think about seeking help with how they’re dealing with body image issues.

  17. Martina says:

    I have to admit that I don’t really see the difference between trying to get an inner thigh gap and trying to get six-pack abs or lose your muffin top. All three are things that you can do in a healthier or less healthy way, depending on whether it is even possible with your body structure. And all three are purely appearance based. I think the focus with “toning” workouts should always be on strengthening, since that is the only guarantee without a calorie deficit.

    1. Amy says:

      I would say the main difference between a thigh gap and a six pack is muscle. A six pack is literally your muscles showing. A thigh gap does not mean you have muscle tone. It is usually not possible to attain things like a six-pack without living a healthy lifestyle: eating foods that nourish your body and combining strength and cardio. I can tell you there are not many people I know with eating disorders and six-packs. They may have very little fat but they have very little muscle too.

  18. Amy says:

    I agree that being proactive is very important! If it even helps one girl, great! I don’t think it will really help those who actually have eating disorders but possibly catch those who are sort of “trying it out” or in the beginning stages. From many years with an eating disorder, I can tell you most people with an eating disorder know they have a problem and would love to live in a world without it, they just can’t. For a long time, I felt it was just who I am and I couldn’t do anything about it. It’s not so easy to stop obsessing about your body and generally is more deep rooted than that anyway! I still cannot help comparing myself to others and secretly still wish for the body I had then (which was way too skinny and I was unhealthy looking in general). I am not overweight and have never been but it takes real willpower to keep myself from those behaviors. Thanks, Cassey, for promoting healthy body image!!

    1. Amy says:

      And one more thing, someone had mentioned on FB that they should also do it for overweight images, etc. Someone had replied that this isn’t necessary because people feel bad about overeating, being overweight, etc. I agree to an extent, however, I know people with eating disorders who would use images like this as “reverse thinspo” so basically to scare themselves into not eating or purging or whatever! I am sure people are going to attack this idea but it is real! I can’t say I know how the mind of someone with a Binge Eating Disorder works but things like that could trigger them too. I don’t know…I know it’s hard to draw the line…

  19. nina says:

    Cassey I love you, but can you make a video with bruno mars’ song pleaseeeeeeee

  20. Carmen says:

    I totally agree with you! It’s sad that people feel the need to display models or whoever with a skinnier body. People need to know that it’s okay to not have a thigh gap or a skinny body! Ugh. Keep spreading body positivity Cassey! Thank you!

  21. Ashanti says:

    I’m so sick of seeing “fake” people in the media! I agree wholeheartedly Cassey. I just want to see the actual model or actor/actress for what they are. Folds and all! That’s what makes us human and it’s beautiful.

  22. Leanne says:

    Great that influential social media sites are taking a step to make a change! Thank you for pointing all these out 🙂

  23. Rachael says:

    I totally agree with you cass 🙂 health and loving your self should be everyones goal not to get skinny or look like others who are skinny.

  24. Courtney says:

    I love the fact that social media is using its great audience to do something positive. However, there is an ugly backlash against the “gap” trend as well. I am someone who is naturally petite with very bony, but strong, chicken legs. I love blogilates, spin, and lifting weights, and try my best to eat well without going too over the top. I have always had, and will probably always have, a small gap between my legs, that’s just the way I was made. Now, I don’t personally find the thigh gap thing attractive to begin with, but when someone types in “skinny” and an eating disorder warning pops up, I think that it furthers the belief that skinny automatically means eating disorder. I’ve experienced negative comments from people about my legs, with some even going to my parents “concerned about an eating disorder.” There seems to be quite a bit of heat around women’s figures and possible eating disorders, and I wish people could separate actual disorders from natural body types without passing judgment on either.
    Thank you so much for everything you do to promote healthy living through eating right, excercizing, and, promoting self- confidence 🙂

    1. Amy says:

      I think the main thing with the search warnings is you wouldn’t be searching “skinny” just because you’re skinny. The people who would be searching these words are looking for trigger images and thinspo. There is nothing wrong with being skinny but the search aspect is something entirely different!

  25. Amber says:

    I love that your promote things such as health, strength, love and confidence for us regardless of our body type… but I personally can’t seem to break the habit of wanting the thigh gap, a flat stomach, (visible) hip bones, (visible) collar bones etc. It’s extremely hard for me to sit here and say: “Thinness should not be my goal” … when that is honestly all I desire. I feel like I already have great health, strength and love… but no confidence because of my appearance. Yet the only way I want to appear is thin! With those desirable features like the thigh gap. So it makes sense to me at least, that in order to achieve confidence I set my goals to “be thin”.
    You make a great point about the photoshopped models in magazines – I know very well that they have been tampered with. However, I don’t even need to glimpse at a magazine or the internet to see beautiful, skinny girls. These body types are in front of me, in real life. Not photoshopped, right there in full view, every day. Hell, I don’t need to search thinspo to see these girls, they’re everywhere. And the boys bloody love it. It makes me feel so overweight and so unhappy. Which is why I turn to your workouts.
    In the end, this is the reality. No matter what I do, I can’t stop comparing myself to other real life girls and I’m sure I’m not the only one suffering from this. I thought I would just share my view on the editing of models issue, and how this isn’t really the issue anymore – for me at least – it’s now instead the multitude of thin, ideal girls in real life.

    1. Stacy says:

      Amber- I hear where you are coming from. My story- In my younger days I was short, petite…but not model ideal- I didn’t have the thigh gap, tiny butt and long legs… but I was comfortable in my body. Fast forward to now, and things have changed a bit (a lot). I am no longer petite and when searching for workouts and nutrition, I see ideals I would like to aspire to. I know my goal, because I’ve been there. But I also know, I CAN’T compare myself to anyone, including my younger self. Talk to your doctor, a nutritionist, a professional in working out who can help you work to YOUR ideal goal that is flattering and realistic. Some are born with great structure, some have the supreme discipline to keep to a very strict regime that allows them to maintain their image. Until you know them, you don’t know the story behind the body image you see. Don’t get stuck on I want what she has. Find what you’re capable of and aim for that. I wish you luck, and know- you are you. You’re beautiful.

    2. Lauren says:

      this is heartbreaking to read because it seems as though you’re seriously equating your self-worth to your body. Cassey said it right – different body types and bone structure, and it just so happens that the naturally thin-high metabolism ectomorph type (which is less than 15% of society) gets plastered all over everything. I will remind you that comparison is the thief of joy, but I also suspect that you may have some deeper issues going on. I’ve been there. I would really suggest talking to a therapist to help you realize how unique and beautiful and important you are, and how you don’t need to go on any crazy diets for the sake of an unattainable body type.

    3. Amy says:

      There are plenty of boys who like girls with muscle tone and a few curves too! It may depend on your age to an extent too. I think as men get older and are no longer boys, they are more interested in the fit look! My husband looks at pics of me way back when I was so skinny and he says today that’s not even something he would be attracted to. He likes boobs and butts now (lol) and strength too. I was so skinny but had no real muscle tone back then! We met really young and even then I maybe wasn’t his average type he would be interested in (something brought us together though). My point is, there are plenty of guys looking for more than just super skinny girls and the right person will come along no matter what you look like!!
      On the other hand, I totally understand what you’re saying! It is still easy for me to fall into the wanting to be skinny mind-frame. I try to really focus on wanting the toned look but it is not always easy. I would love to have a thigh gap and a flat stomach. I miss my visible bones I once had. But I also know I was living a very unhealthy life to get there.

  26. Nika says:

    Thank you for this Cass 🙂