We’re taught this bias on two fronts. Fake media and steroid scandals make us think it isn’t possible without chemicals, as you said. Also, false or inflated stories about gym time and stories that don’t address nuance make us think that it takes a lot more effort over a longer period of time than what many of us legitimately have. So we never start or try the impossible.

But those aren’t reality. Just because someone spends 3 hours in the gym doesn’t mean they’re working out that hard that entire time.

I enrolled my daughter in a preschool gymnastics class at 3. They ran one of those competitive cheerleading squads out of the gym. She saw them practice one day and wanted to do it. So, when she graduated from her tumble class she qualified for the youngest squad at 4. Before she turned 5, she had a six pack.

I’ve never seen a 5 year old girl with a six pack before. My dad didn’t believe me till he saw it for himself. Neither did my mom. Or anybody, really.

Now, her class was 3 times a week. They had a 10 minute warm up of heavy strength building exercise followed by a 5 min run around the gym perimeter. The rest of the time was learning tricks and choreography, mostly spent in line waiting their turn. You get the idea, right?

Which means for all intents and purposes, she built a six pack on 15 minutes of hard exercise 3 times a week in less than a year of work.

So it doesn’t take hours and hours of gym time like people think.

So what was this magic exercise?

Okay, light stretching for splits, and to loosen up joints then you circuit 15,14,13,12,11,10 reps of the following:

Squat to star jumps, sit ups, push ups, hard handstand rebounds, toe touch jumps, and pike jumps

Then after each circuit 10 sec backbend push to 10 sec tear drop.

Do the math, that’s 75 each. 3 times a week.

That’s it. That’s all it was, along with healthy eating (*but not as disciplined as you) and moderate normal activity throughout the rest of the week. Normal kid play.

No equipment but a spot on the tumble floor. I asked the coaches if we moms and siblings could join for this part. There was plenty of floor space and the girls loved the support. I didn’t make any changes but this and I dropped 5 or more inches off my waist in 3 or 4 months.

No, I didn’t get a six pack in less than a year. But I was 38 instead of 4 and had a sedentary job. I also had further or more of a fat layer to lose around my belly. I could feel my abdominal muscles cording up under that fat layer though. It took me around 2.5 years.

15 minutes, 3 times a week, having fun with and doing something engaging with my kid. That’s all it is.

*It’s impossible to keep sweets from kids these days unless you are their only access to food (good luck with that) and I’m not sure it’s the best idea. So I just try to moderate and keep it in hand.