Did you make a New Year's Resolution to lose weight?  Have you always wanted a six-pack or tight, toned abs but just haven't figured out how to make it happen?  Well, guess what...this is YOUR year!

As an Independent Team Beachbody Coach, I get asked all the time how to get a chiseled core. Here is my list of top tips that you can use to make it happen.  It's going to take dedication...it's going to take focus...but if you follow this advice, you will see the muffin top disappear.

1) Eat clean.

In this case, clean does not mean take out your vaccum and have at it.  It doesn't even mean eat "healthy."  What eating "clean" really means is eating whole foods that are low in fat and high in protein, and cutting out the processed foods.  They say that "abs are made in the kitchen."  I don't know who they are, but they're right. Research has shown that only 20 percent of your physical results come from exercise and the other 80 percent comes from nutrition. They also say, "you are what you eat." Right again. Remember that commercial with the lady walking down the street with huge sticky buns on her...well, buns? Don't be that lady.  Comment on this blog post if you want clean-eating ideas and recipes!

2) Do more HIIT cardio.

To see your abs, you need to get rid of the subcutaneous fat on top of your muscles.  Steady-rate cardio is great, but if you really want to transform you mid-section you really have to HIIT your workouts hard!  High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) involves short bursts of very intense exercise, followed by short recovery periods.  An example of this might be running hard for two minutes, then walking for 1-3 minutes to catch your breath and slow your heart rate, and then repeating X amount of times.  It is this up-and-down cycle that jump starts your body into burning more fat (9x more!) than traditional cardio.  Plus, HIIT makes your body burn fat for a longer period of time after you're done your workout.  Some ready-to-go, at-home HIIT workouts include Beachbody's Insanity, TurboFire and P90X.  (Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise regiment.)