You may know some who have them as a result of good genes while others have them because of the many health choices they make. But as you age, especially as you enter your 40s, the paths to abs become more and more a result of commitment and hard work.
We spoke to nine women, from the ages of 29 to 62, about their journey to their “ideal abs.” No matter what motivation they started with, they all end up here: healthier, stronger, and loving life.

On being patient and finding time to achieve your goals

After Katrina Pilkington, 38, gave birth to her daughter one-and-a-half years ago, she stared at the mirror and wondered what in the world she should do to get back into shape.
“For me, it was about being patient. Your body goes through so much. It’s not just a matter of how hard you work or what you eat but letting your body get back to where you were,” she says.
In addition to slowly working on her mobility and strength, Pilkington also began to change her diet. For example, she switched to a primarily plant-based diet.
She also eliminated dairy because she noticed it made her breastfeeding daughter gassy. Without dairy, her daughter was less fussy, but Pilkington also noticed she herself was feeling less bloated too.
Now, 18 months after giving birth, she’s leaner than she was before she became a mother.

Pilkington’s plant-based diet

  • whole foods
  • grains
  • veggies
  • plant-based protein
  • meat, once a week
Pilkington credits her current success to her daughter.
“Before, it was about fitting into a bikini or a midriff dress. Abs were a great side effect of what I was doing,” she says. “Now, I want to be healthy for my daughter.”
The other key factor? Time, or lack of it. Pilkington fits her workouts in when and where she can. “My workouts need to be efficient and effective,” she says. Her sessions typically include a mix of cardio, intervals, plyometrics, strength, mobility, and flexibility. “It’s made me a better athlete.”

On achieving them through total commitment and hard work

Two years ago, Dawn Moore decided to challenge herself. “As you get older, it’s more about longevity and having the sustainability to do these things, not just when you’re 40 but when you’re 60 and 70,” she says.
While the 48-year-old nurse from Los Angeles ate healthy foods and enjoyed endurance sports and yoga, she wanted to step it up.
So she joined a local gym and began taking boot camp classes and lifting weights. As she started seeing gains in her strength, she finally decided to work toward her goal of strong abs with visible muscle definition.
She knew it would require a higher level of commitment — both in the gym and in the kitchen — and she was ready to go all-in.
This spring, Moore signed up for a two-month challenge at her gym. With the help of her coaches and a supportive community, she took on an intense training, clean eating (think lots of lean protein and vegetables, but no processed food or sugar), and carb-cycling program.
It was a lot of hard work, and Moore made sacrifices to achieve her abs goal — waking up early, working out late, saying no to happy hours, prepping meals, and bringing her own food while she traveled.
Her workouts easily spanned two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. But she says it was worth it.

Moore’s weekly workout for abs

  • cardio every day (she loves high-intensity spin classes)
  • weight lifting, five days a week
  • high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes, three days a week
  • rock climbing
Not only is she the leanest she’s been (her body fat percentage went down from 18.5 percent to 15.8 percent), but also her posture and gait have improved. She’s also grown mentally stronger. “I rediscovered that youthful fire to push my potential,” she reflects.
DON’T STRESS ABOUT ABS“The more pressure you put on yourself to have this perfect body, the more your cortisol levels [your body’s stress hormone] increases. You’re literally stressing yourself out instead of just focusing on doing the work.” — Katrina Pilkington, 37, mother
Now that she’s achieved her goal, Moore intends to keep cardio workouts and rock climbing in her schedule and scale back her strength training to three days a week. And she’ll loosen the reins on her diet, too, opting to count her macros and allowing herself some cheat meals.
“I want to know that each year is a celebration of the best health I can possibly achieve for myself,” she says.

On abs and their ever-changing angles

As an Instagram fitness megastar with 1.3 million followers, you’d assume that Anna Victoria would be all about her abs. But her physical transformation has been more focused on improving her health than changing how she looks or losing weight.
Victoria grew up eating fast food. In her early 20s, she says it took a toll on her health, forcing her to change her habits. In 2012, she decided to commit to a healthier diet and lifestyle along with exercise. Overall, she says that it took about nine months to see her body change to the one you see today.

But even with enviable abs, Victoria says her belly pooch is still there.