A Top NYC Blogger Shares Her Routine for Sculpted Abs

After moving to NYC to get her degree in fashion merchandising from FIT, Lisa Cahue dove headfirst into the industry. She worked behind the scenes at fashion staples like Scoop NYC and Harper's Bazaar before transitioning into the professional world of acting and modeling. Today, she works in all facets, from design and development to production and showroom. Lisa's core belief is that to live a happy, full life, one must connect the mind, body, and soul. She empowers people with this mantra every day via her popular blog, Mind Body Swag. MBS inspires fashion, lifestyle, travel, and (lucky for us) beauty followers everywhere. Today, she's sharing her diet and fitness routine for amazing abs. Keep reading for her best tips and tricks—no deprivation or fancy gym gear required.

Okay, let's talk about abs. I can't tell you how often I get asked about this (and my go-to diet and fitness routine), so here it is in a nutshell: There is NO secret. I workout and I eat properly. I know that can be annoying to hear given our society's "quick-fix" mentality, but nothing is quick. I mix up my workouts between dancing with ankle and wrist weights, SoulCycle, Pilates reformer classes, Barre classes or The Class in NYC. However, Physique 57 has really helped me with consistency when it comes to exercise.

Since April, I've been streaming its online classes, and I've noticed a huge difference in my abs. The work outs are intense and effective. I love long, lean muscle tone, and these workouts help me achieve that. Most of the workouts utilize your own body weight or very light weights, and I never get bored. Plus, since they're not super high intensity, they don't spike migraines like some other workouts do for me.

I also eat very well. I mainly stick to a plant-based diet, aside from eggs, and, occasionally, fish. A doctor recently told me my health is optimal. I feel energized even when I'm exhausted, and I've never felt more confident in my own skin. Being healthy, strong, and happy is most important to me.

"Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels," is a line that really resonated with me when I saw the movie What the Health. I also attribute this way of eating to an overall improvement in my skin, which is definitely an added bonus!

Foods I try to avoid include dairy, gluten, sugar (except for fruit), meat, fried or processed foods, and alcohol.

Foods I love include vegetables (grilled, sautéed, or roasted, beans and legumes, snacks like chips or popcorn (hey, you can't be perfect!); fruit (watermelon, melons, strawberries, bananas, mango, and papaya); nuts (I love almonds); eggs (which I might eliminate after watching What the Health); fish (occasionally); complex carbohydrates like rice, pasta, crackers, potatoes, and quinoa; avocados; green smoothies; and vegetable-based meals like tacos and salads.

Next up: The best YouTube workouts for when you don't have the time (or patience) for the gym.