MANILA, Philippines—We all have six-pack abs, according to fitness experts. “But most of us can’t see it because it’s covered by a layer of fat,” says Paige Waehner, a certified personal trainer and online coach for 13 years now. She says the only way to see your six-pack abs is to reduce your body fat. And the best way to reduce your body fat is to do cardio and strength training and have a low-calorie diet.

There may be women under the age of 30 with no children who have such six-pack abs. But what are the chances for women over 30, with a couple of kids, to have such trim and well-toned bodies?

We asked Tweetie de Leon-Gonzales, Pye Trinidad, Maritoni Tordesillas and Jeena Lopez to share their workout regimen and eating habits. They are over 30 years old with 100 percent all-natural six-pack abs.

Tweetie de Leon

Tweetie, a 42-year-old mother of four, credits her great body largely to her mother’s genes and her passion for squash. Despite her chiseled abs, she says this is not her fittest body ever. But working out since she was 15 has disciplined her to maintain a workout regimen. “I just play squash three times a week and try to do core training on my own at home. I try to squeeze in yoga every now and then.”

To avoid bingeing, she eats in moderation and never deprives herself of food she enjoys. “I didn’t eat vegetables as a child. Now, it has become a constant in my diet. I also take multivitamins daily.”

Incorporating running and yoga into her sport, she gets her second wind from music and the sheer intensity of competing. Workout time for her is steady and sacred.

Maritoni Tordesillas

For Ton, a 38-year-old ballet director/yoga instructor and mother of two, a fitness lifestyle is like wearing second skin—she has been training for dance for over 20 years and Ashtanga yoga for six years now.

At a very lean 5’4”, 110 lbs., she practices yoga two hours a day five times a week and takes long walks. “I do not take any multivitamins, count calories or eat beef, chicken, pork. My diet consists of vegetables, eggs, fish, brown rice, multi grain bread, fruits and muesli.”

For Ton, yoga is not workout but a lifestyle and needs no music or trainers to get into “her asanas”—just her ability to focus on her breathing and tune everything else out. A reward for her is “freshly blended fruit shake with muesli.”

Pye Trinidad

For Pye, a 33-year-old Bikram yoga instructor whose super lean frame belies a solid core strength, the road to fitness started six years ago. “When I started I didn’t even think my body was capable of building muscles!”

Her exercise regimen covers 90 minutes of yoga six times a week and an abbreviated one-hour session on the seventh day is her rest day. “Lately I’ve been interchanging between Bikram Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga. Bikram Yoga is really great for working your core and legs while Ashtanga is great for working your core and upper body.”

She prefers to eat healthy and naturally but admits to giving in to her dark chocolate craving every once in awhile. “It’s probably because of the enhanced mind-body connection that yoga is so famous for. I learned to eat what my body tells me to eat. I really believe everything is best in moderation instead of outright denying oneself out of life’s little pleasures.”

She has found herself gravitating towards a vegetarian diet. Off the mat, she feels lighter, more energetic and flexible on a plant-based diet. She does not take any vitamins or supplements except for the occasional Berocca (Vitamin C-loaded drink supplement) when she feels a cold coming on.

Her practices have not only helped her to be fit but have given her peace of mind as well. “It keeps me calm and centered even during the most difficult times in my life.”

Jeena Lopez

Jeena, the ultra buff 38-year-old mother of three, 2007-2008 National Cable wakeboarding champion, does not consider herself fit or an athlete with a regulated fitness regimen. She calls herself an extreme sports and outdoors enthusiast. Which translates into being fit enough to climb a mountain on two-week notice.

With a history of college athletics, she claims her fittest ever was in college playing soccer for the Ateneo women’s team. “There’s nothing better than being 18 years old! Unfortunately I had no regimen except to follow my coach and no discipline so half time was spent smoking a cigarette.” She recognizes that age has taught her to be more disciplined. “I am still as stubborn as ever so I still do not have a fitness regimen. However, I eat well and don’t smoke anymore. I now have the discipline to sleep early when needed, train when I need to and focus mentally on the challenges ahead.”

Like Pye, she does not rely on vitamins or supplements, just Vitamin C and iron. She doesn’t count calories but eats healthy. “How can you stay away from good food? I enjoy eating as much as I enjoy sports. I grew up with a work-hard-play-hard philosophy.”

Surprisingly, killer abs can be attained not only by going to the gym but from a variety of other heart-racing sports. Choose one that suits your pace and lifestyle and you will find yourself showing off washboard abs in just a few months.

For these women, it’s not about abstaining from foods you love but more of eating smart and in moderation. The hardest part is making time to work out. Give up a couple of late nights or weekday happy hours to sweat it out. Cocktails and smoking will have to take a backseat or strictly limited, so you can sustain an exercise regimen.

Even if money can give you six-pack abs via liposuction, nothing is as satisfying as showing off the real thing. Earn your abs the hard way. Lust for something healthy like killer abs.