We work on all aspects of your fitness and a flat stomach is one of those. Exercise is one of the tools to get you there, but when combined with other tools, you’ll reach your goals faster. There are many myths about super foods that help you reach the illusive flat stomach, but weight loss and exercise are the two best methods. Here are some other ways to help shed that belly fat.
Make sure you have smaller meals more frequently.
Keeping your blood sugar level is important. It prevents your body from producing too much insulin, which occurs when your blood sugar is high. Insulin is the tool that helps your body store fat and if you’re one of the unlucky people, it’s stored around your abdomen. Eating small meals every three to four hours could be just what you need. If you’re not in a position to eat small meals, make sure you have healthy mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks.
Exercise!
You knew this was one of the ways to get that belly flat. Core and abdominal exercises are part of the picture, but not the complete answer. The key is not necessarily building stomach muscles, but burning the fat. Exercising also improves your posture and that can be a culprit of abdominal fat. Targeting back muscles to make them stronger helps with that. While crunches help, walking and aerobic, strength building and flexibility exercises also aid in burning the fat.
Eat healthier.
Eating healthy is the key to permanent weight loss. When you learn to make substitutions and how to choose the healthiest options at the buffet and never have to diet again. It doesn’t mean you’ll give up “forbidden” foods, but eat them far less frequently and use portion control. What you eat and when you eat plays a big role in the amount of fat you add to your body.
Not only does exercising burn calories and build muscle tissue, which uses more calories than fat tissue, it burns off the hormones of stress, including cortisol, which is linked to belly fat.
Stop smoking. One study showed smokers who quit actually had less belly fat than before they quit. Not only will you shed fat from quitting, you’ll find you’ll be more apt to exercise when you don’t become winded as quickly.
Eat plenty of fiber. Fiber helps keep everything moving right and can help prevent bloating and bulging. Drinking loads of water also helps by filling you up and acting as a diuretic.
Laugh and enjoy life. The more you laugh, the more you work your abdominal muscles. I had a client that once said she looked forward to a cold and the coughing because it tightened her stomach muscles. Trust me, laughter is better.