Tips to a Flatter Tummy and a Sculpted Abs
Flat tummy and sculpted abs are one of the fitness goals many people aim to achieve. Surprisingly, they can get amazing results with little efforts provided that healthy activities and practices are included.
Sometimes you may have the belief that flat tummy and sexy body depend solely on exercise. But, following a good diet plan and lifestyle practices have a greater effect on the tummy.
If your goal is to get a flatter tummy, do a few key exercises and supplement your exercise with a healthy diet plan. In this way, your belly fat will be reduced and you remain healthier and happy.
So many people ask “how I can get a flatter stomach?” Do not think of sucking it in to make it fit. There are many natural ways and less expensive means to flatter the tummy.
Studies have shown that if you want to burn most of your belly fat, aerobic exercise is the most effective answer to visceral belly fat.
Aerobic training burns 67% more calories than resistance training however, it is good to combine both for more effectiveness.
These tips will help you shed inches and pounds, banish the bloat, and feel even more gorgeous;
- Healthier diet plan
If you wish to have a flatter stomach then there is a need to follow a good diet plan.
- Eat more of fruit and vegetable, try and cut down on junk food, like candy, chips and fast food.
It is advised not to jump into a healthy diet, take it slowly and replace the bad diet with healthy diets so that your body can accommodate them slowly without adverse reactions.
- Eat lots of beans, nuts, lean meat, and whole-grain because it keeps you fuller and longer which can help with weight loss and getting a flat tummy.
- Good fat dairy options are very important which include milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese; avoid ice cream and hard cheeses because they are high in fat.
- Consume more of monounsaturated fats found in avocados, nuts, olive oil, and fish oil.
Monounsaturated fats can help you to lose weight, try and stay away from the trans-fats found in processed foods and baked goods.
- Do not eat much salt and lower your sodium intake, because it can cause your body to retain water which may cause you to look bloated.
Switch regular table salt for kosher or sea salt, which is lower in sodium, avoid eating food that contains high sodium which includes soy sauce, restaurant meals, cured meats like pepperoni and salami, ham, bacon, sauces, and snack foods.
- Try and cut down your food portion, follow the trick of eating with smaller plates.
- Eat lesser and chew thoroughly because digestion starts from the mouth when you chew your food properly it will help the digestion process in the stomach.
Chewing your food properly will give your stomach extra time to realize that it’s full, thus preventing over-eating.
- Raw and unsalted nuts and seeds are especially good snacks when eaten in moderation as they will make you feel fuller.
- Try and eat 2-3 hours before going to bed because your body slows down when you sleep, thereby storing more calories instead of burning them as energy.
- Drink enough water
When you want to lose weight and excess fats around the belly, it is very essential to take adequate fluid. Fluids, mainly water helps to fasten the metabolism process.
Water helps to flush toxins out of your system and keep your bowels moving, both of which are essential for a flat stomach.
- Replace all your regular beverages with water, take more water than soda and sugared drinks, most of them are full of calories and can increase your belly fat.
- Take water with you wherever you exercise or do the strenuous activity and take water breaks during hot or heavy exercise.
- You can as well consider sassy water which is also regular water infused with several refreshing and energizing ingredients, which help to speed up the metabolism and cut down belly fat.
- Drink the ones that have a combination of ingredients such as orange slices, lemon slices, grated ginger, cucumber, fresh spearmint, and fresh basil.
It is very important to pay attention to your body’s signs by checking your urine if it is light yellow or clear color; dark yellow with an odor could be a sign that you are dehydrated.
- Take Probiotics
Live bacteria play a good role in weight loss and maintenance, and that is why it’s very important to eat probiotics rich foods or take its supplement.
Overweight people have shown to have a composition of gut bacteria than normal-weight people, and gut bacteria influence weight gain and fat distribution.
Regular consumption of probiotics may shift the balance towards beneficial gut flora, reducing the risk of weight gain and fat accumulation in your abdominal cavity.
Probiotics are very good at reducing belly fat; they are in the form of Lactobacillus Fermentum, Lactobacillus Amylovorus, and Lactobacillus Gasseri.
Probiotic foods include some types of yogurt, kefir, tempeh, kimchi, and pickles.
There are many probiotic supplements available that contain several strains of bacteria, so make sure to pick one that contains at least one of the strains.
- Reduce the intake of alcohol
Cutting alcohol completely from your diet may be very hard to bear, but it is advisable to reduce the intake as much as possible as it can trigger fat deposition especially around the belly.
- One 750ml bottle of wine contains 600 calories if you want to have a flat tummy you most cut down the intake of wine and beer because they are full of calories.
- Alcohol consumption also releases estrogen into the system, which is undesirable, as excess estrogen causes the body to retain weight.
- Alcohol stimulates appetite and it can make you much more likely to binge on all the things you’ve been depriving yourself of, like burgers, fries, pizza, chocolate, and potato chips.
- Do not starve yourself
Starving your self will only give you a temporary result and sooner you will feel more frustrated and much likely to give up.
Starvation is not an effective way to get a flatter tummy, in essence, it could do permanent harm to your body as well as make it hard to keep off the weight.
Learn to be patient; do not expect overnight results, any method that seems fat melting is likely bad for your health.
The best way to preserve your health and keep the fat off long-term is to take natural steps.
Some people found it difficult to obtain a flat tummy than others, it is advisable to concentrate on your fitness and avoid starvation.
- Take routine aerobic exercises
Engage in at least 100 crunches a day, cardio exercises will help increase your abs temperature and improve circulation, both will aid in acquiring a flat stomach.
- Do at least 30 minutes a day minimum, but include 1-2 days of rest each week.
- Take other exercises like dancing, running, Tae Bo, swimming, cycling, and walking at a good pace will all provide a great aerobic workout.
- Boxing provides an excellent cardio workout, while the muscles involved in throwing punches will help to flatten your stomach.
- Try sprinting for as long as you can and if you become too tired walk when you feel that you’ve caught your breath, sprint again, do these alterations for a total of 20 minutes at a time.
- Take Plyometric exercises
Plyometric exercises are a combination of cardio with strength training although it is more suitable for experienced athletes than for the less experienced athlete or the older athlete because of risk of injury.
There are different Plyometric exercises that you can do at home such as modified jumping jacks.
- Modified jumping jacks can be done by standing, then jump up with hands and feet spread apart, creating an “X” in the air with your body, then land back in standing, do this as many as you can.
- Squat-thrust push-ups: Stay in a push-up position, do one push-up, then push off with your feet and pull your knees up to your chest so your feet land between your hands then jump as high as you can, arms overhead.
- Squat back down with your hands on the floor, then jump back to push-up position again try as many as you can.
- Do strength training to build muscle
Adding more muscle will increase your metabolism, which will help to burn more calories faster.
- Crunches reduce the upper abdomen, leg raises work the lower abdomen, and side bends work the oblique.
- Use an exercise ball to work your tummy muscles, do ball exchange, lie flat on your back, with your arms extended over your head, holding the exercise ball.
- Lift the ball above your chest, simultaneously raising your legs off the ground, place the ball between your ankles, and then lower your arms and legs to the floor.
Repeat the exchange, this time passing the ball from your ankles to your hands; this will play a good role in lowering your belly fat.
- Take enough sleep
It is advisable to take enough sleep because it will help to maintain overall health and weight. If you increase sleep duration, it will help you to lose weight and maintain good health.
Studies have found that sleep reduces the effects of the hormones that regulate a person’s appetite and can make them feel hungrier.
How to improve sleep quality
- Go to bed 30–60 minutes earlier than usual.
- Do relax stretches or meditation before bed.
- Get enough sunlight throughout the day.
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed.
- Keep electronics out of the bedroom.
- Take regular exercise.
- Reduce stress
Try and avoid stress. Many health challenges are associated with stress. There is every probability that it makes one gain weight.
This is because so many people are prone to eat more when they are stressed. It may be due to the release of cortisol which is known as the stress hormone. This hormone works to boost appetite.
Conclusion
When it comes to reducing fat no matter where it’s deposited, there are always varying results as our body differs, some find it difficult to get flatter tummy while others find it easier but what matters is to concentrate on your fitness and your diet religiously.
Exercise may not give you what you want overnight which is why it’s good to choose a diet plan to supplement your exercise and allow the above tips to serve as a guide to your journey of a flatter tummy and sculpted abs.
