Home  Home 5 Flat Belly Secrets
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Ever wondered what a flat, toned stomach had to offer you? Well good health for starters! The good news is that toning and shaping up your abs or stomach muscles is not unachievable. Here are five secrets you should know if you are looking to get a flatter stomach.
1. Strength Training
Strength training such as forward flexion exercises, side flexion exercises and rotational exercises are all important. These are designed to mimic how your body uses the muscles in your abdomen to flex forward, to the side and to rotate. Ideally these exercises should be done three times a week and should be done progressively to get the most benefit. Incorporating the Plank Pose into your abdominal routine is also a good idea as it works the transverse abdominis muscle, which is the muscle responsible for holding the stomach in and supporting posture.
2. Cardio Workouts and Increasing Metabolism
Focus on burning the excess fat covering your abs. However, do not make the mistake of focusing on spot reduction directly over the abs. Instead incorporate a cardio workout. This will not only burn off those extra calories, it will increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! There is no such thing as spot toning of your abs, you have to burn the excess fat off your body if you want those killer abs! Also working the entire body creates balance. Working just the abs will result in an imbalance and may lead to over-use or under-use or injury of certain muscles. Remember working the entire body will add more lean muscle. The more muscle we have, the more calories we burn, with each pound of muscle burning around 35-50 calories per day.
3. Right Type of Food & Plenty of Water
Eating food rich in fiber helps digestion and elimination but also helps the stomach look flatter. Bulging intestines in the lower abdomen does not help your stomach look flat. Drinking plenty of water and fluids is also important as it keeps the body hydrated and also aids waste elimination. Eating smaller meals instead of 2-3 big meals per day keeps us from feeling and looking bloated and it even increases your metabolism.
4. Stabilize Blood Sugar
Stabilize your blood sugar! This is by far the most important factor when it comes to burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently; like every 2-3 hours. The key is to give your body only what it needs and nothing more.
5. Healthy Living
Moderation is the all important mantra. Remember that going slow and steady is what wins the race when it comes to reducing your waistline and flattening your stomach. There's no such thing as flattening your stomach fast. You have to work at it daily and remain consistent with a well planned diet and exercise.
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