9 Secrets to a Flat Stomach

9 Secrets to a Flat Stomach: (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); It may not be a secret that the best way to a six-pack...

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9 Secrets to a Flat Stomach:

It may not be a secret that the best way to a six-pack is regular exercise and a healthy diet (even if it's no diet at all), but there's a right way and wrong way to a flat stomach. Read on for the ultimate guide to getting flat abs.
So you want to flatten your belly. Time to hit the floor for a zillion crunches, right? Not so fast. Power crunching alone isn't necessarily the best—and certainly not the most enjoyable—way to flatten your belly. When we talked to dozens of people, just like you, who've toned their abs, we discovered their secrets to a flat belly include fun activities such as gardening, tennis, and dancing—with some crunches in between for good measure. Leading weight loss and fitness experts also suggest some simple lifestyle changes to provide you with a complete belly-flattening program.

So if you're sick of crunches—or not getting the results you want—read on for 7 surprising ways to get a belly worth baring.

 Secret1:

 Calm down. Too much stress can contribute to a potbelly. Stress increases levels of cortisol, a hormone that seems to direct fat to our middle,To keep levels low, try this 5- to 10-minute stress reducer: Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit. Next, take several slow, deep breaths to help clear your mind. Continue breathing deeply and repeat the word "one" to yourself as you exhale. (If you get distracted, just bring your focus back to the word "one.") Practice this for 5 to 10 minutes once or twice a day. 
 De-Stress Having too much stress can lead to higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your body, which can increase the amount of fat you store around your belly. Can't seem to de-stress? Take a few minutes each day to relax with these tips on how to decrease levels of cortisol in your body.

 Secret2:

 Skip the alcohol. That glass of wine with dinner may be part of the reason your jeans are too tight. Alcohol also tends to raise cortisol levels, sending fat to your belly, 

 Secret3:

 Stop smoking. "It keeps me thin," proclaim many smokers. But the truth is that smokers tend to have more abdominal fat than nonsmokers,"When people stop smoking, the amount of abdominal fat actually decreases," 

 Secret4:

 Know the Formula Getting flat abs isn't about starving yourself or living at the gym. Reducing belly fat involves a mix of smart eating and effective exercise. Make sure you eat enough food to keep your body from experiencing hormone imbalances; eating too little (fewer than 1200 calories a day) reduces the amount of the fat-burning hormone leptin in your body, which will slow down weight loss. And if you're just exercising without changing your diet, you'll spend a lot of time at the gym with little result. .

 Secret5:

 Posture Makes Perfect Doing regular posture-building exercises pack a double punch when it comes to busting that belly. Having good posture helps you look slimmer instantly, while sticking to a posture-building routine every day will strengthen your ab muscles, and help get you well on your way to a six-pack.

 Secret6:

 Fight the Fat Abs exercises will help define those muscles, but don't forget cardio for overall weight loss; otherwise all those sit-ups will go to waste. If you want results fast, try high intensity interval training, which has been proven to be one of the best ways to fight belly fat.

 Secret7:

 Start with Oatmeal The secret to getting flat abs includes a diet that helps shrink that midsection. The best things to eat include foods high in fiber and other foods that help you beat the bloat. Swap your normal breakfast for a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, for example; the fiber in the oatmeal will aid in digestion, and the antioxidants in blueberries may help you shed ab fat.

 Secret8:

 Drink to Detox It's not in the foods you eat—what you drink can help debloat and flatten your tummy as well, so bottoms up! Drinking a glass of water every morning, for example, will help you alkalize your body—which helps you burn fat and detox your system. Besides lemon water.

 Secret9:

 Stay Away From These There are those foods that help slim your middle, and those that make you feel like a bloated balloon. As you continue your ab-flattening workout plan, be sure to avoid foods that cause bloating, like broccoli and cabbage, when things start getting serious.