The Road to a Flatter Stomach

Picture perfect abs, it seems you can’t look anywhere without seeing them. If you have been hoping to get a flatter stomach for the summer there is no time like the present to get a jump start on this goal of having the washboard abs you’ve dreamed of. If you have fat on your stomach then the way to getting a flatter stomach involves a few strategic approaches to ensure success. First in order to get your stomach toned you will need to burn off that excess fat. Exercise is great but before you head out to the gym you need to take a hard look at your eating habits. Are you eating mostly junk food with empty calories ? drinking lots of beer and cola ? If answered yes to either or both of these questions then you need to really take control of this to get a flatter stomach. Beer and Cola are mostly gas,sugar and yeast and all those calories that are not burned are converted into fat. For most people fat is stored on their stomachs.

Most experts suggest you eat a good variety of fruits and vegetables. Not only will these foods provide the essential vitamins and nutrients needed for overall healthy but they will give you fiber to regulate your digestive system which is a double bonus on your way to a flatter stomach. You should aim for between 1,500-2,000 calories per day and those calories should come from the fruits, vegetables and lean meat. Once you have your dietary intake under control the next step to a flatter stomach is setting up a training plan to isolate and target the muscles of your core.

Before you start any exercise program, as always we advise all of our readers to first speak with your medical advisor to make sure you are healthy enough to take on this or any other fitness routine. The types of exercise you need to do on your core for a  flatter stomach involve both sit ups, crunches in different combinations to target not just your abs but your obliques as well. These types of exercises highlight and accentuate your body and will give you a flatter stomach. On top of these exercises you will need to do some extensive aerobic exercise to increase your heart rate and burn off calories. No amount of sit ups will show your flatter stomach if you have a layer of fat covering it so it is imperative that you get enough exercise to melt that fat off your stomach.  It may be a good idea to get yourself a training buddy so you have someone else to motivate and inspire you as you work on getting the flatter stomach you want so badly.

Easiest Way to a Flatter Stomach

The summer is just around the corner and the beach is calling you to come and enjoy some much need rest and relaxation. If you have neglected your body now is the time to start working on a flatter stomach before the summer is in full effect. For most people having a flatter stomach is the proverbial holy grail of physical fitness, not only do your clothes fit better but your overall posture looks better. The path to a flatter stomach is one that is not found by accident.

When you have made the commitment to yourself to get a flatter stomach you need to do a few things in a very specific combination. First your diet needs to be modified, if you have been eating lots of junk food and doing little exercise the first place it goes to is your stomach. You need to replace the bad eating habits with good ones which means more fruits and vegetables and in greater quantities. You must also cut out the cola, cola is one of the greatest enemies in your quest for a flatter stomach. Cola is almost pure sugar and all those empty calories go right to your stomach. Also cola is a diuretic which means it makes you urinate and cause dehydration, something that hurts your efforts to get a flatter stomach .

When you are training to lose weight and get a flatter stomach diet alone won’t generate the results you need to do lots of core exercises. In any weight loss program exercise is vitally important and you must get a variety of exercises to keep your body in good shape. The exercises you need to work on for your flatter stomach involve a combination of sit ups, crunches and more sit ups. You want to challenge the muscles in your abdomen and force them to become stronger while at the same time pulling inwards. These exercises help greatly especially if you have a beer belly.

No amount of exercise will give you the flatter stomach you want if you are not doing enough work on your diet. If you eat too many calories or empty ones then all the core work on your stomach won’t show since the fat is not melting away to show your toned body. Your body is a fine tuned machine so you need to eat enough calories to stay alive and not too many that you don’t lose any weight. Most professionals recommend between 1,500-2,000 calories per day if you stay in those lines, get lost of exercise and do the sit ups, crunches and other core exercises. You will be sporting that sexy flatter stomach you have dreamed off.

Having a flatter tummy has become a global epidemic; over 65% of the United States alone is looking for one. Because of this dieters are seeking out new nontraditional means to lose weight. The internet is the biggest driving force behind these new means and methods. The internet is home to millions of pages of information devoted to helping people lose weight. There are weight loss articles, diet forums, weight loss blogs, online diet planners, diet pills, weight loss tools and calculators and much more.

Whether you need to lose 10 pounds or 100 you will find amazing weight loss support online. For example if you want some great weight loss tips to get you started on your diet, Weight Loss Center has many at a click of a mouse: Weight Loss

If you want to get one on one support and have experts answer your dieting questions, why waste your time at Jenny Craig or LA weight loss when you can just go to a weight loss forum and get answers within minutes without ever leaving your house? Weight Loss Forum You can even start your own blog and have people post helpful suggestions to it.

Indeed the evolution of a flatter tummy is taking place right before our eyes on the internet. It is an exciting time for dieters because there are many more options available. These new options should help bring about a decrease in obesity in the near future.

You hear it all the time – “metabolism”, but what is it? It’s the process of converting food to energy (movement and heat). Metabolism happens in your muscles and organs and the result of it is what we commonly refer to as “burning calories”. Metabolism is essentially the speed at which your body’s motor is running.

“Basal metabolism” is the metabolic rate or caloric expenditure needed to maintain basal body functions such as your heart beating, breathing, muscle tone, etc. It’s how fast your “motor” is running when you’re still in a reclined position or sleeping. Basal metabolism accounts for about 75% of the calories you expend on a daily basis!

The good news is that there are 12 ways you can “boost” your metabolism! The more of these you’re able to incorporate into your life, the more you’ll boost your metabolism. That means you’ll be expending (“burning”) more calories 24 hours a day!

1. If you want a flat tummy, always eat breakfast! Skipping breakfast sends the message to your body that you’re starving because you haven’t had food in 18+ hours. As a protective mechanism, your metabolism slows down. Food, especially complex carbohydrates, fuels your metabolism.

2. Eat earlier in the day! Research has demonstrated that you can lose weight simply by eating a substantial breakfast and lunch, and a light dinner. Dinner should be eaten as early as possible, preferably at least four hours before bedtime.

3. Never eat less than 1200 calories per day! Less than 1200 is usually not enough to support your basal metabolism and thus will slow your metabolism.

4. Snack frequently! Complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, and grains) fuel your metabolism. Also, snacking prevents you from becoming too hungry. The hungrier you are, the less control you have over what and how much you eat.

5. Eat more carbohydrates (food from plants), and less fat (food from many animals and other food with added fat)! Carbohydrates boost your metabolism and have fewer calories per weight than fat.

6. Do some type of aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, swimming, stationary cycling, aerobic dancing, etc.) on a daily basis (preferably in the morning)! Forget this twice-a-week stuff. Our bodies were designed to be active on a daily basis! When we are, our metabolism soars!

7. In addition to your regular aerobic exercise, take a brisk 10 to 15 minute walk at lunch or in the evening to get a flat tummy. This serves to boost your metabolism even more!

8. Tone your muscles with weight training three days per week. Toned muscles send your metabolism through the roof. Do it!

9. Look for situations to be active. Park as far from the store as you can rather than looking for the closest parking spot. Use the stairs rather than the elevator, a broom rather than a blower, etc. Look for the “hard” way to do things!

10. Avoid alcohol! Alcohol depresses your metabolism and stimulates your appetite.

11. Drink 60+ ounces of water a day. Your metabolism needs plenty water to function properly. Carry a bottle of water with you and drink frequently throughout the day.

12. Avoid the”3 P’s”…..pills, powders, and potions! There are NO quick fixes!

Get started today! You’ll have a flat tummy and your metabolism will be in “great shape”!

Most people have no idea how much water they should be drinking, and most Americans live from day to day in a dehydrated state. They don’t drink enough water.

Without water, we would be poisoned to death by our own waste products and toxins resulting from metabolism.

Water is vital to digestion and metabolism, acting as a medium for various enzymatic and chemical reactions in the body. It carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells through the blood, regulates body temperature and lubricates our joints (which is particularly important if you’re arthritic, have chronic muscular-skeletal problems or are athletically active).

We need water to breathe; we lose approximately one pint of liquid every day just by exhaling.

If you are not in “fluid balance” you can impair every aspect of your body’s physiological functioning.

Dr. Howard Flaks, Beverly Hills:
“As a result of not drinking enough water, many people encounter such problems as excess body fat, poor muscle tone and size, decreased digestive efficiency and organ function, increased toxicity in the body, joint and muscle soreness (particularly after exercise) and water retention.”

Proper water intake is the key to weight loss,” says Dr. Donald Robertson, Scottsdale, Arizona. “If people who are trying to lose weight don’t drink enough water, the body can’t metabolize the fat, they retain fluid, which keeps their weight up, and the whole procedure we’re trying to set up falls apart.”

“I’d say the minimum amount of water a healthy person should drink is 10 eight-ounce glasses a day,” he continues, “and you need to drink more if you are overweight, exercise a lot, or live in a hot climate. Overweight people should drink an extra eight ounces of water for each 25 pounds that exceeds their ideal weight.”

If you want a flatter stomach, your water intake should be spread judiciously throughout the day, including the evening. Dr. Flaks cautions against drinking more than four glasses in any given hour. Always check with your physician before embarking on a water intake increase program.

You may ask, “If I drink this much water, won’t I constantly be running to the bathroom?” Initially, yes, because of the hypersensitivity of the bladder to increased fluids. But after a few weeks, your bladder calms down, and you urinate less frequently, but in larger amounts.

There is a difference between pure water and other beverages that contain water.

Water is water. Obviously you can get it by consuming fruit juice, soft drinks, beer, coffee or tea. Unfortunately, while such drinks contain water, they also may contain substances that are not healthy and actually contradict some of the positive effects of the added water.

Dr. Jerzy Meduski, Los Angeles, California: “Beer contains water, but it also contains alcohol, which is a toxic substance. Beverages that contain caffeine, such as coffee, stimulate the adrenal glands; fruit juices contain a lot of sugar and stimulate the pancreas. Such drinks may tax the body more than cleanse it.”

Another problem with these beverages is that you lose your taste for water.

The way to interpret all of this, and start getting a flatter stomach, is that the recommended daily water intake means just that–WATER!