Four Secrets to a Flat Stomach

If your goal is to thin your waistline and have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease / eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel)

1. You must do some form of progressive strength trainingThe primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso forward. However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso. Often times you see people on their ab roller every day doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises:1-2 forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)

1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be worked at most 3 times per week. You also want to make sure you are training them progressively, working them harder each time.

2. Use short, hard cardio workouts to increase metabolismCardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This means you are less likely to store any excess calories as body fat because they are more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more likely to burn off some excess body fat.Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.).Warm up at easy pace 2-5 minutes then:

• perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as possible)
• perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath)
• repeat this process 6-10 times à Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes

3. Stable blood sugar is the keyAnd most importantly, you must 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 at that time. Your body burns calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day? Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.).

Many people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it is. Calories are calories and it doesn't matter where they come from. If there's extra. where's it going? Yup, you guessed it. body fat!

This is not to say that what you eat is not important because it is, it just doesn't have that much of an affect when it comes to fat loss. Try to make healthy choices whenever possible, but don't feel like if you eat a cheeseburger it is guaranteed to be stored as fat.

4. Get the help of a professional Unfortunately, most people don't know enough about the human body, nutrition, or effective exercise to meet their health and fitness goals. Ask yourself this one question, "Am I happy with my current progress or condition?" If you're not, you should consider getting the help of a qualified personal fitness professional. Don't depend on the information you get from magazines or from your local gym/ health club. A qualified fitness professional can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, and in less time than you would imagine.

If you are serious about your health and fitness goals, and you are ready for that flat stomach, I recommend you start implementing the 4 strategies listed in this article. These 4 strategies can help you take control of your metabolism and burn off that excess body fat and having you looking and feeling great!

Jesse Cannone is a certified personal fitness trainer, post-rehab specialist, nutritionist, and a national fitness presenter.

How to Exercise and Tone Your Lower Stomach

Many people complain about their flabby stomach when the stomach may not really the problem. They may actually be storing more fat in their lower abdominal region than the tummy.

Remember, your stomach starts right below your breastbone and down to your navel area. Your lower abdominals start near the navel area and go down to the pelvic region.

Examine your body in the mirror. Look at where the fat is stored. You may notice that your actual stomach is pretty flat, but the area around your belly button still protrudes and is the real problem.

If this is case, your problem is your lower abdominal region more so than your stomach.
Fat is stored here for a number of reasons. For some, it's genetic and that just happens to be where the body stores its fat. Unfortunately we can't tell our fat where to go so there is nothing you can do about this.

For others it may be indigestion. If your food is not digesting properly, it can cause a bulge in your lower abdominal area. IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is another common cause for this problem).

Be sure to seek help from your physician if you think your problem may be related to something other than a bad diet and lack of exercise.

Change Your Diet First

Before you begin exercising your lower stomach, remember that your diet has to change in order to see any results.

I feel like a broken record but I must repeat this in case you haven't read other pages on this site...

You cannot spot tone your stomach. You have to lower your entire body's total fat percentage in order slim down your tummy.

If you remember nothing else from this website, please remember that statement.
In addition to your stomach exercises you must evaluate and be prepared to make changes in your diet.

See the Fat Burning Tips and Eating Habits pages for more details on this.

Now, let's get down to exercising the lower stomach area. Double Straight Legged Stretch
I went over this exercise on the Pilates page.

It is very, very good for toning up the lower abdominal area. In fact, after about 5 repetitions you can really feel that area working.

To perform this exercise:

1. Lie on your back with your legs straight.

2. Slowly raise your head and neck off the mat as if you're starting a basic crunch. Place your hands behind your head.

3. Bend both legs in and raise them off the floor then straighten and point them in the air at 11 o'clock. Keep your head and neck off the floor.

4. Slowly move both legs down (keeping them together and as straight as you can) until they are about a foot from the floor.

5. Now raise them back up and begin again.

6. Repeat this 10 times.

You should really feel your lower abdominal muscles working after only a few repetitions. As you get comfortable with them, push yourself to do more and more.

Chair Leg Lifts

You can perform this exercise in almost any kind of office or desk chair.
Sit upright with your back flat against the back of your chair.

Place your hands on the desk in front of you or on the seat of the chair by your legs.

Slowly lift your knees up toward your chest and hold for 5 seconds.

Then slowly lower them back down, resting your feet on the floor.

Breath out when you lift your legs up and inhale when you lower them to the floor.

In the beginning, you may find that you're only able to do a few of these. That's okay. As your abdominals get stronger, you'll be able to do more. Hang in there.

Pelvic Thrusts

Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and arms straight beside you.
Slowly lift and tilt your pelvis upward as you exhale. As you tilt your pelvis, be sure you keep your lower back on the floor so you get the most out of the movement.

Hold the movement for about 5 seconds and inhale as your relax your buttocks back down on the floor.

Do about 10 to 15 reps and take a 90 second break between sets. Perform a total of 4 sets.