How to Get a Flat Stomach Effectively
Cutting down on belly fat can seem impossible. To make it easier, we’ve compiled our guide on how to get a flat stomach for your use.
When you’re trying to improve your health or lose weight to reach your ideal body, belly fat can be some of the trickiest to fight. Even worse, it’s some of the most frustrating to deal with for your self-esteem level, plus excess abdominal fat is a risk factor for several diseases.
When you’re trying to figure out how to get a flat stomach, sorting through all the available resources can become overwhelming. That’s why we’ve compiled the best tips together to help you build your new flat stomach routine.
Cutting (the Right Amount) of Calories
Dieting is often the go-to strategy for anyone trying to lose weight. And it’s true that when you start to reduce your calorie intake, you can start shedding some pounds. However, the solution is not to eat only the bare minimum of food to help get rid of your stomach fat. Cutting too much food can instead hurt your chances.
The rate at which your body digests food is known as your metabolic rate. If you drastically reduce your food intake, your body interprets this as a food shortage and decreases your metabolic rate to ensure you have calories for the future. This change isn’t something anyone wanting to cut away fat wants, and it can even persist after you return to your regular caloric intake.
Instead of cutting out a substantial number of calories from your diet in the long term, stick closer to taking away smaller amounts of food and for shorter periods of time. Several health apps can help you determine the best approach for your weight loss goals.
Eating Healthy Snacks at Regular Intervals
Most of us have busy lives, and we tend to have several hours between meals. These eating habits make your metabolism run low, as well as reduces your blood sugar and insulin—when then leads to your body storing more fat. Slipping in a snack can keep your levels even and your metabolism running, so you’re always burning calories.
Of course, unhealthy snacks will give you more calories to work through, so you want to make smart choices. Protein-rich foods, like nuts and low-fat cheeses, are an excellent option, especially for in the time between lunch and dinner. Eating something every three to four hours will help balance out your body and knock away belly fat.
Doing High-Intensity Interval Training
Cutting down your belly fat isn’t all about eating right; it’s also about regular exercise. Any physical activity will go a long way to helping you cut down on your weight, and more focused routines will target your stomach fat.
One of your exercise options is to get into high-intensity interval training, which involves alternating between short periods of all-out activity and rest. The lower intensity intervals can include switching to a slower paced exercise or complete rest. For example, if you’re running, you can change to walking, then go all out on running again, and repeat until you’ve completed your desired set.
Adding More Fiber to Your Diet
Another available option for foods you want to add to your diet is fibers. Soluble fibers especially are helpful because they absorb water and take longer to digest, helping you feel full for longer. Also, these foods help cut back on fat around your organs, cutting back on your waistline. It also reduces the risk of several diseases.
When you’re reducing the risk of developing more fat around your midsection, you can better work on cutting away existing fat on your stomach. Some recommended foods for soluble fibers are:
With so many options, you shouldn’t have trouble integrating a regular intake of soluble fibers into your diet.
Making Use of Ball Exercises
Another workout option you can use is what’s known as ball exchange. With a stability ball, lie flat with your back against the floor and your legs straight. You hold the ball above your head, then raise your legs to the ball and hold it between your ankles, then lower your arms and legs back to the floor. You then repeat the process, trading the ball from your ankles to your hands.
This low-intensity exercise is an excellent workout for your core muscles and can help focus your training on your stomach. You want to do this exercise in sets of ten or twelve and on a regular basis for the best results.
Sleeping Regularly
While sleeping may seem like a leisure activity (and not what you need when figuring out how to get a flat stomach), it’s an essential part of your core health and weight loss. Sleep affects your metabolism levels by allowing your body to have adequate levels of HGH, a vital fat burning hormone.
On the other hand, not getting enough sleep will release more levels of cortisol, which increases belly fat, and Ghrelin, which boosts your appetite to try and get enough energy for the day. To help keep your hormones in top condition to get that flat stomach, aim for at least 7 hours of sleep per night, if not 8.
Breaking into Cardio
Aerobic exercises are probably one of the top activities recommended for reducing belly fat, and there’s a reason. After all, moderate and high-intensity cardio exercises help burn calories while also strengthening your core muscles again. Favorite aerobics exercises include running, biking, brisk walking, rowing, and anything that helps increase your heart rate.
Selecting a cardio exercise for your high-intensity interval training exercise will help you combine two powerful workout strategies into one. For best results, studies indicate that you should get about 20-40 minutes of cardio per day, which adds up to about 150-300 minutes per week.
Reducing Sugar and Increasing Glucagon
One more hormone that plays a significant role in getting rid of fat is glucagon. It relies on fat as one of its primary resources and thus will help slim up your waistline in the process. To keep your glucagon levels high, you want to eat as little sugar as possible.
On the bonus side, cutting back on sugar also means that your insulin levels stay low, which is also a way to cut back on the fat. While it may not always be possible to eat zero grams of sugar, forgoing the sweets and paying attention to what else is in your regular diet will be much better than not thinking about your sugar intake at all.
Declining Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages are another enemy to overcome on the road to obtaining a flat stomach. For starters, alcohol adds estrogen to your bloodstream, which in turn makes your body hold onto weight, especially with regular drinking. Add on top of that to a stimulated appetite and lowered inhibitions, you’re much more likely to eat more foods that won’t help your body with alcohol in you.
You don’t need to abandon alcohol forever, but cutting back on your intake or even taking a hiatus while you work towards your weight goal will help you make better decisions and have proper estrogen and other hormone levels. After that, two to four drinks a week is a healthy number that will facilitate you keeping your hard-earned body.
Adding Protein to Your Diet
Protein as a nutrient helps to boost metabolism, lose fat, and reduce your appetite—a winning combination for those trying to cut down on their waistline. However, you need to have enough protein levels in your diet for best results. Protein-rich foods can make for excellent healthy snack options that can add to your daily intake.
Aside from your apparent sources such as nuts, eggs, and beans, protein shakes are a popular method for bringing this nutrient into your diet. With different recipes, you’ll have a variety of options to drink so that you don’t get burnt out and skip on your protein for the day. Studies suggest that these shakes can also aid bringing down your waist size.
Balancing Salt and Water Intake
Some of the fat from your midsection may be the result of bloating, which can go a bit beyond a feeling and to carrying extra water in your stomach. Balancing how much salt you bring in is the first step to beating bloating, as sodium is what causes that water weight to stick around.
Keeping an eye on food labels, you can start to do the math to limit your sodium intake under 2000 mg a day. From there, drinking more water will help you not just feel healthier, but also keep you adequately hydrated from exercise and cut back on your belly fat.
Wrapping Up
When it comes to figuring out how to get a flat stomach, lots of different factors come into play, but it boils down to two core components: watch what you eat and do the appropriate exercises to burn fat and focus on your core. With these elements combined, you’re well on your way to cutting your belly fat and improving your overall health.
