I totally don’t need to sell this to you, but getting a flat tummy does more than make you feel confident in a tight sexy shirt, it’s also makes you feel great. But not only is it beneficial for materialistic reasons but for health too. Having a flat stomach also develops a tight core, which helps with your balance and your ability to exercise better.

 

Ok so here are the 10 EASIEST ways to get a flat tummy…

 

Breathe through your nose- it might sound strange but breathing through your nose causes bloating . Focus on how you breath, you might notice you breath through your mouth consciously. So try this for me, spend a day breathing through your nose, you’ll find you drastically bloat less, increase concentration and feel more alive. You’ll be able to tell me if It’s true.

Eat a healthy diet- It wont matter how hard you exercise if your diet is all bad. So to get a flat tummy you need to reduce your overall belly fat. Most of your belly fat is produced from sugar so my advice, is to simply cut it out of your diet. Sugar especially fructose, causes this belly fat so avoid it like the plague if you’re serious about getting better results. This includes refined carbs and processed foods, which contain most of these evils. The easiest way to replace a high sugar and carb diet is with healthy fats like coconut oil, nuts, seeds, avocados and good quality olive oils. Also swap to whole grains like quinoa, whole wheat spelt bread and brown/wild rice. By eating predominately protein you will ensure your belly stays nice, lean, and tight.

Quit eating sugar- There are many reasons why you should quit sugar, but I’ll be here all day trying to explain them. But for now just know that sugar is one of the lead causes of abdomen obesity. Enough said. If this doesn’t make you stay away, know that if you bloat from fruit and sugar, you possibly have a sugar intolerance called “sugar malabsorption” which means by cutting out high fructose fruits and sweeteners you’re most likely see a drastic reduction in your bloating and gas related complaints says Harved University.

 

Avoid Artificial Sweeteners- you probably know this already but artificial sweeteners found in gum and other food products causes tummy bloat and gas. This is because you’re swallowing too much air and the unhealthy sugar alcohols found in sugar and most sugar free labeled products.

 

Commit to ab exercises 4x a week- Ok so this probably doesn’t sound like something you particularly want to do, but trust me you’ll see results in as little as two weeks. I know I did. And don’t just do 100 crunches, that wont be how you get your results. Rather do core exercises like the “plank” and “plank variations” for as long as you can hold. This will tight your core and flatten your stomach immensely!

 

Relax more and stress less- easy for me to say right, I don’t live your life? But know that I am one to get really stressed and overwhelmed easily. So if you’re anything like me, take a few minutes a day to just breathe and relax and if you can commit to yoga or pilates twice a week. Even just sitting in a quit place in absolute peace will make a massive difference in your health. We really do stress too much!

Exercise in short fast interval bursts- by doing short fast interval sprints you’ll melt fat away, sweat like a crazy beast and gain a really flat stomach…this is after a few weeks of training of course (nothing happens over night unfortunately *Sighs*). Simply run as fast as you can on the treadmill for 45 seconds and rest for 60 seconds and repeat for 20 minutes. Believe me you’ll finish with a much flatter stomach, but you’ll also feel fitter and stronger, booya!

 

Drink heaps of water- by drinking heaps of water your kidneys will know to not hold water like it does when you’re dehydrated. So if you want to get that super flat tummy of yours, drink heaps of water and regularly. Remember you need to drink twice as much water on days you’ve worked out, been in air-con or in really hot warm conditions.

 

Add resistance training- “No weights wont make you bulky!!” this is something Joel always has to reassure me and yes I am a little scared of being bulky, I mean I am a petite girl and the thought of bulking up freaks me out. But yes he is right. In fact when I do resistance training I actually find in flattens my stomach tremendously! I feel really strong, tight and I look more toned. Not to mention I wake the next morning with a super flat tummy too, so the effect carry’s to the next morning! It’s freaking perfect. So this is a must to receive the gorgeous tight toned flat stomach.
Best to do strength training in the morning and cardio at the night. The combo will leave you with a flat stomach for the whole day.

 

Get your 9 hours of sleep a night- that’s correct, if you don’t get enough sleep, you release a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol helps your body to manage stress and when too much is produced it causes fluid retention and heaps more affects on your body. Not to mention, when you’re tired you tend to eat sugary fatty food to boost your energy levels, which makes you gain weight in the abdominal area, yuk!

 

Ok so getting a flat stomach is pretty easy and simple. You just need to eat healthy, exercise, sleep well and stress less. So what are you going to do from here to make sure that you get that flat stomach you’ve dreamt about?

 

My first call to action would be to start a “30-day ab challenge” with a friend or even better make a bet that in 30 days you’re going to fit into that tight LBD dress you’ve got sitting in your closet or perhaps make a monetary bet you can’t afford to loose, you must find your leverage. This will make your journey more fun and give you the extra motivation and focus you need to lose that belly fat! So the question is, “are you going to try the 30 day ab challenge?”

 

Lots of love,

 

Maria

Question of the day

What is you favourite ab workout?
 

 


Elizabeth Marks

Having been overweight and unhealthy her whole childhood, Elizabeth turned things around 6 years ago and hasn't looked back. Her passion for health and weight loss is only second to her immense knowledge and creativity for delicious low calorie cooking. A Marathon runner, Entrepreneur, Soccer Lover and fan of all things Diamond.