It seems as thought the first place fat goes is your belly. And the last place it seems to come off of. And, you’re sick of looking in the mirror, and having to suck that gut in to fit into your jeans. Here’s some diet tips for getting flat abs.
Flat Abs Tip #1 – Eat a Protein Snack – Try to have a snack that contains protein between 3 pm and 4pm every day. It could be a protein bar, a slice of low fat cheese, or an apple with some almonds. This helps to boost your metabolism, while balancing your blood sugar. You’ll have more energy as well, as most people don’t eat between lunch and dinner, and get lethargic in the afternoon. Having this mid afternoon protein snack keeps your metabolism, up, which helps to burn fat.
Flat Abs Tip #2 – Swap Your Desk Chair For a Stability Ball – You don’t have to do this daily. Just do it two or three times per week. When you’re sitting on a stability ball, you’re engaging your core muscles, as well as leg muscles, while you’re working. Not only does this help to tighten up your abs (which will help them look better), but that “slow exercise” also keeps your metabolism up for fat burning.
Flat Abs Tip #3 – Cut Back on Sugar – Try to get as close to zero grams of sugar as you can. Why? Simple. Sugar triggers insulin in your body. The less insulin that your body has, the more of a different hormone – glucagon – remains. This hormone eats fat. So, cutting back on sugar lets the glucagon in your body burn away that extra flab!
Flat Abs Tip #4 – Replace Table Salt with Sea Salt – We all know that sodium (salt) – makes your body retain water, which can show up around your waist. With sea salt, you will actually use less than table salt, as it has a much richer flavor than processed salt. So, if you cut back on salt, and use sea salt when you need to salt your foods, you’ll retain less water and look leaner!
Flat Abs Tip #5 – Replace Crunches with Planks – Why? First, crunches put undue stress on your neck and back. This doesn’t mean you have to eliminate crunches completely – but overdoing them is bad, and won’t necessarily “flatten” things. By doing planks (where you start by laying flat on the floor, then lift your body, supporting your body on your toes and forearms – and holding this position for as long as you can) . you still strengthen your core without risking damage to your back or neck. Spice it up by opening and closing the legs like scissors while at the same time raising and dropping the hips! So not only are you strengthening the core but also timing the hips, thighs and waist.
Flat Abs Tip #6 – Add Strength Training to Your Workouts – Yes, you’ll burn fat during a cardio workout, and for a short time after. But, by adding strength training to your workouts, you’ll add muscle – which increases your metabolism And, that also means you burn fat all day – not just during your workouts. For women, this doesn’t mean you’ll bulk up. Doing more reps with lighter weights will tone your overall body while adding lean muscle. And since, pound for pound, muscle is denser than fat, and takes up less space, you’ll look lean and trim while burning fat!
At Fitness 4 Home Superstore, we carry a full range of the industry’s top cardio equipment, strength equipment, and fitness accessories. Stop into any of our three Phoenix area stores to check out our selection of fitness equipment today!
