Hey there! I hear you’ve been working out a lot? What’s your goal? When working out, most people have at least one particular part of their body they are working to improve. What about the stomach? That seems to be one everyone is working on these days. Let’s talk about it. Here are 9 Ways You Can Get a Flat Stomach in Less Than a Month. Do we drink lots of water? How does improving my posture help anything? Wait, I’ve heard of planking, but that’s an exercise move? We’re talking all of that AND more!
1. Planking
Planking was a trend that went on in the early 2010’s. Fortunately, you can do this workout in the comfort of your living room rather than on train tracks. Planking is an exercise meant to work out your core muscles. It’s done by laying flat on your stomach, then holding yourself up by your elbows in the plank position. From there, you are to hold this position for as long as you physically can. While this activity can develop your arms, biceps, back and thighs, planking does wonders on your stomach.
The average person is expected to plank for a minimum of two minutes. This means a lot of people aren’t making it over that 120 second mark. Did you know that the record for longest plank ever recorded was made by a Chinese man named Mao Weidong in 2016? The time he clocked in… 8 hours and 1 minute. A former marine named George Hood is also featured on the list of longest planks. His time… 5 hours and 15 minutes.
VOICE OF READER: Why is he getting a mention? I mean that’s a heck of a time difference.
Because George was 57 years old at the time! I’d like to see you guys in your 20’s and 30’s pull that off. Not to mention, George has probably got a much flatter stomach than you.
2. Reduce Stress
Now hang on just a second. When I say relax, I don’t mean lay motionless on the couch and waste the day away. I mean have a breather and try your best to reduce your stress levels. Feeling stressed out open the flood gates to several health issues. For one, we tend to change our eating habits when we’re feeling tense.
Did you know that college students are likely to develop eating disorders? A study conducted at the University of Michigan concluded that 40% of all students had changed their eating habits. This can mean anything from eating more to eating less. The change in diet is due to the many pressures of college life, from academic, to financial, to social issues.
With that being said, it’s obvious that college is not the only environment that invites stress. If you’re feeling a little worked up, mental exercises like meditation can be perfect for relieving frustration. This may keep your body from producing more cortisol, a hormone known for increasing one’s appetite. Once triggered, cortisol can turn your food directly into belly fat. So it’s safe to say the less your stressed… the less fat below your chest. I tried to make that rhyme. A little complicated I know.
3. Drink Water
Out of all the methods we’re listing, this may be the most practical. Water is 100% calorie free! While it is not scientifically supported, most health professionals recommend an equivalent of 2 litres of water per day. Drinking enough water can trick your body into believing it’s ingesting food.
VOICE OF READER: But I don’t get it. Isn’t that bad. I mean don’t ya’ need food?
Of course you do. But we sometimes eat when we don’t have to. Which in many cases, explains the excessive belly fat. It’s said that if you’re feeling hungry, down a glass of water and wait 10 minutes. If you’re still hungry after that time, this is the proper time to eat. A water diet can discipline your eating habits, and keep you from eating uncontrollably.
4. Do Pilates
You’ve heard of yoga. We’ve touched on planking. You may have even tried both of them once or twice. But if you haven’t been introduced to pilates yet, you’ve got to give it a try. Pilates is an exercise meant to improve your level of flexibility, muscular strength and endurance. When doing pilates, your abdominal muscles serve as the centre of all movements, giving your core the workout of its dreams.
As your core goes to work, your traverses abdominis is targeted. This is a muscle located in your abdominal region that is normally very hard to reach. A good pilates workout will help you achieve your flat stomach goal quicker than expected, as it exercises both your internal and external obliques at the same time.
5. Eat Fiber
We’ve touched on water. We’ve touched on workouts. I think it’s time to discuss your diet for a moment. Higher fibre intake has been linked to lower risk of belly fat. When fibre’s ingested, it decreases the number of calories your able to absorb. It does this by slowing down food passing through your digestive tract.
It’s been said that for every 10 grams of fibre you consume, your stomach carries between 3.7 – 4% less fat. This includes foods like wholegrain cereal, pears, nuts, potatoes and broccoli. All of those “lovely” treats you passed on as a child. Oh and don’t forget Brussel Sprouts. Make your grandmother proud!
6. Cut The Carbs!
Keeping with the theme of diet, one must watch their carbohydrate intake if they are properly going to shed fat from their bellies. To put it simply, when trying to lose weight, refined carbs can be a devil in disguise. We don’t realize how much that odd slice of pizza or bowl of white rice is harming us. While between 45 and 65% of our 2000 daily calories should come from carbs, it’s easy to overdo it. And we all wonder why our stomachs stay so pudgy.
Are you aware that studies indicate that people with high intakes of whole grains are 17% less likely to have excess belly fat? This includes multigrain bread, brown rice, barley and quinoa. Another healthy assortment of foods off grandma’s menu.
7. Go For More Walks
It may sound funny upon suggestion, but believe it or not, walking is actually great for shedding pounds off your belly. Did you know that walking between 30 – 40 minutes is an ideal daily task that can shed inches off your waste line? Not only is it another great way to reduce stress, a cool brisk walk can burn close to 600 calories an hour. Keep in mind that this outcome is only possible when you’re diet is clean and healthy. So it’s safe to say that a bag of chips isn’t a wise choice before an energetic stroll through the park.
While walking, your rectus abdominus will become active. This is also known as your “six-pack” muscle. This helps to tighten your lower area. Keep in mind this can only be done properly when you are positioned upright and balanced. This is a perfect segway into my next point.
8. Fix Your Posture!
The ponch sitting directly above your waste is sometimes the direct result of terrible posture. Think about it. If you’re constantly slouched over, your weak abdominals will eventually have your body looking pretty messy. Realistically, if you stand upright, your stomach is gonna look tighter.
If you stand while exercising, your muscles experience between 7-25% more activation then they do while you’re sitting. This allows you to burn more calories, and helping to stomach get that toned appearance you’ve been dying for.
9. Eat Peanut Butter
VOICE OF READER: Now this is something I can get behind.
This is something we can all get behind. Unless you know, you have one of those allergies. I guess in that case, you have to follow the other seven methods.
Many of us love a good peanut-butter sandwich, but since you’re going to be cutting carbs, I guess that out of the question. On its own, peanut butter has 2 grams of fibre and around 8 grams of protein. Remember how we talked about fibre decreasing the amount of calories you’re able to absorb? 2 tablespoons of peanut butter holds an estimated 188 calories. This is a perfect meal to have if you are looking for that tighter stomach.
