Top 10 Ways to get a Flatter Stomach

Do you dream of a flatter stomach? You’re not alone! According to research by Women’s Health62% of women are most self-conscious about their stomachs. Being overweight around your mid-section is also accompanied with health risks such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and elevated insulin levels. This can result in many further health risks. Have a read of our advice below to help you achieve a healthier body and visually flatter stomach.

1. Types of Exercise

High Intensity Interval Training is key to getting rid of stubborn belly fat. Not only will this method of exercise help you burn fat faster, it will also increase your cardiovascular fitness. Never tried interval training before or want to get a little fitter before trying HIIT? Give ‘Interval Training’ with Leigh Linton a go on demand. This class is designed to ease you in to interval training and prepare you for the tougher classes on the site!

2. Combine HIIT with abs exercises

You cannot get a flat washboard stomach by doing abs exercises alone. Any excess weight around your stomach should be blasted by high intensity exercise as well as strengthening your body with resistance exercises – such as abs crunches.

3. De-stress

I always feel a little bit silly telling people to de-stress as I do realise it’s not as easy as that. Stress not only makes you feel like having a bottle of wine while demolishing a 2 person portion of cake, which isn’t ideal for weight loss but stress also has a direct affect on your stomach fat in particular. Cortisol is the hormone that your body secretes in response to stress. The connection between cortisol and body fat is that it can cause some individuals to overeat  in response to this stress…often foods high in carbohydrates that go straight to your mid section. SO, if you’re always stressed you will be a lot more likely to make bad food decisions. Try and figure out the source of your stress and solve it.

4. Try to avoid Alcohol

Just what you want to hear coming up to Christmas party season! It’s not just beer that causes a ‘beer belly.’ Alcohol contains a significant amount of calories and if consumed in excess amounts it can cause weight gain. Alcohol has been associated with bigger waistlines because when you drink, the liver burns alcohol instead of fat.

5. Get Lifting!

Adding some weights into your normal workout routine will help your fat burning. Research shows that women who completed an hour-long strength-training workout burned an average of 100 more calories in the 24 hours afterwards than they did when they hadn’t lifted any weights. We have a new ‘Women and Weights’ class with Chloe Redmond starting soon – check out some more information here.

6. Probiotics

Being a bloated balloon is not going to help stomach concerns. Grab some natural yoghurt (beware of those that contain lots of added sugar) as your afternoon snack or healthy breakfast. Natural yogurt will help to aid your digestive system, prevent constipation, gas and bloating.

7. Watch the Salt!

Too much salt can cause water retention and make your stomach look bigger than it actually is! A good tip is to season your food with herbs and spices so that you still get great flavour but avoid too much salt. Also, remember that a lot of food that you’re eating has salt added to it.

8. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is the new ‘in thing’ at the moment. I was a little confused when I bought some and realised that I could use it as a moisturiser and to cook food in – do I keep it in the kitchen or bathroom?! It is a healthy fat (something that is essential to still include even when you’re trying to lose weight) and is a better option than say butter to cook with. Do eat in moderation though as coconut oil is quite high in calories and saturated fat.

9. Eat Foods rich in MUFA’s

A diet rich in monounsaturated fats has been proven to help effectively protect against heart disease and diabetes and are an extremely healthy addition to your diet. Scientists have also now made the connection that these healthy fats can actually help to shift toxic stomach fat.
Foods rich in MUFA’s = Nuts and seeds, avocados and olives, fats and oils (such as plant based oils) and dark chocolate.

10. Drink Smart

Sugary drinks could be your downfall. We are drinking twice as many calories than we were 30 years ago. Not only will they make you pile on the pounds, the fizz in fizzy drinks will also cause gas to get trapped in your stomach and add to bloating and discomfort.