Everyone wants a flat tummy, and for a good reason. If you have fat buildup around your belly, the concern isn’t just aesthetic. This type of excess weight puts you at risk for health problems down the road, including heart disease and diabetes. And while people with a flat tummy fit into the common beauty ideal, they tend to live longer lives, too.
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to get rid of belly fat. This causes many people to consider invasive procedures to get the flat tummy they’ve always wanted. However, all the surgeries in the world are not going to keep your tummy flat without overhauling your lifestyle, too. The best options for natural weight loss still include exercise and a healthy diet.
Exercise
If you don’t like to exercise, you may be tempted to skip this section. However, studies have shown that you don’t have to spend several hours a week in the gym to get the results you want. It’s not always about quantity. Instead, it’s more about quality and intensity. Besides, exercising has other benefits, too. It releases endorphins, which put you in a good mood and reduce stress.
One example of an easy exercise is the squat. You can perform full-body squats that build all the muscles in your body while focusing on your core muscles. Strong core muscles keep your tummy flat and support the weight of your body. Weak core muscles are evidenced in poor posture and back pain.
With a full-body squat, you start out with your hands by your chest in a standing position with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Then you slowly lower yourself into a squat while keeping your abs tight. From there, you raise yourself back up to a standing position. You can also extend the squat and raise your arms after you come up to work out your biceps. After you’re used to performing squats, you can add some weight. Hand weights come in a variety of sizes, allowing you to start with a lower weight and work your way up.
Diet
As much as exercise can help you build your muscle, you must change your diet to see lasting results for your tummy. Most fitness trainers and dieticians agree that your diet makes up for 80 percent of your weight loss, while exercise contributes about 20 percent. The good news is that you don’t have to starve yourself to see results. In fact, not eating would be counterproductive because it signals to your body that you’re starving. This, in turn, causes your body to hold on to excess weight even more.
Here are some tips to help you accelerate your weight loss:
- No food 2 hours before bed
- Eat small snacks around the clock
- Reduce or eliminate alcohol
- Cut out sugar
If you follow these tips above, you already have an almost perfect diet in place. It’s important that you choose foods that are high in protein and fiber for your snacking. Carbohydrates metabolize just like sugars in your body, and that can leave you feeling hungrier. Additionally, you should make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day, as this will hydrate you and minimize cravings.
Add Supplements
If diet and exercise together don’t give you the results you’re looking for, it may be time to consider adding dietary supplements. For example, you can use strontium orthomolecular products to see quicker results for weight loss.
