Health

Don’t even think about sucking it in so you’ll fit into those cute fitted white jeans: There are less-painful and longer-lasting ways to get the amazing middle you crave. We went straight to experts to get their very best advice for quickly shrinking your tummy. Here are the surprising foods, tricks, and moves they swear by. Their genius tips will help you shed inches and pounds, banish the bloat, and feel even more gorgeous. Hello, skinny jeans!



Most people go on a diet for purely aesthetic reasons, with a goal of getting rid of a spare tire around the midsection or unsightly back fat, so it's no wonder that with a name like "the flat belly diet" people are jumping on the latest fad diet bandwagon. Details of the new diet are, of course, chronicled in a book written by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass.
Vaccariello, editor-in-chief of Prevention Magazine, and Sass, a registered dietitian and the nutrition director of Prevention Magazine, stress the importance of mind tricks in achieving your weight loss goals. This could be something as simple as keeping those skinny size 28 jeans that no longer fit hanging in plain view.
According to the authors, getting a flat stomach is all about food and attitude. The mind tricks serve to remind you at mealtime that "you have embarked on a new way of life."
Mindtricks aside, the key component of the flat belly diet is a 1600 calorie per day plan spread out over four 400-calorie meals. The diet also stresses the importance of allowing no more than four hours between meals, and that each meal should include a monosaturated fatty food to help get rid of that flabby belly.
Creators of the diet claim that new research shows that monosaturated fatty acids help make weight loss easier, but specifically target belly fat. The fine flat belly foods in the diet include oils, olives, nuts and seeds, dark or semisweet chocolate, and avocado. Specifically, the nuts and seeds include almond butter, almonds, chunky natural peanut butter, and Brazil nuts. Oils include olive oil, flaxseed oil, and canola oil.
The diet itself lasts 28 days, and begins with a four-day anti-bloat start designed to eliminate swelling and prep the body for the diet. Water mixed with ginger and a prescribed list of food and drinks are consumed to "help flush out fluid, reduce water retention, and relieve digestive issues."
Some sample meals on the diet include a # Crunchy Tuna Melt, Shrimp and Snow Pea Sesame Pasta, Cheesy Spinach Ziti, and more. Additional recipes, customizable daily menus, and online support are available at the diet's subscription based website located at flatbellydiet.com.

The Torso Track is a tough exercise because it can hurt your back if you're not careful.

1. Grip the handles of the Torso Track and pull the abs in without holding your breath (as though bracing them).
2. Exhale and glide forward as far as you comfortably can. If you collapse in the middle and feel it in your back, you've gone too far.
3. Contract the abs to pull your body back.
4. Add tension by using more tension chords. link...

The vertical leg crunch is another effective move for the rectus abdominis and the obliques. To do it right:

1. Lie face up on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed.
2. Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet.
3. Keep the legs in a fixed position and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement.
4. Lower and repeat for 12-16 reps. link...

The exercise ball is an excellent tool to strengthen the abs and comes out number three for working the rectus abdominis. To do it right:

1. Lie face-up with the ball resting under your mid/lower back.
2. Cross your arms over the chest or place them behind your head.
3. Contract your abs to lift your torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips.
4. As you curl up, keep the ball stable (i.e., you shouldn't roll).
5. Lower back down, getting a stretch in the abs, and repeat for 12-16 reps. link...

The captain's chair leg raise is the second most effective move for the rectus abdominis as well as the obliques. You can do a variety of exercises on the captain's chair, which is a rack with padded arms that allows your legs to hang free and can be found in most health clubs and gyms. The key to keeping this move safe and effective is, first, to avoid swinging the legs or using momentum to bring the legs up. Second, keeping the knees bent will help you focus more on the abdominals and less on the hip flexors. To do it right:

1. Stand on chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body.
2. Press your back against the pad and contract the abs to raise the legs and lift knees towards your chest.
3. Don't arch the back or swing the legs up.
4. Slowly lower back down and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps. link...

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Physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitnessand can contribute positively to maintaining a healthy weight, building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility, promoting physiological well-being, reducing surgical risks, and strengthening the immune system.

Exercise also reduces levels of cortisol, thereby benefiting health. Cortisol is a stress hormone that builds fat in the abdominal region, making weight loss difficult. Cortisol causes many health problems, both physical and mental.^[6]

Frequent and regular aerobic exercise has been shown to help prevent or treat serious and life-threatening chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, insomnia, and depression.^[7] Endurance exercise before meals lowers blood glucose more than the same exercise after meals. ^[8]

Strength training appears to have continuous energy-burning effects that persist for about 24 hours after the training, though they do not offer the same cardiovascular benefits as aerobic exercises do link...

These moves will help you not only lose fat but also get a sleeker body and boost calorie burn all day long—thanks to extra muscle. Each one calls on multiple muscles, fitness expert Keli Roberts explains, so “your body burns more calories than if it were doing a single-focus exercise like biceps curls.” Plus, every move is designed to shape your muscles, improve your posture, and build your core, so even everyday activities become easier to do. If you recently had a baby, get your doctor’s OK before working out link...