The level of muscle and extra baggage in the midsection is a focus for many people. Health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, bloating, heart burn, and more have been proven to be caused by unhealthy stomach fat.
There are many factors that contribute to keeping a healthy body weight and obtaining a trim and toned midsection. Try implementing some of these tips to keep your stomach looking and feeling great:
1. Toss soda & other sugary drinks. Most of us know soda is not good for us. There has been endless research on the damaging effects. Drinking soda adds calories and sugar to your body without any valuable nutrients. Fruit drinks and other flavored beverages can be deceiving when they claim to contain fruit. These drinks have a lot of added sugar and other preservatives that can be much more detrimental to your health and weight loss goals than you may think.
Stick to water, tea, coffee, and smoothies. Just try not to use added sugar or creamer. If you have a major sweet tooth, try to at least skip a day or two out of the week where you don’t add any sugar, and if you must add sugar, use natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and agave.
Smoothies can be naturally sweetened by using over-ripe bananas, dates, or figs. Water can be infused with fruit and/or herbs to give it some flavor if you cannot tolerate it plain.
2. Speaking of water, have it on hand wherever you go! Staying hydrated is extremely important no matter what your health and fitness goals are. On top of the many health benefits, it also keeps you fuller longer, and if you have it on hand, you’re less likely to indulge in unhealthy beverages when you’re thirsty.
3. Know & control your portions. Familiarize yourself with what a healthy serving size is for what you’re planning to eat. If you’re at a restaurant and the portion size is double what you should be consuming – and let’s face it, it often is! – eat a healthy amount and save the rest for your next meal.
4. Cardio, cardio, cardio! Ab & Core exercises are crucial for toning your stomach, but it’s important to remember that spot reduction does not work and you must do cardio to lose fat all over. There are so many things you can do to get in a good fat burning session. All you need is 20 minutes a day, 3-5 times a week. Try a fun cardio workout on our Youtube channel or website, go for a run or even a brisk walk, dance to your favorite playlist, jump some rope – find what works for you and stick to it!
5. Practice good posture. Sounds a bit too simple, but it’s SO helpful! Sucking in, throwing back your shoulders and keeping your head high will not only make you look slimmer, but it also helps with breathing and back pain, and it tones your ab muscles in the process which is a crucial part of ditching belly fat!
