Are you ready to discover the ways to get a tight stomach? Crunches, sit ups, steam engines and the multitude of other abdominal exercises are not the best way to get a tight stomach. These exercises are great for strengthening the stomach muscles. However these exercises do nothing for helping you to lose belly fat so that these muscles are visible. In order to see these trained and sculpted muscles you must lose the fat on your midsection first. All you need to do is clean your diet and do the right set of exercises. Follow these ways to get a tight stomach and you will be on your way to wearing your bathing suit with confidence!
Eating your fruits and veggies is one of the best ways to get a tight stomach! Aim for 4-6 vegetables and 2-4 fruits per day to boost your immunity and your fiber intake. Eat an apple a day since apples have pectin which lower cholesterol. Apples are also a natural appetite suppressor.
Make sure you are getting 3 sixty minute workouts with high intensity, fat burning fun. Run for 10 minutes, go for a 1 minute sprint, 10 burpees, and 20 pushups. Start with 1 set and build your endurance so you can repeat this workout 5 times. This workout will challenge you and leave you craving more because of the results it will bring of getting you a tight stomach!
Start your day with protein by eating 4 hardboiled egg whites with your breakfast. This will boost your metabolism to start your day! High-protein foods take more work to digest, metabolize, and use, which means you burn more calories processing them. They also take longer to leave your stomach, so you feel full sooner and for a longer amount of time. And if, like most successful dieters, you're burning calories as well as counting them, protein is doubly essential for making sure you lose fat, not muscle. And this is a great way to get a tight stomach!
Plyometrics (Jumping Exercises) are anaerobic exercises. When doing plyos you work out at 90%-100% intensity and you really stimulate your metabolism. Because of this you can have an elevated calorie burn for hours after the workout is completed. These explosive exercises shock your core which is a great way to get a tight stomach!
The more muscle your body has, the more calories your body burns, even at rest. This is because weight training increases your metabolic rate. Plus, resistance training is important to limit the amount of muscle mass lost while you are reducing your calorie intake. If you only do cardiovascular exercises without weight training then you may lose the muscle mass, including the muscle in your abs so integrate weight training into your fitness routine to get a tight stomach!
Studies show that drinking water aids in weight loss which can help you to achieve a tight stomach. Drink a glass of water before every meal and you will find yourself less hungry and eating smaller portion sizes. Did you know that being thirsty is often mistaken for being hungry. So hydrate yourself to a thinner, healthier you!
If you can envision achieving a toned stomach you have beaten half the battle. People that envision positive results tend to achieve this. So envision your results, eat healthy, and get your cardio in so you can get a tight and sculpted stomach!
This doesn't just mean do crunches or other workouts like that, there are a lot of ways to strengthen your core. Strengthening your core is as easy as sitting up straight or being aware of your breathing. If you tighten your belly when you breathe and try not to expand your stomach too much, your stomach will get used to being tight. If you are more active though, doing yoga will also help to strengthen your core.
Try not to eat anything two or three hours before you go to sleep. This can be tough if you don't have a time you like to go to bed, but it's necessary. When you're sleeping your metabolism slows down meaning you don't burn the calories you just ate. If you eat before bed, your body is more likely to store the fat somewhere instead of burning it. If you're like me, that fat will get stored in the last place you want it - your stomach!
Carbonation is the enemy of a flat tummy. If you want a tighter and flatter stomach cut the bubbles! This means cut beer, soda, and maybe even seltzer water. This will definitely help cut the bloating as well as calories that are in soda and beer. You should see results pretty quickly once you eliminate bubbly drinks from your diet.
Too much salt in your diet will cause some bloating, which is the opposite of what you want. If you start using sea salt or kosher salt, you should see some results. These types of salt have less sodium than the salt you usually use and will help to prevent bloating.
Go ahead and get moving so you can make your dreams of a toned and tight stomach into your reality. Now that you understand the best ways to get a tight stomach, how will you add these strategies into your life?
This article was written in collaboration with editor Lydia Sheehan.