Get A Flat Stomach With These Tips
By: Flavia Del MonteIf you want to get a nice flat stomach, you're not alone. In 2010, nearly 145,000 women had tummy tucks (abdominoplasty) and nearly twice as many had liposuction (lipoplasty) performed, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
The worst part is, many of those women will have endured the discomfort and inconvenience needlessly, not to mention the expense, if they don't eat and exercise properly after the procedure.
Getting a flat stomach the natural way isn't as tough as people seem to think. There's no need to spend hours exercising every day or subsist on a starvation diet. You simply need to learn what and when to eat and undertake an exercise program that suits a woman's body. Your Abdominals and your Core
Those love handles you want to rid yourself of have a lot more behind them than you think. And if you want to be truly successful at sculpting that tummy, you need to understand your abdominal muscles and how they work. There are four main groups you'll be dealing with:
Six-Pack
Your six-pack is better called the rectus abdominis, and is actually comprised of just two muscles that run from the ribs down to the pubic bone. Their nickname, six-pack, comes from the shape they take on when developed, because of three fibrous bands and the linea alba that cover them.
Internal Obliques
The internal oblique muscles are alongside the rectus abdominis just inside the hipbones, crossing the body diagonally. They're the 'same side' rotator muscles that help you twist your torso.
External Obliques
These muscles run down each side of the rectus abdominis, at right angles to the internal obliques. They connect to the bottom eight ribs and run down to the anterior crest of the pelvis and linea alba, medially and distally. These work opposite to the internal obliques. Transversus Abdominis
Beneath the other layers of muscles is a layer that simply supports and protects the vital organs, but has nothing to do with movement. These are the transversus abdominis muscles, and they also stabilize your trunk, keep the waist tight and help the diaphragm expel air.
The Core
The core muscles, which are essentially all the rest of the muscles that are in the trunk, include both major and minor muscles. The majors are the internal and external obliques, the rectus abdominis, the pelvic floor muscles, the diaphragm and the multifidus, which is a series of muscles running along the spine The minors include the gluteus maximus, latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles. Both groups work together to provide support to the back when moving, bending, sitting or standing, as well as helping to prevent injury.
Abs Alone won't Cut it
If you think that doing lots of sit-ups and crunches is going to get you that six-pack you want, you're in for a rude awakening. In fact, you may already have a decent six-pack... but you just can't see it.
Your stomach has to be lean and mean before you'll sport a defined six-pack, my friends. Imagine putting six softballs under a thick rug - all you'll see is a rectangle through all that padding. Trade the rug for a linen sheet, though, and all six balls will show, very well defined. If you have any fat on your stomach (and most people do), it's acting just like that rug - hiding what's underneath.
Lose the fat... show off the six-pack!
Be a Tummy Trouble Myth-Buster
I hear people complain all the time about how stomach fat is SO much harder to lose than any other kind of fat. Hogwash! Fat is fat, wherever it is!
Sure, a lot of people tend to store more fat in their midsection, because that part of their body gets less exercise. But when you put your system into a fat burning mode, you're burning fat all over your body. Keep burning it until it's gone!
For a Flat Stomach, Eat Right
Making smart choices of what and when you eat is critical to hitting your weight loss target. For instance, you need to watch your GI (Glycemic Index). That's the measurement of how each food affects your blood sugar level. A higher number means a food causes a higher rise in blood sugar. When that happens, the body produces more insulin and starts storing the excess sugar for later use.
Eating high GI foods is okay... just do it after a good workout, when your body is building muscles back up, so it'll be burned off, not stored as fat.
Americans, unfortunately, tend to overdo their carb intake to an incredible degree. Carbs are great for energy to exercise and recover afterward... for a stimulant, not such a great idea. Carbohydrates = energy. If you're not burning it, you're turning it into fat. Enough said!
By watching what you eat and when, in combination with the right exercises, you can lose weight in your midsection. But that sexy six-pack will never be yours, without following a sensible diet and exercise program. Learn the right foods, the right timing and the right exercises, and you'll be sporting an impressive six-pack for years.
Author Resource:-> Flavia Del Monte is a Registered Nurse, Certified Physical Trainer, Certified Nutritionist and the creator of Full Body Licious. You can read more about my training programs, nutrition advice and great butt workouts on my female fitness blog.
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