With more than half of American adults overweight or obese, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, many people want to lose weight and achieve a flat tummy. However researchby the Mayo Clinic and the University of New Mexico has demonstrated that quick-fixes, like wearing a girdle, do not work or produce sustainable results. Sleeping in a girdle every night cannot change your body composition or tone and strengthen your abdominal muscles therefore it cannot flatten your tummy permanently.
Features of a Girdle
Girdles are a fitted, corset-like garment worn to minimize the appearance of your midsection. Depending on the material and the fit you can decrease the size of your waist by 4 or 5 inches and smooth your stomach. However the result is temporary and only compresses and redistributes the fat on your abdominals.
Weight Loss
To obtain a flat stomach, you have to reduce your body fat and strengthen the muscles of your abdominal wall. You do this by creating a negative caloric balance. You want to burn more calories than you consume on a daily basis to lower your body fat and total body weight. Then you can train your abdominal muscles with specific exercises, making them stronger and tighter.
Cardiovascular Exercise
To reduce body fat and lose weight the American College of Sports Medicine recommends cardiovascular exercise three to five days per week for 30 to 60 minutes. Your intensity should be moderate to vigorous so choose activities that challenge you and keep you motivated. Cardiovascular activity strengthens your heart and during the session you can burn a lot of calories depending on your duration and intensity. Vary your activities to keep your body changing and adapting.
Strength Training
Performing endless crunches or situps will not give you a flat stomach. Your midsection or core moves in different directions so your abdominal exercises must do that also. Your torso can flex forward, bend to each side, rotate and extend. Perform exercises that target these movements every time you train your abdominals. Ab exercises can be performed every day but at least three to five days per week for results. Quality is more important than quantity so emphasize proper form and technique over high repetitions. Dr. Len Kravitz of the University of New Mexico recommends performing five to 10 different exercises for eight repetitions moving from one to the other.
Diet
What you eat also affects how you look. You want to eat a balanced diet that includes carbohydrates, protein and fat. Choose whole grains, such as oats, whole wheat and brown rice. Lean sources of protein, such as poultry, fish, low-fat dairy and even some types of beans, can meet your dietary needs and are low in fat. Consume a moderate amount of fat but limit the amount of saturated and trans fats. Instead choose olive oil, canola oil, nuts and even avocados or olives. Drink at least 8 cups or 64 oz. of water per day. Consider increasing that amount if you are performing exercise on a regular basis.
References
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, Eighth Edition"; 2009
- North Dakota State University: Prairie Fare: Belly-busting Girdles May Enhance Appearance, Not Health
- Mayo Clinic: Can wearing a girdle tighten stomach muscles?
- University of New Mexico: SuperAbs Resource Manual
- "SuperAbs Resource Manual"; Nancy Clark, MS,RD; 2008
