Although a number of factors play a role in how much belly fat you have, including your diet and how physically active you are, the type of exercises you do regularly may make the biggest impact. It's common to know how to work the stomach muscles with a few sit-ups, but adding more unique activities to your workout routine will likely contribute to blasting more fat and flattening out the abdominals.
Jogging
Jogging is an ideal exercise option for so many people because it requires almost no equipment, is easy to do and is convenient. Whether you jog in place, at a treadmill or outside, you'll get an excellent aerobic workout and burn more calories than you will with crunches or sit-ups. What many people don't know is that jogging is particularly well suited for eliminating excess belly fat. According to MayoClinic.com, jogging and other forms of moderate-intensity cardio activity are the best way to flatten the stomach area and encourage weight loss in the midsection.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is another workout choice that doesn't directly target the abs but is effective in streamlining the stomach area because of its intensive, explosive movements and extreme calorie burn. MayoClinic.com states that tae kwon do and other forms of kickboxing can burn more than 700 calories per hour for a 160-lb. person, making them some of the most vigorous options for rapidly burning fat. In addition, kickboxing adds an element of balance and core stabilization to workouts, forcing ab muscles to stay tight and contracted.
Crunches
Crunches are an obvious activity for flattening abs, but they're mentioned so often because they work. Although crunches on their own can't "spot tone" the stomach and drop fat from just that area, they can strengthen core muscles to develop their definition and help make other exercises more effective. In addition to doing traditional crunches, try alternatives such as the reverse crunch, the circle crunch and the bicycle crunch.
Plank
The plank is similar to jogging in that it's easy to do anywhere and requires almost no equipment other than a sturdy pair of workout shoes. For flattening and toning, CNN and MayoClinic.com single out the plank as being a cut above comparable exercises because it challenges the back, oblique, shoulder and multiple core muscles as well as abdominals. Challenge yourself to hold the traditional plank position for 30 seconds, and build up to longer and longer increments of time. The "Daily Mail" also recommends doing side planks to give oblique muscles an extra challenge.
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