If your problem zone is your stomach, doing crunches alone may not be effective. A stubborn layer of fat covering your abdominal muscles may camouflage all of your hard work, making your stomach look bloated and puffy. To eliminate the fat and show off your toned, flat abs, follow a diet and exercise routine that will transform your problem tummy into your favorite part of your body.
Target Your Obliques
Crunches may help tone your abs, but they won't do much for the obliques, or the sides of your abdominal muscles. Do the side to side exercise to tone your obliques, says ab specialist Tom Seaborne in the article "Flatter Abs in Two Weeks" in "Fitness" magazine. Lie down on a towel or yoga mat on your back with your feet on the ground and your knees bent. Extend your arms at your sides. Breathe out and reach your right hand to your right foot while keeping your lower back on the floor. Slide back up to your starting position, then repeat on the opposite side. Repeat 15 times on each side.
Work Your Abs Twice a Week
Rather than focusing on your abs in every workout, give them a break. Your muscles need a chance to repair themselves after a workout. Work your abdominal muscles twice a week at the most, and do challenging exercises that only require about 12 repetitions per set. Even crunches may be effective as an ab workout as long as you spend a full two seconds raising and lowering your body from the ground, says Scott Cole in the "Shape" magazine article "How to Get Flat Abs."
Drink Green Tea
Green tea may help slim your waistline and flatten your stomach because it contains catechins, a compound that dissolves fat cells in the body, says Erin Zammett Ruddy in the article "8 Flat-Belly Foods" in "Parenting" magazine. Drinking green tea after eating a meal may also help increase the amount of fat burned by the liver, says Ruddy. Caffeine-free green tea may not have as much of an impact as regular green tea because it contains fewer catechins, but drinking it may still have an effect on your bloated belly.
Snack on Avocado
In some cases, your tummy may be bloated because you're retaining water in your midsection. Eating salty foods, like potato chips or fast food, may cause bloating. When you are bloated, water accumulates outside of the cells. Avocado contains potassium, which helps bring the water back into the cells, notes Ruddy. Avocado also contains unsaturated fat that may help fill you up for longer periods of time and lower your cholesterol, which will help regulate the hormones that control your weight.
Member Comments