Stomachs are often the first place our bodies store fat. This is because the stomach surrounds vital organs, which the body protects with fat. However, too much fat is unhealthy and unattractive. To obtain and maintain a skinny belly, you must follow an exercise program and a healthy diet; consult your doctor before beginning either.
Toning Exercises
Step 1
Sit on your exercise mat with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and feet on the floor. Hold your arms at shoulder height in front of you. Lean back to engage your stomach muscles and twist to the right while pulling your right elbow back to tap the mat next to your right hip. Return to starting position and repeat the motion on the left side. Do 20 repetitions, "Fitness" magazine instructs, alternating sides.
Step 2
Lie on your back with arms extended toward the ceiling. Lift you legs straight above your hips and draw an imaginary circle on the ceiling with your legs. Change directions and repeat 12 times, alternating directions each time.
Step 3
Lie on your back with your arms above your head. Lift your legs directly over your hips and contract your stomach muscles to raise your shoulders off the mat. Lower your legs to each side and reach your arms in between your legs. Lower your upper body to the mat and bring your legs back together. Repeat 15 times.
Step 4
Stand up to work your abs more. Toning your abs while standing forces your muscles to work to support your body weight, and it gives you a greater range of motion, Elizabeth Story-Maley, creator of the Liquid Strength System class at Crunch Fitness, tells "Fitness." Story-Maley recommends the kayak exercise. Stand with one foot in front of the other and your elbows at a 90-degree angle while holding a 3-pound dumbbell in each hand. Bring your left elbow toward your left hip and your right elbow to shoulder height. Then continue in a rowing motion --- as if paddling a kayak --- so that your right elbow moves toward your right hip and your left elbow reaches shoulder height. Repeat this cycle 20 times; do not rest as your body comes to center position. Switch feet and do another 20 reps.
Step 5
Do these toning exercises for 20 minutes two or three times a week and add three weekly 30-minute sessions of cardiovascular exercise, suggests Story-Maley. Walk or run on a treadmill at a hilly setting, use an elliptical machine with movable handles or row to burn 500 to 600 calories an hour. If you prefer group exercise classes, cycling, kickboxing and dance target core muscles and burn between 350 to 650 calories an hour. Get outside and target your core with tennis, kayaking, volleyball or surfing to burn 300 to 450 calories an hour.
Eating
Step 1
Rid yourself of unnecessary stress. When you are stressed, your body produces excess cortisol. This hormone makes you crave food, particularly sugar and fat, which leads to belly flab, the Mayo Clinic explains. Cortisol also makes your body store fat in your stomach area.
Step 2
Eat monounsaturated fat with each meal. Monounsaturated fats help the body burn calories and are found in healthy oils, olives, nuts and avocados.
Step 3
Track your calories. To avoid gaining weight, you must burn the same number of calories you eat. To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than you burn.
Step 4
Eat smaller, more frequent meals rather than three big ones. This controls your hunger and blood sugar and keeps your metabolism working throughout the day.
Things You'll Need
- Exercise mat
- 2 3-pound dumbbells
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