A flat stomach is not just aesthetically pleasing; it can also be a good indicator of overall health. A rounded stomach suggests that you are storing fat within the abdominal cavity and around your internal organs. Intra-abdominal fat is strongly linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, heart attack and stroke and is colloquially referred to as "heart attack fat." Although you cannot spot-reduce fat from your stomach --- fat is stored and eliminated globally and not locally --- you can take steps to reduce your overall body fat levels, which can also help achieve a flatter stomach. Combined with some strategies to strengthen your abdominal muscles and reduce abdominal bloating, you can flatten your stomach both for health and appearance.
Reduce Your Calorie Intake
Belly fat, like the rest of the fat around your body, is essentially stored energy. The only way to tap into this energy is to eat a little less than you need on a daily basis. Any energy shortfall will then be made up by your fat stores. Crash diets are not the way to achieve an energy shortfall as they tend to leave you hungry and tired and have a very low long-term adherence rate. A moderate reduction in food intake --- around 250 calories per day below maintenance --- will result in slow, steady fat loss without undue hunger. Your stomach will get flatter as your fat stores decrease.
Increase Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or TDEE, describes how much energy you need on a daily basis. By eating slightly less and increasing your TDEE, your weight loss will be quicker and easier. Exercise can increase your TDEE and so can non-exercise physical activities such as walking, gardening, climbing stairs and doing chores. Increasing your TDEE, combined with a reduction in calorie intake, should result in a noticeable weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs. per week or more.
Reduce Bloating
Bloat is another reason your abdomen may not be as flat as you would like. Bloating can be caused by a mild allergic reaction to some of the foods you eat. Reducing bloating can make a significant difference to how you look and feel. Some people have been bloated for so long that they don't actually know what it is not to be bloated. Wheat, milk, food additives, sugar, dehydration, stress and eating too fast can all result in abdominal bloating. Try eliminating one potential bloating trigger at a time until you find your unique bloating trigger or triggers. Measure your waist around your naval to track the results of your experiments.
Improve Your Posture
The positions that you adopt in your daily life can adversely affect your posture. Too much time spent sitting at your desk, relaxing on your sofa or traveling in your car can result in a rounded upper back. A rounded upper back also results in a bulging abdomen. Standing or sitting up straight can instantly flatten your stomach. Become more aware of your posture and try to "think tall" all the time by lengthening your neck and spine and lifting your chest slightly. At first you will have to keep reminding yourself to adopt better posture, but with practice it should become automatic.
Engage Your Natural Corset
Your abdomen is made up of numerous muscles but one of the most important muscles required for a flatter stomach is your TVA, which is short for transverse abdominus. Your TVA runs horizontally around your midsection like an old-fashioned corset and helps to hold your abdominal contents in place. To contract these muscles, stand or sit in good posture and then clench your abdomen as if you are bracing to get punched in the stomach. Don't pull your stomach in but, rather, create tension without moving. On a scale of 1 to 10, try to maintain a contraction tension of about 5. At first you will have to remind yourself to tighten your TVA, but with practice this maneuver will become automatic and result in a firmer, flatter stomach.
References
- "ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2009
- "Abs Revealed"; Jonathan Ross; 2010
- "The New Rules of Posture: How to Sit, Stand, and Move in the Modern World"; Mary Bond; 2006
- "Anita Bean's Sports Nutrition for Women: A Practical Guide for Active Women"; Anita Bean; 2010
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