Do Jumping Jacks Flatten Your Stomach?

The bad news is that jumping jacks aren't likely to flatten your tummy any more than other exercises. The idea that you can target specific body areas for weight loss is a well-debunked fitness myth. The good news is that jumping jacks can increase your daily caloric burn --- and burning calories is the key component to shedding fat from your tummy and elsewhere.

About Jumping Jacks

Many people might recall jumping jacks from their days in gym class. Begin a jumping jack by standing naturally with your hands at your sides and your feet together. Leap into the air as you move both feet outward beyond shoulder width. Simultaneously clap your hands above your head with arms extended. Leap again to return hands and feet to your starting position. Repeat the exercise for as long as your session requires.

About Flat Tummies

Your body doesn't burn fat from your tummy alone --- it burns fat from all over your body, your tummy included. Fat burning is the result of creating a caloric deficit in your body by burning more calories through activity than you take in by eating. If you're using exercise as your primary weight loss method, it's important to eat the same amount of food you did before taking on extra exercise. Your body will want to take in more to make up for the extra burn, but doing so means you won't burn fat as fast as you want to.

Calories Burned

Jumping jacks are a cardiovascular exercise --- they increase your heart rate and demand more calories from your body as you move. A 180-lb. person will burn between 185 and 329 calories in 30 minutes of jumping jacks, according to health resource website HealthStatus. Heavier people will burn more calories, and lighter people will burn fewer.

Increased Metabolism

Whenever you exercise, you put your body into an emergency state in which it secretes performance hormones like adrenaline and sustains microscopic injuries from the exertion. During the hours after a workout like jumping jacks, your body will continue to burn calories at an accelerated rate as it makes repairs and replenishes its supply of hormones.

Will Jumping Jacks Flatten Your Tummy?

If you resist eating more to make up for the extra calorie burn, a regular course of jumping jacks will create the caloric deficit you need to burn fat and flatten your tummy. However, as a calorie burner, jumping jacks don't perform as well as other exercise choices like running and swimming.