Tips to Get a Flat Tummy

Beer bellies are more than just unsightly, they can increase your risk of heart attacks, acid reflux disease and diabetes. Excess stomach weight is known as visceral fat, which gathers around vital body organs such as your liver and kidneys. While scientists don't know what the perfect waistline size is for people, women with waistlines over 35 inches and men with 40-inch waists or larger are at greater risk for obesity-related diseases.

Eat Whole Foods

Eating the proper food will help you get a flat tummy. According to Dr. Michael Roizen, Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic, when you eat foods that are high in saturated fats, such as sausage or baked goods, you're less inclined to feel full. However, low-fat meals with the same calories will fill up you up much faster. Satisfying foods include unprocessed grains such as brown rice and whole wheat pasta.

Reduce Your Stress Levels

Couch potatoes will be happy to know that one of the best ways to attain a flat tummy doesn't involve any exercise. A flat tummy is feasible when you reduce the stress levels in your life. Too much stress releases large amounts of cortisol, a hormone that sets off chemical reactions that trick you into thinking you're hungry. Additionally, elevated cortisol levels are also linked to hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperlipidemia (elevated lipids), and hyperglycemia (elevated glucose). To get a flat belly, as soon as you feel stressed out, take a break to perform calming activities such as slow breathing, positive visualization and quiet contemplation.

Stand Up Straight

Getting a flat tummy involves more than sit-ups and crunches. As you grow older and pack on the pounds, your mom's advice to stand up straight should be taken to heart. Standing up straight will create the appearance of a flat tummy and a taller physique. Better posture can be attained by standing tall with knees bent slightly, while gently contracting your stomach muscles to point your taibone downward. Keep your shoulders back, and imagine that someone is pulling your head upward with an invisible string.

Lose Weight All Over

According to Jennifer Gatz, M.B.A., Exercise Physiologist at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, body fat in all areas of your body must be reduced in order to lose fat in particular areas such as your stomach. A sensible diet, aerobic exercise and strength-training workouts will work together to slim your physique and give your stomach a flatter appearance. When working out, remember that it's not the amount of time that you exercise that helps your stomach get flatter, but the intensity at which you perform the fitness activities.