Abdominal fat is a good predictor of your risk for developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and other diseases. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, your risk of disease increases with a waist measurement of over 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women. A toned tummy is the result of a healthy lifestyle, which includes a healthy diet and plenty of activity. There are no magic exercises or foods that will make your tummy flat, but if you commit to eating healthy and keeping active throughout the day you will lose overall body fat, including belly fat.
Step 1
Keep your body moving. The physical activity guidelines for Americans, ages 18 to 64, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advise adults to participate in "2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise, or 1 hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity." The guidelines are the minimum amount of exercise to accomplish each week. Choose activities that you enjoy doing so you are more likely to stick to your plan every day. Keeping your body active throughout the day doesn't mean excessive exercise or that you have to go to the gym. It means moving around, taking the stairs, taking long walks, cleaning the house, doing yard work or shopping--anything that keeps you moving.
Step 2
Strengthen your core muscles. Although aerobic activity is the key to burning body fat, core exercise like those done in yoga and Pilates can help to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles. According to fitness expert Denise Austin, "Pilates works the deepest layer of your abdominal muscles to completely realign and reshape your body." The best part is that you can do Pilates and yoga at home. According to Austin, you'll start to see and feel results in as as few as 10 sessions, 10 minutes each day. Austin does Pilates for 20 minutes each day.
Step 3
Eat a healthy diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, low fat dairy products or dairy substitutes, and healthy fats from nuts, avocados, olive oil and fish. A good strategy is to eat foods as close to how they grow in nature as possible. Sticking to these foods in the right portions and keeping your body active is the fastest way to decrease overall body fat and belly fat.
Step 4
Avoid fried foods and foods that contain trans-fats or partially hydrogenated oils. A study published in the research journal "Obesity" in 2007 found that monkeys that were fed a diet high in trans fatty acids gained significant weight with increased intra-abdominal fat deposition. Avoid processed and refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, cookies, cakes and other processed snack foods. Stay away from snacks and drinks that are made with processed ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. All of these foods contribute to weight gain. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation in 2009 comparing the effects of glucose and fructose sweetened beverages in humans found that both groups of subjects exhibited significant increases in body weight, fat mass and waist circumference. Total abdominal fat and intra-abdominal fat was significantly higher in subjects consuming the fructose-sweetened beverages.
Step 5
Get adequate sleep. People who sleep less that 6 1/2 hours per night produce excess cortisol, a hormone responsible for the accumulation of belly fat. According to Dr. Barry Sears, in his book, The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That's Destroying Our Health (2004), lack of sleep has a devastating effect on cortisol and people who get less than 6 1/2 hours of sleep per night experience a significant increase in cortisol and insulin levels. He goes on to discuss how the increase in cortisol secretion causes increased fat storage, especially in the abdominal region.
References
- "Prevention" magazine; Denise Austin; What Pilates Can Do for You;" 2004
- "Obesity" research journal; Trans Fat Diet Induces Abdominal Obesity and Changes in Insulin Sensitivity in Monkeys; Kylie Kavanagh, et al; 2007
- "Journal of Clinical Investigation;" Consuming fructose-sweetened, not glucose-sweetened, beverages increases visceral adiposity and lipids and decreases insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese humans; Kimber L. Stanhope, et al; 2009
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