1. Get Moving
While crunches, planks, BOSU and fitball exercises are all excellent ways to develop core strength and stability, unless you get off the couch, you'll find little difference in your physique. Don't expect to crunch your way to sleek abs--you're just not burning enough calories. When you commit to 20 to 45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 4 to 5 times a week, you'll begin to lose the fat stores hiding your sculpted abdominals. Cardio exercise also keeps your heart healthy and raises your metabolism, allowing your body to burn calories more efficiently throughout the day.
2. Reinvent Your Diet
If you go for a 5-mile run only to come home to a plate of double-cheese pizza with a side of fries, you're going to become frustrated. While there's nothing wrong with splurging on your diet now and then, the key to a flat stomach and toned body is burning more daily calories than you're consuming. Make healthy food changes like lowering fat intake, exchanging simple carbs for complex carbs, and backing off your sugar consumption. In other words, don't sabotage your workout efforts by rewarding yourself with a post-run ice cream sundae.
3. Suck in Your Gut
While we may do this for superficial reasons, studies have shown that regularly pulling your stomach muscles in on your exhale increases transverse abdominus (TVA) strength. The TVA is a deep muscle responsible for stabilizing your low back and drawing in your stomach. Consequently, when you make it a habit of pulling your belly button to your spine as you breathe out, your TVA will become stronger and your stomach will become flatter. When you don't have time to hit the gym, sit at your desk and breathe out forcefully, pulling in your stomach and holding the position for 2 to 5 seconds. Repeat throughout the day as desired.
4. Strengthen Your Entire Core
While you'll see a lot of people showing off their bulging biceps and pectoral muscles at the gym, remember that your body's functional strength comes largely from your core. This means that in order to develop all-over body strength, you must strengthen the muscles around your midsection, lower back, glutes and hips. Providing a connection for the lower and upper body, your core is responsible for assisting you with balance, transferring energy between your arms and legs, and keeping your spine safely aligned during exercise and rest. When you have a stable core, your legs and arms will be stronger, as well. Pilates, yoga, BOSU and fitball classes are excellent for training the deep, core muscles of the abdominals and low back.
5. Don't Expect to Spot Tone
If you're wishing you could focus specifically on losing abdominal weight, think again. You can't choose where to lose fat stores. To get a flatter tummy, you need be more fit overall. You'll lose stomach flab, become healthier and probably notice pounds falling off a few other pesky places, too.
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