What are the fastest, easiest ways to lose that muffin top and ditch that gut? Believe it or not, the real path to a better midsection has very little to do with how many crunches you can knock out. It’s all about consistency with the following five actions:
1. Fuel Up More
Don’t think eating less will shrink your belly–you actually may need to eat more! More of the right foods, that is. Foods rich in protein help you build muscle, while soluble fiber (found in oats, beans, fruits, and veggies) shrinks belly fat.
A study from Wake Forest found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber people ate daily (about two small apples, a serving of oatmeal, a half cup of pinto beans, and a half cup of peas — use these as snacks throughout your day), their belly fat decreased by almost four percent!
2. Flaxseed for Flattening
Adding ground flaxseed to your diet (mix a teaspoon or two into cereal or yogurt) helps prevent constipation. (It’s hard to have flat abs if your pipes are backed up.)
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To avoid stomachaches, increase fiber slowly and up your water intake, advises Jessica Crandall, R.D., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
RELATED: Flatten Your Belly Without The Crunches
3. Cardio + Weights
In a Duke University study of 196 sedentary, overweight adults, aerobic training significantly reduced deep belly fat and also burned more visible midsection flab.
It’s also recommended to add weight training to speed up your belly fat loss. Cardio has been shown to specifically reduce visceral fat, meaning belly fat. While it’s clear weight training burns fat better than cardio, cardio training may target the waistline more specifically than lifting weights. So with the combined effort of cardio and weights, you can see that belly fat disappear faster.
To maximize the benefit with a minimum time commitment, try interval training, suggests exercise physiologist Jessica Matthews of the American Council on Exercise. Start with a 1:2 ratio (jog 30 seconds, then walk briskly for a minute), aiming for 150 minutes weekly. Then on opposite days, do 30 minutes of weight training with kettle bell thrusts, chest press, and weighted leg exercises like weighted lunges.
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4. Stand Up Straight
Standing tall, with your tummy and butt tucked in, automatically makes your front look flatter. These two moves help you pull it off. Do each two to three times per week; work up to three sets of 12 reps.
Even sitting up straight daily, instead of slouching over as you watch TV or are on your phone, will help you build up the muscles around your stomach. Just think about it: you’re doing a light version of a plank, standing up!
RELATED: Flat Tummy Tips: Try This 5-Minute Crunch-less Ab Workout Now! (video)
5. Strengthen Your Core
Glute Bridge: Lie on your back with bent knees, and feet on the floor. Lift butt, drawing pelvis to the ceiling without arching back. Lower your butt down slowly.
Bird Dog: From all fours, extend one arm and the opposite leg to shoulder and hip height simultaneously, keeping shoulders and hips squared to the floor. Lower slowly to start, and repeat on the opposite side.
Front Plank: Lie on your stomach, with forearms on the floor and hands palm-down on either side of your chest. Tuck toes, lift legs, tighten abs, and raise your body to a modified push-up position, keeping forearms on the floor. Hold five seconds, then lower. Repeat three times. Work up to holding for 20 seconds each time.
Half-Kneel Lift: Kneel on right knee, with left foot forward and left knee at a 90-degree angle. Hold a soccer ball with both hands at the right hip. Without rotating your body, slowly bring the ball up and across until it’s above your left shoulder and slightly behind you. Return to start. Do two to three sets of eight to 12 reps on each side.
Extra–6. Boost Your Blueberries
Recent study findings suggest that blueberries may influence genes that regulate fat-burning and storage, helping reduce abdominal fat and lower cholesterol. When combined with a low-fat diet, blueberries might also lower triglycerides and improve blood sugar levels, each benefits of a comprehensive weight loss plan.
Overall, the research found that consuming roughly 1 cup of wild blueberries daily for two weeks increases the ability to use/burn fat during moderate-intensity exercise, like cycling.
While it accelerates fat burning, it also decreases the use of carbohydrates. Burning more fat while using less carbs is significant for athletes, explains Cal Poly Humboldt Kinesiology Professor Taylor Bloedon, the study’s lead researcher.
“Increasing the use of fat can help performance, particularly in endurance activities as we have more fat stores to keep us going longer than we do carb stores,” says Bloedon. “Saving stored carbs also helps when we need to increase our intensity, often towards the end of the race or training session, or when challenged by an opponent. At these higher intensities, we cannot rely on fat to fuel us as fat cannot be used as a fuel source for high-intensity activities.”
