We know you’ve got flat tummy goals and that those goals hit different when the temperatures get warmer and your clothes become less forgiving. While everyone and their mothers have the same goal to slim down their waistlines, most people don’t have a clue where to start. Once gyms are open again, you can try every ab exercise created in hopes for stronger abs and a slim waist, but the best ways to achieve a crop-top worthy stomach don’t involve a single crunch.
Move After Meals
Someone in your life probably told you more than once, “never lie down on a full stomach.” Well, it turns out that this old-school advice is actually correct. Staying seated, or even worse, lying down, after a meal slows down digestion and causes a spike in your blood sugar levels. Why is this bad? Well, slow digestion can cause your body to absorb higher levels of fat if you sit around after every meal.
As for your blood sugar, those high blood sugar levels will make you feel hungrier even after you eat. What’s worse is that consistently high blood sugar levels can put you at greater risk for diabetes and even heart and kidney diseases in the long run. While all of this sounds very scary, you can reduce these health risks simply by making it a habit to take a walk or do some light activity for about 15 minutes right after eating. Not only can you avoid major health complications over time, you’ll also speed up digestion and satiety and prevent your body from hanging on to excess belly fat.
Swap in Strength
This just in: you don’t need to do crunches and cardio 5 days a week for a flatter stomach. In fact, you can put your abs to work whenever you do a strength training session.