How To Get a Flatter Stomach

A lot of people strive for flat washboard like abs. Having flat abs is also a sign of good health. We all would love to have a toned, flat stomach that we could show off. But for some people, flattening our bellies seems too impossible to achieve. However, with a few tips and techniques, it is possible to tone and flatten your belly.

Doing a hundred crunches every day won't flatten your stomach unless you also make a number of other changes. Crunches are designed to strengthen and tone the midsection, but if you are overweight or bloated, you won't be able to see the muscles underneath and chances are your stomach won't be flat at all. Keep doing your crunches and your abdominal exercises, but also focus on making other adjustments if you're looking for rapid results.

Flattening your belly begins foremost with what you put in your mouth. Foods rich in MUFAS  such as avocados, oils, nuts and seeds, olives and unsweetened dark chocolate has been proven to help reduce the accumulation of belly fat. Get at least 1 serving of one of these foods 3 times a day. In addition to reducing sugar and fat intake, eat fewer foods that can cause bloat. The exception to this is fiber, which can bloat you temporarily but will keep you regular, ensuring that you don't end up with a big stomach because you're not digesting your food properly. Foods that can cause bloat include dairy products, beans, cabbage and broccoli. Avoid carbonated drinks as well. Nutritionists recommend seasoning your food with fresh herbs and minimizing the sodium and sugar amount.

You should also avoid food with heavy carbs such as bagels and pasta. When you decrease the carbs in your diet, you temporarily train your body to access stored carbohydrates called glycogen and burn them off, while also eliminating excess stored fluids. Most starches, including potatoes, corn, and pasta, and wheat, produces gas as they are broken down in the large intestine. Rice is the only starch that doesn't cause gas, so have a ½-cup serving of brown rice (which has more fiber) if you want carbs with dinners.  Trim back on your daily carbs by having eggs for breakfast, making your sandwich open-faced with only one slice of bread, and packing protein-rich snacks such as turkey slices, low-fat string cheese, seeds, and nuts.

Exercising regularly can help flatten your belly.  There is a variety of stomach flattening exercise available to choose from. A search on the internet for stomach flattening exercises will provide many websites to choose from. It is good to keep in mind that there is a difference between building good abdominal muscles and flattening the stomach, even though they are very similar. The person has to decide what goal is wanted for them. Stomach flattening exercises will generally include moves in which you concentrate on sucking in your stomach, trying to "hollow it out" as you perform each move. If the exercise is intended to build muscle, but not necessarily flatten the stomach, the exercise will focus on abdominal muscles. Every exercise will build muscle in the stomach; it is just a matter of what your primary goal is as you go through your exercise routine.

Perform crunches and sit-ups properly. It's not so much the quantity that matters but the fact that you're maintaining proper form. Plain old sit-ups are the best ab exercise. When exercising your abs, always contract the muscles you're working and keep them tense during the whole range of movement. Exhale while you exert force, for example, when you're lifting your head from the ground while doing crunches. Inhale slowly as you return to the original position. Lift your body using your stomach muscles, rather than pulling your neck.

Its also important to improve your posture. Slouching means you aren't using your torso to prop up, so you don't use your abdominal muscles either. When you have good posture, you use your core muscles (the muscles around your midsection). Yoga and/or Pilates can be very helpful too.  The combination of stress relief, strengthening and focus helps to bring your body and mind in-line. Both practices also help in toning and lengthening your muscles, which in turn gives you a leaner overall body.

A flatter stomach can mean more confidence, better health and more overall strength. It is a reasonable and achievable goal. Besides knowing which exercise will bring about the desired results, a person needs the determination to follow through, remembering that a flatter stomach will not come overnight. This personal goal takes time, energy and dedication, but the results are worth it.