Nutrition & Fitness Experts’ Tips to Tighten Your Belly
Sure, proper diet and exercise will help you get that damn belly fat off, but that’s oversimplified and there’s more to it than just that. Here we’ve consolidated some extremely helpful tips to get a flatter stomach from experts in the ChickRx community:
Eat Clean: Limit Sugars & Starches
The secret to flat abs is your diet: it’s 80 percent what you eat and 20 percent exercise. Eating a clean, quality diet of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat proteins (in the appropriate amounts) is the best way to get better abs and a better body overall. Skip commercial snack foods like donuts, cakes, cookies, chips (even the organic ones), processed foods, high-fat salad dressings, all fried foods, and fast foods.
Kimberly Garrison, CPT, CYT, CNC (Certified Personal Trainer, YogaTeacher, Nutrition Consultant)
Eat clean but also watch your starches and sugars. For most women, I recommend that you keep your carbs at about 30 grams or less per meal, eat no more than two fruits daily, and save sugar and sweets for the occasional indulgence.
Kathleen Bundy, MS, RD, CLT (Registered Dietitian)
Reduce Bloating
Constipation can cause excess gas and bloating. Therefore, make sure you stay hydrated (aim for about 8 glasses of water daily), consume adequate fiber (~25 grams for women and ~37-38 grams for men daily), and exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.
Take it easy on the alcohol, which in excess can cause water retention and make you look a bit swollen and feel bloated. Sometimes carbonated drinks like seltzer can trap gas in your intestines so enjoy flat, filtered water instead.
Limit sodium as it can make the body retain water, and make you feel bloated. And avoid sugar-free foods that contain sugar alcohols. These sugar alcohols (anything ending in "ol' like sorbitol, xylitol) are like laxatives, and often cause bloating and gas. Not what you what for a flat belly...
Jacqueline Aizen (Registered Dietitian)
Stop eating when you are 80 percent full. Overeating can lead to abdominal bloating, distention, and pain.
Lori Boone (Registered Dietitian)
Chill Out
Stress causes levels of cortisol to increase in your body, which in turn contributes to the deposition of fat in the abdomen. Get a good night sleep, limit your coffee intake to two or less cups per day (caffeine can cause cortisol levels to increase), incorporate stress-relieving measures into your lifestyle (including meditation/guided imagery, walking or other exercise), and spend time outdoors. These are all great ways to keep those cortisol levels in check. And if you do get stressed, avoid eating for relief.
Lori Boone (Registered Dietitian)
Slow Down at Meals
Chew your foods slowly. Eating too fast can cause indigestion and bloating so don't ever wait until you are starving. That may cause you to inhale your food without thinking twice. Hunger is healthy but waiting until you can swallow the entire fridge is not the best idea.
Jacqueline Aizen (Registered Dietitian)
Do the Right Exercises
Get in a good cardio workout most days a week, and make sure to do toning exercises that also target your abs. Try to do toning exercises at least two to three times a week on non-consecutive days. Here are some good ab-toning exercises you can do at home—try to work your way up to doing more reps and holding the positions for longer:
Plank: Lie on your stomach on a mat. Then get into position by placing your forearms onto the mat and lifting up so that your shoulders are right over your elbows. Then extend your legs behind you and rest your weight on the tip of your toes (like if you were doing a pushup) and your forearms. Make your body from your shoulders to your toes a straight line (don't lift your hips too high or arch your back). Keep your abs tight and hold this position as long as you can without bending your back. Try to hold it at least 10 seconds, and gradually work your way up to holding it for 60 to 90 seconds. Take a break and then repeat two more times, for a total of three sets.
Side Plank: This is similar to the regular plank, but done on your side. So get on your right side, with your legs straight and stacked one on top of the other. Extend your right arm so that you are propped up on your elbow, which should be lined up under your shoulder. Put your left hand on your left hip. Keep your body straight, not allowing your hips to dip towards the ground. Keep your breathing steady. Hold this position for at least 10 seconds (try to work up to 90 seconds eventually). Switch sides and repeat. Do three sets on each side.
Leg Raises: Lie flat on your back, and extend both legs toward the ceiling with your feet flexed (as if you were standing on the ceiling). Slowly lower both flexed legs toward the floor, and once they get about six inches from the floor, slowly raise them back up to starting position. Place your hands under your buttocks for extra spinal support. Do three sets of 10 to 25 reps.
Kimberly Garrison, CPT, CYT, CNC (Certified Personal Trainer, YogaTeacher, Nutrition Consultant)
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