How to get a flat stomach

If you want to get a flat stomach it’s no good just doing hundreds of sit ups, you need to address all areas of your diet and exercise routine to flatten your tum. Here are our top tips for a flatter, tauter and tighter tummy.

No-one will be able to see your muscles if they’re covered in a layer of fat. So before embarking on a routine of sit ups, oblique exercises and stomach crunches you need to be doing enough cardio exercise to burn off any excess fat from your stomach area. Not a fan of the gym? Try dancing instead. Any type of dancing is good exercise, as it burns approximately 400 calories per hour. Salsa, ballroom and belly dancing are all especially good for toning your waist.

Your colleagues might give you a puzzled look but trading your desk chair for a gym ball will help you to tone your tummy. This is because, to stay sitting and stable on the ball, you have to engage and use your core stomach muscles.

Yoga and Pilates are particularly good for toning tummies due to the breathing exercises they both involve. They also help to improve your posture, which gives the illusion of a flatter stomach.

To flatten your stomach you need to strengthen your back muscles as well as your abs. This is because the muscle that wrap around your waist also supports your spine. So, stand and sit up straight and keep your stomach and core muscles taught, not only will this tighten your abs, but it will also make you look slimmer almost instantly.

Sip a cup of fresh lemon juice and warm water first thing in the morning and another 1-2 times per day. This encourages better digestion as it helps your body to expel toxins, to relieve bloating. It’s also said to be a natural way to boost your metabolism, so it helps you to lose weight faster.

Start doing 10-15 sit ups per day in addition to cardio exercise. To challenge your body more, do your sit ups on a gym ball rather than on a flat surface. Working out using a ball means you tone and work more muscle groups and also burn more calories than when you do them lying flat.

The sit-up for beginners, the reverse curl is as effective as a sit-up yet is gentler on the spine. Begin by laying flat on your back on the floor, keeping your arms parallel to your sides. Then raise your bottom off the floor, using only your stomach muscles, keeping your shoulders and arms on the ground. Hold the position for a few seconds then lower your body back onto the floor. Repeat this exercise 15-20 times.