Millions, if not billions of dollars, get spent each
year in the quest for a flat stomach.
There seem
to be hundreds of different ab exercise devices out there, not to mention all
the wonder supplements. You would think that with all these amazing new
promises of a flat stomach, most people would be walking around with that nice,
lean mid-section they’ve always wanted. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Most, if not all of these products, will do little or nothing to flatten your
stomach. And that’s because these exercise contraptions cannot eliminate the
layer of fat that lies on top of your abs. The effects of any wonder
supplements are generally short lived and can damage your metabolism too. In
order to be successful at flattening your stomach
you must have a basic understanding of how your body burns fat. The
first thing that needs to be understood is the difference between fat and
muscle. Fat is either excess calories or stored toxins and is primarily stored
in layers on top of muscle tissue. Muscle is made up of fibres that contract or
shorten to produce movement. Fat cannot turn into muscle and muscle cannot turn
into fat! However, you can lose muscle and you can gain fat. That’s what
happens to most people. So if your goal is to slim down your waist line and
have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease /
eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. We all have flat
abdominals, it’s just that most are covered by excess fat. The most effective
way of flattening your stomach is a combination of high intensity interval
training (HIIT) – short, hard interval workouts – strength training, and stable
blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the
body to use the body’s stored fat for fuel).
1.
High
intensity interval training (HIIT)
Using
short, intense workouts combining resistance and cardio to increase metabolism,
is important because if done correctly, it will increase your metabolism for 24
hours or more
Using short, intense workouts
combining resistance and cardio to increase metabolism, is important because if
done correctly, it will increase your metabolism for 24 hours or more! This
means you are less likely to store any excess calories as body fat, because
they are more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more
likely to burn off some excess body fat. Below is a sample interval workout
that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming,
weights, plyometrics or stair climbing). Warm up at easy pace two to five
minutes and then perform one minute of hard work, then perform 30 seconds of
moderate work (recovery time-catching your breath), then repeat this process
six to ten times, then cool down at an easy pace for two to five minutes.
