1. Eat a Healthy Diet
Focus your diet on plant-based foods. Those are vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Also, include lean sources of protein like fish and healthy fats like avocado.
You also need to limit sugar, especially the added sugar and unhealthy saturated fat.
For your fat intake, focus on monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They are often found in nuts, seeds, and fish.
Replace sugary beverages with water or other drinks with detox effects.
2. Portion Control
Losing weight around your tummy takes more than just eating healthy. You need to watch how much you eat too. This is because weight loss is all about the calories that go in and out of your body.
Even when you’re making healthy choices, calories can add up fast. At home, limit your portions.
At restaurants, share meals — or eat half of your meal and take the rest home.
3. Add Exercise
For most adults, moderate aerobic activity is recommended.
Whether it’s brisk walking for 2.5 hours or high-intensity workout for 75 minutes a week, adding in fitness helps.
If we go by steps, it, in fact, takes 10,000 steps to prevent weight gain.
Pair your aerobics with strength training exercises. Twice a week is a good start, but if you want to lose more weight, you might need to exercise more.
To lose excess fat and keep it from coming back, aim for slow and steady weight loss — up to 2 pounds (1 kilogram) a week. Consult your doctor for help getting started and staying on track.
4. Work Your Abs
It’s true. Cardio and eating a healthy diet are two main pillars for getting a flatter tummy.
But if you want your abdomen muscles to look toned, you have to train them.
Your abs are just like any other muscles in your body.
To get definitions, you have to exercise them.
Ab muscles include rectus abdominals, external and internal obliques. Targeting them all is the key to building tones abs and getting a flat stomach.
However, abs exercises alone are not adequate to reduce belly fat.
You need an exercise plan that goes beyond spot training.
The best plan is the one that combines abdominal exercises with cardio.
For example, do abs exercises several times a week and do cardio a few times a week. It helps you burn the most amount of calories while building muscle mass and getting toned.
Crunches, planks, and bridges are the most effective strengthening exercises for your abs. Add them to your regular routine for flatter abs.
5. Reduce Your Stress Levels
But if you have high stress in life, it can stall your progress.
Believe it or not, highly stressful life is a huge contributor to belly fat.
Stress can make you gain belly fat by triggering your stress hormone.
When heightened, cortisol increases your appetite and up your belly fat storage.
Not only that, when stressed, women with a larger waist are prone to produce more cortisol. This undoubtedly adds to fat gain and belly fat.
All in all, according to research, without taking care of your stress, your belly fat efforts can go all to waste.
To effectively lose your stomach fat, engage in activities that’ll relieve your stress. Whether it’s meditation, yoga, or designated tea time, take the time for yourself in your daily life. More importantly, make reducing stress a priority especially when trying to lose weight.
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