1. Overall Reduction

If you still have weight to lose then focus on that first because no amount of flattening your tummy will help if it is surrounded in a layer of fat.

If you find that your stomach is the last place to reduce and the hardest to shift you'll need to follow whatever program you're doing more closely than ever to shift the last 10lbs.

Remember as your weight reduces you may need to eat a little less and move a little more to keep losing weight as a lighter body needs fewer daily calories for the same activity level.

2. Beat the Bloat

Sometimes when we see a fat stomach it's not really fat we see but swelling caused by other factors.

 

You could find that by avoiding some foods your stomach reduces as bloating is one of the main symptoms of food intolerance.

 

The main culprits are often wheat and high fat foods. (And even if intolerance is not the cause who has not seen the results of eating a huge bowl of pasta or a lot of bread on the tummy area?)
If you suspect food intolerance might be the problem, it's something you need to investigate further. And, in any case, it may be worth cutting out or cutting down on wheat products in particular to see if this has any effect.

3. Posture Counts

Many of us forget that by sitting and standing tall our tummies look a hundred times better and we can instantly "lose" 10lbs by sitting and moving better.

Remember when you walk to hold you head up, your shoulders back and down (but relaxed) and your pelvis and spine in alignment. You can sometimes make a pot belly just about disappear by doing this.

Practise whenever you can so that you start to use correct posture all the time.

4. Keep Your Muscles Active

Unless we make a conscious decision to exercise the stomach muscles, they are one of the first areas to go slack. That's because they are not used during the course of normal activities in the same way as your legs or arms.

Swimming is great for the stomach as your abdominal muscles are used all the time as you swim. You could also try hill-walking or dancing. And you'll find Pilates and yoga really focus on the core muscles in the tummy area.

I found a 10 minute yoga routine on a DVD a few years ago that made a huge difference to my stomach muscles in a few weeks. Let me know if you want the details of the DVD and I'll look them up.

But even making the effort to squeeze in your tummy muscles when ever you stop in traffic can make a huge difference too.

5. Target All Areas

If you decide to go all out and do specific stomach exercises of the kind you do at the gym be sure to exercise not only the front of your stomach (the rectus abdominis or "six-pack" area) but also the sides (or oblique muscles).

If you can, get 1-2-1 advice from a personal trainer on the best exercises for you to do as it is easy to strain your muscles when exercising this area.

Failing that look for a site which has a selection of exercises which are designed for your level by a fitness expert. The American Council on exercise has a page for example on how to do abdominal exercises correctly  http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/abstudy_top.aspx and there are many more around the web.

Copyright 2007, Janice Elizabeth Small

 

By putting in place my simple system you will lose weight steadily week by week and stay in great shape without dieting for the rest of your life. 

Discover the 24 keys to permanent and healthy weight loss at http://www.simplyslimming.com/dietexitplan.