10 Ways To Get Flat Stomach Quickly
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DRINK MORE WATER
Please keep the fluids coming! “Being dehydrated causes the body to hoard water,” says Kim Lyons, The Biggest Loser trainer. This can result in you carrying up to four extra pounds around your midsection. Water also helps your body deal with the extra fiber you’re consuming. (Cruciferous vegetables and legumes, in particular, are notorious for causing gas pain if you’re dehydrated.) Aim for eight cups of water or other fluids per day.
2. EAT SLOWLY
Rather than gulping down meals, chew each bite at least 10 times before swallowing. “The body has to work overtime to break down food in the stomach and intestines,” says Judith Reichman, M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Furthermore, when you eat quickly, you are more likely to swallow air. Slowing down can be made easier by eating mindfully and paying attention to the scents, textures, and flavors of each bite.
3. SLEEP EARLY
Getting under the covers earlier not only helps you avoid late-night snacking. Sleep deprivation slows your metabolism and can result in elevated cortisol levels, which encourage your body to store more fat. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night to increase your calorie burn and keep cortisol levels in check.
4. GIVE UP CHEWING GUM
Chewing gum forces you to swallow more air, which can keep you from squeezing into your skinny jeans, according to researchers at the American College of Gastroenterology. If you need to freshen your breath, chew on a mint.
5. ADD GINER TO YOUR DIET
Ginger has numerous health benefits. It is a natural diuretic as well as having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, ginger has been shown to improve digestion by allowing food to move more quickly through the gut, reducing gas and bloating. Ginger tea is an easy and popular way to incorporate it into your diet. It can also be used in smoothies, soups, and salad dressing.
6. ADD MILK TO YOUR BREAKFAST
Pouring low-fat milk on your morning cereal could result in a belly-busting victory. Calcium, potassium, and magnesium, minerals found in dairy products, can help to balance bloat-inducing sodium.
7. PRACTICE SOME YOGA
Yoga isn’t a high-intensity cardio workout, but it does have a lot of belly-flattening benefits. In fact, a small study of women with a waist circumference of 34.6 inches or more discovered that those who practiced two 90-minute sessions of hatha yoga every week for 12 weeks significantly reduced their waist circumference compared to women who did not practice yoga. Try Prevention’s Flat Belly Yoga program to tighten and tone your tummy in just minutes per day — no crunches required!
8. REDUCE YOUR SODIUM INTAKE
When you consume too much sodium, your body is forced to retain water in order to dilute the sodium before it is excreted, according to research. As a result of the extra “water weight,” you will most likely feel bloated. Aim for less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day to avoid this (and lower your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, processed and restaurant foods account for 70% of Americans’ sodium intake, so the simplest thing you can do is avoid packaged foods.
9. DITCH YOUR CHAIR
You don’t have to switch to a standing desk full-time, but studies show that replacing just one hour of sitting at work with one hour of standing can help you lose weight. In any case, stretching may feel good!
10. GRAB A HULA HOOP
Those brightly colored hoops aren’t just for kids! In one study, participants who began using a weighted hula hoop for six minutes a day and then added two minutes to their daily total each week for six weeks reduced their abdominal fat and increased their muscle mass.
