How to Make Your Tummy As Flat As a Pancake

A flat tummy helps you look better, feel stronger and move more easily. But just doing spot exercises focused on your stomach will not do the job. You have to take on a full-body approach to flatten your belly. Watching what you eat and consistent exercise will pay off over time. There are also some instant belly flattening remedies you can apply.

Instructions

• 1

  Control your eating habits. Avoid white carbohydrates such as white bread and refined pasta. Choose complex carbohydrates such as whole-wheat pasta, oatmeal and brown rice instead. White carbohydrates spike insulin levels and digest quickly, leaving you hungry again fast. Enjoy olive oil and other unsaturated fats over saturated fats such as butter. Eat fish, chicken and turkey instead of fatty cuts of pork and beef.

• 2

  Keep track of your sodium intake. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that you should eat less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium daily. Excess sodium makes your body hold onto water which results in bloating.

• 3

  Avoid gas-producing foods that bloat your belly. Limit foods such as dairy products, alcohol and carbonated beverages.

• 4

  Breathe deeply, practice meditation, sleep eight hours nightly and do not take on too many responsibilities. Aim to reduce stress in your life. Excess stress triggers cortisol production. According to The Natural Health Website for Women, cortisol triggers fat storage around the middle.

• 5

  Perform 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at least three days a week. Cardiovascular exercise such as swimming, jogging and biking helps combat body fat and burns calories.

• 6

  Target your belly with a variety of toning exercises such as crunches, reverse crunches and elbow-to-knee crunches. Perform toning exercises three days a week. Schedule a day of rest in between each workout. Abdominal toning will help tighten the stomach muscles so your belly looks flatter.

• 7

  Purchase shape wear. Shape wear controls your bulging tummy and smooths and flattens it, so you look slimmer. Shape wear is worn underneath your clothes and is available in styles ranging from body suits to tummy-control panties.