How to Flatten the Tummy at Home

To flatten your stomach, there is no need to spend money on a gym membership because you can do it at home. Just doing abdominal exercises is not going to eliminate belly fat. To target belly fat, you have to focus on increasing your metabolism through cardiovascular and strength-training exercise. You also have to watch what you eat because if you eat junk food, you will never get a flat tummy regardless of how much exercise you do.

Instructions

• 1

  Consume 500 to 1,000 fewer calories on a daily basis, as recommended by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. By reducing 500 calories daily for seven days, you will create a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories, which equals one pound. Doubling the calories cut results in a weight loss of two pound per week.

• 2

  Eat more often to keep your blood sugar stable and your metabolism activated. Eat whole foods and natural foods. Divide your breakfast in half to create two meals. Do the same with lunch and dinner. Limit processed, high-calorie foods. Consume small portions that contain unsaturated fat, complex carbohydrates and lean protein. Include olive oil, vegetables, brown rice, eggs, turkey and raw nuts.

• 3

  Drink at least eight cups of water per day to fill you up, hydrate your body and promote fat metabolism.

• 4

  Perform aerobic exercise to burn calories for 30 minutes daily, three days per week. Increase you heart rate by jogging in place or by doing small sprints. Perform jumping jacks or skip rope. Walk up and down the staircase if you have one. Exercise along with cardiovascular exercise DVDs, or use a stationary bike or treadmill if you own one.

• 5

  Perform strength training on two to three days a week to raise your resting metabolic rate. Engage in calisthenic exercises that only require the resistance of your body weight. Include pushups, lunges, squats, bench dips and pullups. Use dumbbells for extra resistance.

• 6

  Activate your abdominals. Perform the stomach vacuum. Come down on all fours, and keep your back straight. Exhale all the air out of your lungs and suck in your stomach. Hold your stomach in tight for as long as possible as you breathe normally. Aim to reach one minute before releasing the tension.

• 7

  Strengthen your core by doing a bent-elbow plank. Get down on your forearms and knees. Stretch your legs out, and come up on the balls of your feet. Suck in your tummy and hold your body tight and straight as a plank as you breathe naturally. Work your way up from 10 seconds to one minute.