How to Get Rid of Waistline Flab

Nobody wants a paunchy midsection. Life just seems a lot more fun when you can fit into your old pants, cut a svelte profile and look sharp in a suit or dress. Though the effectiveness of isometrics (working one area of the body) is under debate, there are lots of lifestyle changes and exercises you can do to whittle your waistline down to size.

Instructions

Doing It With Diet

• 1

  Give up drinking. Alcohol not only piles calories onto your daily total, it cuts in line. Your body can't store calories from alcohol, so it has to burn them before it can get around to burning calories from fat.

• 2

  Cut the sugar. Empty calories make for big waistlines. You should speak to your doctor before changing your diet, but most physicians would be happy to know their patients are drinking water instead of regular soda and eating baby carrots instead of potato chips.

• 3

  Eat often and in moderation. It sounds counter-intuitive, but eating more often may help you eat less. Staying full with small, smart meals is better than binging once a day on a big dinner. When you're very hungry, you're more likely to overeat.

Doing It With Exercise

• 4

  Walk. According to the Mayo Clinic, walking is an ideal waist-trimming exercise. It is appropriate for any age group. The Mayo Clinic recommends at least 30 minutes of walking, most days of the week. A morning walk around the mall or an after-dinner stroll around the neighborhood will do the trick.

• 5

  Build core strength. This will not only make your back and midsection feel stronger and tighter, it can relieve pain and improve your ability to perform exercise. Five to 10 repetitions of key core exercises will get you started.

• 6

  Stretch. Well-stretched muscles develop better, so doing side bends and trunk bends with proper form will increase your muscle mass and therefore your ability to burn fat.