How to get a flat belly… 💪🏼

Many people want a flat stomach/visible abs and one of the most common things I’m asked is which exercises are best to achieve this. The common myth is that in order to ‘tone’ your stomach and get a flatter belly you need to do lots of abdominal exercises like sit ups or planks, do specific belly blasting workouts (you see so many of these advertised on social media) or do Pilates (or similar workouts), do a tonne of exercise., or even perhaps take some sort of belly fat blasting supplement/ tea or detox product.

The reality is that sadly there’s no quick fix – if you want a flat stomach it’s going to take more than some magic tea or a load of ab exercises. First off, everyone has abs – the muscles may be tiny or weak but that 6 pack is there. They’re just hidden under a layer of fat for most people. Fat does NOT turn into muscle; they are two different things. You could have strong abs, but if they are buried under fat no amount of exercise will give you a flat stomach or a 6 pack, because it doesn’t address the fat on top of your muscles.

A flat stomach only appears when you have a low enough bodyfat percentage. But ab exercises and magic teas are a lot more exciting to market than ‘eat less, move more’ … so it’s not surprising there are so many products out there making these claims.

So if you’re punishing yourself with endless sit ups every day – stop – it’s not going to give you a flat stomach. You can’t target or spot reduce fat from anywhere. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work those muscles, it’s important to work the ab muscles to protect your back etc but it won’t reduce belly fat.

So how can you lose belly fat? Everyone loses fat from certain parts of their body in different orders depending on age, weight, sex, genetics etc. You can’t control where it goes from first. Women will tend to hold more fat in their belly, hips and thighs, whilst men tend to store more in the belly and butt. You may not lose it from those areas first; it may go from your arms or legs etc.

All you can do is aim to lose bodyfat generally and once you lose enough of it you will see it go from everywhere eventually! The only way to do this is to consume fewer calories than you currently are. So track your calories, find out how many you’re currently eating and then reduce it! And stick with it for weeks or months (not just 5 days!). Reduce or plan in the obvious high calorie things like alcohol/meals out etc,stay generally active (walking or exercise you enjoy) and prioritise sleep (it’s very hard to control your appetite when you’re tired). These will all help you maintain that calorie deficit.

If you’re at a calorie deficit you will lose fat and at some point that fat will come off your belly too!

🤗Xx