The thing I hear most often from clients is that they want a flatter tummy and whilst you can't spot reduce fat (as I mentioned in my last blog) you can tone!
Before I go on, please check in with yourself and be really clear on your 'why'. Why do you want a flat tummy? Sure having extra fat around your middle can be a dangerous place to carry it as it indicates that fat is around your organs, especially if your waist is larger than your hips but if this isn't the case, please please ensure that you're doing this for YOU and no one else. Set yourself a realistic goal, what works for one person might not work for another. I would strongly advise that your very top priority should be finding out what health looks like for you 🙂❤️.
I'm sorry for the stern note but it scares me how much influence images we're shown every day have over us and can have such a damaging effect on the image of ourselves and can often encourage us to set goals which are right for us.
Anywhooooo, on with the main reason you're here!! Here are 3 top tips for reaching that hallowed tummy goal:
1. Booze - I'm not really one to talk as I love a glass of wine (all jokes aside I'm quite into my wines due to my previous career) but alcohol really is the enemy of the flat tummy as it has so many calories in it and is often high in sugar. If you love a glass of something pretty often, then rather than going cold turkey, try removing one night a week from drinking and slowly increase that so you're only having a few glasses couple times a week - if you manage this, I promise you will enjoy it all the more as you will have earned it!
2. Nail your nutrition - try to make smart, nutritious choices. I'm currently working on something which will mean I'm able to offer you so much more advice and support on nutrition but in the mean time, just a couple of things to keep in mind:
Avoid any diet which asks you to eliminate a food group (fats or carbs usually). The science suggests that while you might see initial results, you are unlikely to be able to sustain them. The body works best when everything is in balance, this includes getting the right amount of macronutrients (Carbs, fats & protein).
Keep it as close to nature as possible and try to include lots of colour for the best outcome. Avoiding anything that's too processed: swapping white pasta for wholemeal for example. Having lots of colour will help to ensure you're getting a good balance of minerals and nutrients too!
3. Exercise to burn fat across your whole body then do exercises to tone. You can burn fat
by being in a calorie deficit, put simply you need to burn more calories than you consume 🙂. Try removing 10% of calories from your food and making the rest up with exercise, that way it's much easier to stick to and you're not starving!
On that note, I thought I'd also give you my 3 favourite exercises for tummy toning & strengthening:
1. Mountain climbers - I LOVE these especially when they're performed slowly. All my clients groan at this but by doing them slowly you're really building endurance in the muscles and making them super strong. The climbers are also likely to be better quality than when you smash them out quickly, as you can really concentrate on keeping your core engaged - not sure about wtf your core actually is and why it matters? I wrote about it here 🙂.
2. Oblique crunches - these are performed standing and bending over to one side, either with or without a dumb bell. If you're going to give them a go please, please, please make sure that you brace your tummy and squeeze your glutes and bend as though between 2 panes of glass - let me know if you have questions about these, I will gladly help and make sure you're doing them correctly 🙂.
3. V sits - if your core is strong enough, these are a great addition as they work the superficial layer (your six pack) but also help develop strength and balance. They're tough though so if you feel your lower back when performing them, revert to things like mountain climbers to build that inner strength first.
I feel like I've been on a high horse for a lot of this, there's just so much I want you to know but MOST IMPORTANTLY it's about developing healthy habits that are right for YOU and to not compare yourself to anyone else ❤️.
Any decent trainer will be able to support and guide you to finding what health looks like for you and that's what we're here for, we just want to help and support people in feeling good about themselves 🙂💪.
If you have any questions or would like any advice please just ping me a message via the site or email.
Peace out,
C xx
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