Even proper nutrition and regular exercise do not guarantee that you will have a flat stomach. Many factors influence its shape. For example, muscle tone, fat percentage, the amount of fluid in the body, and the intestines’ condition. We tell you what you should pay attention to if you want to have a flat stomach.
Season your food with a little olive oil
Olive oil has many health benefits. For example, it helps in the fight against cardiovascular diseases. It also helps improve digestion. Daily use of olive oil has a good effect on the skin of the face, giving it smoothness and radiance. In addition, it normalizes the pH in the body.
But that’s not all. Olive oil is a naturally powerful antioxidant. Therefore, its use can prevent bloating. Digestive problems often prevent you from getting a flat stomach, even with regular exercise and a healthy diet.
To get rid of fat deposits in the abdomen, add more spices to your food
The use of spices favourably affects the functioning of the body. Add natural spices to healthy food. They will help you burn calories faster. In addition, they will strengthen the immune system and prevent intestinal infections.
Among the most useful spices are turmeric, coriander, cumin and cinnamon. They can be added not only to food but also to drinks. Experiment with recipes to find the one that works for you.
Don’t skip healthy fats If You want a flat stomach
Healthy fats are essential for the body to function properly. They help support the life processes in the cells. They are also important sources of energy.
Include foods rich in healthy fats in your diet—for example, avocados, nuts, fish, sweet potatoes, flax seeds. But eggs, farm beef, whole milk and natural yoghurt are best eaten in limited quantities.
Foods rich in fibre will improve the digestive system. They also give the face a healthy glow. They also help the body get rid of accumulated harmful fats.
Avoid foods containing unhealthy fats to flatten your belly
Unsaturated or unhealthy fats are found in animal products, fast food, palm oil, and industrial baked goods.
The abuse of fatty foods is bad for the general condition of the body. In addition, it can lead to weight gain. There is a risk of high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes.
In addition, the abuse of “wrong” fats is fraught with the development of obesity. It also impairs the functioning of the endocrine system, liver and gallbladder.
Try to eliminate unhealthy fats from your diet. For example, replace mayonnaise with natural yoghurt or lemon juice, and margarine with melted butter or olive oil.
If you want a flat stomach, watch your posture and back position
Experts in the field of medicine say that posture affects the well-being and health of a person. The ability to keep your back affects the basic physiological functions of the body, including the process of breathing and the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
Back problems can also cause the belly to appear bulging and large. Muscles adjust to the curves of the spine. That is why, with a crooked posture, the back muscles can be tense, while the abdomen, on the contrary, is relaxed. Because of this, the stomach will bulge even if there is no excess fat.
Correct posture is considered to be such a position of the body in which a straight vertical line can be drawn along a standing person. It must pass through several points. These are the neck vertebrae, the angle of the shoulder, the back of the middle of the thigh and the middle of the ankle.
Remember that a flat stomach is not only the absence of excess fat and inflated abs. To avoid possible posture problems, perform simple exercises daily. They will help keep your back muscles in good shape. In addition, during the day, do not forget to break away from the office chair and do a warm-up. Develop the shoulder joint, cervical region and coccyx. This will help get rid of back pain and tighten the abdominal muscles.
To achieve a flat stomach, you need to learn how to breathe correctly
Breathing exercises have a positive effect on digestion. They also help fight stress and tone the deep abdominal muscles. Remember that improper breathing can lead to bloating. Depriving yourself of enough oxygen provokes bloating and pain in the abdomen. Here are 3 breathing rules to follow:
- Breathe in your belly. With age, breathing rises, and we learn to breathe from the chest. However, in the process of breathing with the stomach, the diaphragm expands sufficiently, and the lungs are filled with sufficient volume.
- Breathe through your nose. The nose is a kind of filter with the function of heating, cooling and air disinfection.
- Beneficial breathing is shallow and infrequent breathing. Yes, the body needs to get enough oxygen. But this does not mean that you need to inhale deeply and often. Healthy breathing should be slow and barely noticeable to the people around you.
Master popular abdominal massage techniques
Abdominal massage is a useful procedure. For example, it can be used to tighten the skin after childbirth or sudden weight loss. Also, massage will help to make stretch marks less noticeable. And also normalize the work of the digestive tract and prevent bloating. There are several basic massage techniques.
- Lymphatic drainage massage. It aims to get rid of cellulite puffiness and improve the outflow of lymph. It would help if you started by lightly rubbing the abdomen with your fingers. Then gradually increase the strength by kneading the sebum.
- Massage with silicone jars is aimed at improving blood circulation in problem areas. Apply some oil to the skin and apply the jar, pressing it lightly. Be careful – bruising can form on the skin. To avoid this, try not to press too hard on the skin.
- The pinch massage technique will strengthen weakened abdominal muscles and improve skin conditions. Apply a nourishing cream to the skin and, gradually increasing the radius, pinch the problem area.
Try to avoid stress
Like the brain, the stomach tends to accumulate tension and fatigue. And stress is one of the provocateurs of digestive problems and, as a result, bloating.
Stress triggers many processes that lead to an increase in fat mass in the body. Many people tend to accumulate it just in the abdomen. Under the influence of chronic stress, the body produces a lot of cortisol. This leads to the accumulation of abdominal fat. It, in turn, significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. In order not to get better on nervous mail, adhere to the following rules:
- Control the fats and carbohydrates in the food you eat during the day.
- Adjust the amount of food and train yourself to eat slowly. This will help you feel full faster and avoid overeating.
- Instead of leaning on fast food in a stressful situation, do yoga or sports. Science has proven that exercise can stimulate the production of endorphins.
- If the stress is prolonged, you should seek medical help. Experts will help you find the root of the problem and get rid of stress.
Eating an apple bite will help get rid of bloating and get a flat stomach
Of course, the debate about the benefits and harms of this folk method continues to this day. However, followers of alternative medicine highlight many useful properties of the product.
Apple cider vinegar contains essential nutrients for the body. Among them are potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium and iron. They have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous system and the digestive tract. Organic acids in the composition of the product stimulate metabolic processes. In addition, they suppress appetite, including reducing cravings for sweets.
In addition, drinking apple cider vinegar in small amounts helps break down carbohydrates. It also lowers the level of cholesterol in the body and destroys fungal microorganisms.
Of course, you only need to drink natural apple cider vinegar to benefit. It can be prepared at home.
Dilute a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in 250 ml of clean water at room temperature. Drink vinegar 30 minutes before meals. However, before using the folk method, make sure that you do not have the following contraindications.
- Apple cider vinegar is forbidden to take with hepatitis and increased stomach acidity.
- Do not take the product if you are allergic to at least one of its components.
- Apple cider vinegar is contraindicated for people suffering from gastritis, ulcers, dysbacteriosis, and other digestive system diseases.
- Vinegar should not be drunk during pregnancy, even natural and diluted.
Get rid of oedema
Sometimes the stomach is inflated due to oedema. It is known that both a lack and an excess of fluid in the body can provoke them. Try to maintain a normal drinking regimen, do not abuse salty foods and move more.
There is a condition in which temporary swelling is quite normal – this is menstruation. This is due to changes in hormone levels in the body. In this case, the swelling will go away on its own within a few days.
To get a flat stomach, do the right sports exercises
Gymnastic and sports exercises will help to tighten the abdominal muscles. However, a noticeable effect can only be achieved if you follow a healthy lifestyle and eat a balanced diet. Here are some simple and effective exercises.
