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In one of my fitness posts, @oluwatobiloba left a comment about how she is more interested in having a flat tummy. I told her I would be getting back to her with a post about that, and that is exactly what we will be doing today.
Having a flat tummy is one of the most common requests women and men have when they come to the gym or first start working out. It is probably hard for one of three reasons, and I will be discussing these reasons in this post today.
If you want to see results at the gym in general, you have to work on your exercise information, your diet, and your discipline. If you are diligent in 2 out of the 3, you will see results, but they won’t be long-lasting. If you are able to work on all 3 of them, you will be shocked at how well you will be able to maintain the results you get.
Exercise
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Many people want to have a flat tummy, but very few know how to go about it or will be consistent enough to see the results they want. You also need adequate information about the right type of exercise for you so that you will see the result you want.
The main thing you want to focus most of your energy on is burning calories. Workouts that burn calories help you burn fat in general. Even though burning calories is not primarily an exercise issue (because the best results are gotten from the kitchen), it helps to know that if you have a good calorie-burning exercise, you are more likely to see results.
In addition to fat-burning exercises, the glucose available in the blood to drive muscular contraction increases post-workout energy consumption.
If you are trying to lose weight, I think incorporating low-intensity exercises like jogging at a moderate speed and high-intensity exercises like sprinting at maximum speed are very helpful. The amount of calories burned on low-intensity exercises is dependent on the time you spend on the exercise and less about how well you are able to do them.
For high intensity exercises, it depends on how well they are done – how fast you sprint in the case of sprinting. With high intensity exercises, the muscles will require more of the body's glucose throughout the day. If it is incorporated with intermittent fasting, you are basically sending all the fat stores in the body into overdrive, including those in the abdomen.
Spot reduction
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While working out, it is important to remember that there is no such thing as spot reduction. You cannot target specific areas in your body to lose weight; it simply does not work. In fact, trying to lose weight on the abdomen with abdominal exercises will only lead to toning in the muscles and make that area appear bigger.
It is just like trying to lose weight around the chest. If you do chest exercises while there is fat around the area, the chest looks bigger regardless of how often you try.
The thing to remember is that our bodies are different and they genetically distribute fat differently. You might have noticed that members of your family add weight to the chest, hips or stomach first before other areas of the body. In the same way, the body loses weight differently depending on the person, and sometimes it's a sacrifice.
Some girls have complained to me that they do not like weight loss exercises because they cause weight loss around the buttocks while they are trying to have a flat tummy. This is why I think exercise should be all-encompassing and include strength training.
Diet plan
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You need to have a diet plan that works for you. Knowing what to eat can make or break all your progress at the gym. Like I said, if you are good with exercise and diet, you will see results. In fact, your results will be very quick, but that's all you will see – quick, unsustainable results.
By reducing caloric intake, your body does not need to burn as much fat as you would have needed without it. That way, your journey is not as upstream as it would have been without it.
Having a flat tummy is one of the most common requests women and men have when they come to the gym or first start working out. It is probably hard for one of three reasons, and I will be discussing these reasons in this post today.
If you want to see results at the gym in general, you have to work on your exercise information, your diet and your discipline. If you are diligent in two out of the three, you will see results, but they won't be long-lasting. If you are able to work on all three of them, you will be shocked at how well you will be able to maintain the results you get.
Learning about diet includes reading the nutritional information on the back of food packages or searching for it on Google. It is important to know what your daily requirements are, so you consistently meet them.
In addition to eating for physical health, there are also incentives for eating well for mental health. Eating the right way can make you feel better over a long period of time. You can read more about this in the dietary survey.
Discipline
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Discipline is an essential part of achieving goals. This is why I decided to pursue psychiatry and behavioral science. I have always been interested in what motivates people and helps them stay focused on a task for a longer time.
One thing I have found is that those who see good results in any field have had many instances when they did not want to do what they did, but did it regardless.
If you have a goal that you want to accomplish, and you have set out to make it happen, then discipline is the vehicle that will take you there, not motivation.
You do not want to be a tyrant to yourself by setting unrealistic goals. No one likes to watch themselves fail all the time. Your goal should be high enough to stretch you past your last limit but not break you.
If you read my post on cognitive dissonance, you will find that doing your workout leads to thought changes that make you more likely to exercise more. The upward spiral is exponential as you start to see results.
Conclusion
In conclusion, achieving a flat tummy requires consistent effort and dedication to all aspects of fitness, including exercise, diet, and discipline. It is important to focus on calorie-burning exercises, incorporate strength training, and have a diet plan that works for you.
However, it is important to keep in mind that spot reduction is not possible and weight may be distributed differently for each individual. By focusing on these principles and making them a sustainable part of your lifestyle, you can achieve and maintain the results you desire.
Remember to always prioritize your health and listen to your body as you work towards your fitness goals.
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You can send me a message on WhatsApp at +2348134530293, and we can have a conversation, or you can speak with a licensed therapist.
Have you ever tried to work on getting a flat tummy? What was your experience like? Do you think genetics play a role in where our bodies store fat? How has this affected your journey to getting a flat tummy?
What types of exercises have you found most effective for burning calories and reducing belly fat?