How to Get a Firm Belly

It seems that we place a lot of importance on taut, flat stomachs. Every day, advertisements promise to help us “Get a firm belly”, or “Get sculpted abs”. What they don’t tell us is that belly fat isn’t just unattractive, it’s hazardous to your health.

Numerous studies have found a link between belly flab and high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Measure your waist to see if you have a dangerous level of abdominal fat. For optimal health, men should have a waist circumference below 40 inches. Women should have a waist circumference below 35 inches.

Here are some proven techniques to help you get a firm belly and reduce dangerous abdominal fat:

Move More, Eat Right

Exercise doesn’t have to be done at a gym. You can burn calories while you participate in activities that you consider fun or fulfilling. For example, gardening burns several hundred calories per hour. Team sports, like flag football, burn even more. Swimming is also a great fat-burner, and fun to boot. You could also do volunteer work, or just take long walks down nature trails.

Cardio exercise will kick your fat-burning metabolism into overdrive. All it requires is persistence; if you can find an activity you like, and stick with it, the pounds will melt away. It’s also important to vary your routine for maximum calorie burning, and to ward off boredom.

There are several exercises you can do to get a firm belly. The American Council on Exercise did a study to find out which exercises targeted the abs most effectively. Their findings? Supine bicycle, captain’s chair leg lifts, and vertical leg crunches work the abs harder than any other exercise. 

Twisting crunches and exercise ball crunches were other good ones. Try doing those exercises several times a week to get a firm belly and whittle your waistline. An Internet search will turn up detailed step-by-step tutorials for each exercise.

There are foods that can help you get a firm belly, too. Sugary carbs contribute to belly fat build-up, but foods high in protein and fiber are slenderizing. Look for a diet plan comprised mostly of complex carbs, lean protein sources, and unsaturated fats. South Beach is a classic example, and similar diets have come on the market in recent years.

Learn to Relax

Who would have thought that you could get a firm belly while you relax? It’s possible with the help of yoga. Yoga has a two-fold effect on our bellies. First, it reduces high stress levels that lead to weight gain. Stress-induced weight gain often results in excess belly fat. Reducing your stress level can give you a flatter stomach and lower your risk for many diseases.

Yoga also tones the stomach muscles. Look for a yoga routine that includes supine poses and other postures that work the abdominal muscles. Check out a yoga DVD from your local library, or look for free video tutorials online. You will be able to tell right away if a particular pose targets the stomach area. To get a firm belly faster, design your own routine using the most effective belly-busting poses.

As you can see, it takes a little effort to get a firm belly -- but the rewards are well worth it.

3 Miracle Foods that Burn Fat

Are there really foods that burn fat? It may sound too good to be true, but scientific studies have found that people who consume certain foods end up losing more weight than those who don’t eat the foods – even when all other factors are the same!

Let’s take a look at three of the most popular foods that burn fat, according to science:

Beans

Beans are a preferred protein source for dieters everywhere. They contain a healthy mix of protein and carbohydrates. Beans are challenging to digest, so it takes your body longer to process them. This is a good thing, because it keeps your blood sugar stable and helps you stay full longer.

But the real magic of beans lies in their fiber content. Fiber is like a workout for your digestive system. It keeps things running smoothly, and prevents your blood glucose from spiking too high. Plain beans are the best choice. Sugary baked beans or fatty refried beans can sabotage your weight loss efforts by supplying too many calories and simple carbs.

Skim Milk

Of all the foods that burn fat, calcium is perhaps the most popular proven metabolism booster. In fact, studies have proven that calcium causes weight loss. Two groups of test subjects were studied. The groups did everything the same, except that one group received several servings of calcium each day. Surprisingly, that group lost almost three times as much weight as the group who did not receive extra calcium.

You can get calcium from vegetables like broccoli, but dairy products remain the most popular choice. Choose products made from 2%, 1%, or fat-free milk. They deliver the greatest amount of calcium in the lowest amount of calories.

Green Tea

Green tea has been touted as a dieter’s miracle product for years. It contains powerful antioxidants that reduce the number of potentially cancerous free radicals in the body. Its modest caffeine content is enough to perk up your heart rate and metabolism without putting undue stress on your body. It is also a mild diuretic, which can be helpful for getting rid of retained fluid.

Green tea has also been studied as a fat-burner, and the results have been encouraging. People who drink 4 – 6 cups of green tea per day enjoy faster weight loss than those who don’t drink green tea.

Honorable Mention: Water

Okay, it doesn’t contain nutrition, but water would still rank highly on any list of foods that burn fat. It dilutes sodium to beat bloating, pushes retained fluid from our bodies, promotes healing, and satisfies the appetite. But did you know that water can also keep your metabolism running at maximum efficiency?

It’s true: Our kidneys are our primary filtration system. They help pass toxins and waste fluids out of our bodies. But they need plenty of hydration to keep functioning well. When they are deprived of water, the kidneys call on the liver for back-up.

While the liver can serve as a secondary filtration system, that is not its best use. It is designed for, and excels at, turning stored fat into usable energy. But when it has to support the kidneys, the liver cannot metabolize fat as quickly as it used to. You can bring your metabolism back up to speed by drinking plenty of water each day.

For a quick and productive diet overhaul, start eating foods that burn fat. Add 64 ounces of pure drinking water each day, and you will be on your way to successful and permanent weight loss.