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Don't fool yourself - crash dieting and "marathon" gym sessions simply don't work. Your body was never meant to be fat. And getting it back in shape is easier than you think... |
Two Flat Stomach Secrets for Women
By Holly Rigsby
Have you tried everything under the sun to get a flat stomach, only to come up disappointed? Have you fallen prey to all the gimmicks, fad diets and shameless infomercials promising you that elusive flat stomach that you desire?
Well, fret no more, I'm going to let you in on the two “secrets” that will help you shed unwanted fat and reveal your toned, flat stomach once and for all.
The first secret for a flat stomach is eating supportively. Although this doesn't seem like a secret at all, most women get this wrong in spite of their best – but misguided – efforts. Women have bought in to the low-fat, low-carb, Hollywood, grapefruit, South Beach and every other overhyped diet that marketers can dream up, all in hopes of shedding those unwanted pounds.
But eating supportively isn't about dieting or deprivation; it's about moderation and balance. Although cutting carbs or fats out of your nutrition plan might give you a temporary loss of a couple of pounds, it's typically followed by a drop in metabolism and a weight gain of more than you lost in the first place once you go back to your old eating habits.
So what is eating supportively? Eating supportively is having protein and carbohydrates at every meal. It's grazing on 4-6 meals or snack each day instead of missing meals and then gorging yourself. It's enjoying a healthy breakfast and not drinking your calories. But most of all, eating supportively is enjoying the foods you love in moderation instead of in excess.
If eating supportively is the first secret to a flat stomach, then what's the second?
The second flat stomach secret is resistance training. Unfortunately, just as fad diets have stood in the path of women achieving the flat stomachs they so desired, so have the myths of spot reduction and cardio being the best method for fat loss.
Late-night infomercials have long promoted gadgets that promise to spot reduce those trouble areas that women struggle with and sucked us in with testimonials from fitness models that undoubtedly picked up a nifty paycheck for endorsing their wares.
But spot reduction is a myth. Think about it: Have you ever met someone with a flat stomach and fat arms? Didn't think so. If spot reduction was possible, then undoubtedly none of these happy customers would have toned and tightened their stomach, yet kept their flabby arms.
The other myth that has led women astray is the belief that cardio is the best solution for fat loss. Treadmill manufacturers have sold the virtues of the “fat burning zone” and led us to believe that we could plod along on a treadmill watching Oprah and before long a flat stomach would be ours.
These two myths have diverted us from the path of what really does work – resistance training. Resistance training is a flat stomach's best friend because not only does an effective resistance training session burn plenty of calories while you're doing it, but it keeps your metabolism revved long after you're done. One recent study showed that your metabolism would stay elevated for over 36 hours after a resistance training session.
Try to get that out of an aerobics class.
And there's another benefit of resistance training when it comes to getting a flat stomach. The lean muscle that you gain will raise your resting metabolic rate and help you burn more fat all day long, each and every day.
There you have it, two “secrets” that are guaranteed to boost your metabolism and give you that flat stomach you've been longing for. So ditch the diet books and the aerobics classes and start eating supportively and doing resistance training. Before long that flat stomach will finally be yours.
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Holly Rigsby is a women’s fitness coach, certified personal trainer and the author of Fit Yummy Mummy - Burn Your Baby Fat & Get Your Body Back. Click Here to get your free copy of her special report, "The Five Ways to Boost Your Metabolism."
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