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4 Secrets to A Flat Stomach
by Jesse Cannone
http://www.achieve-fitness.com/
Do you want a flat stomach? I don't know a person who
doesn't!
People spend millions, if not billions of dollars, each
year in the quest for a flat stomach. Right now there are
about 200 or more ab exercise devices out there. There's
the ab do-it, the ab rock-it, the ab roller, the ab dolly,
and so many more. You would think that with all of these
amazing new products that most people would be walking
around with that nice, lean mid-section they've always
wanted. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

Most, if not all of these products, will do little or
nothing to flatten your stomach. And that's because these
exercise contraptions cannot eliminate the layer of fat
that lies on top of your abs.

In order to be successful at thinning your waistline you
must have a basic under standing of how the ab muscles
function and how your body burns fat. The first thing that
needs to be understood is the difference between fat and
muscle. Fat is excess calories and is primarily stored in
layers on top of muscle tissue. Muscle is made up of
fibers that contract or shorten to produce movement. Fat
cannot turn into muscle and muscle cannot turn into fat!
However, you can lose muscle and you can gain fat. That's
what happens to most people.

So if your goal is to thin your waist line and have a nice
flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease /
eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. We
all have a flat stomach; it's just some of oar's are
covered by excess fat.

The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a
combination of strength training (with a extra focus on mid-
section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts),
and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional
fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for
fuel).

1. You must do some form of progressive strength training

The primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso
forward. However, there are also muscles that flex your
torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso.
Often times you see people on their ab roller every day
doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.

If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need
to incorporate the following types of exercises:

1-1 forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)
1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches,
etc.)
1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing
twists, etc.)
The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be
worked at most 3 times per week. You also want to make
sure you are training them progressively, working them
harder each time.

2. Use short, hard cardio workouts to increase metabolism
Cardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done
correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or
more! This means you are less likely to store any excess
calories as body fat because they are more likely to be
used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more
likely to burn off some excess body fat.

Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with
just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming,
stair climbing, etc.).

Warm up at easy pace 2-5 minutes ~ Perform 30 seconds of
hard work (almost as hard as possible) ~ perform 1 minute
of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath)~ Repeat this
process 6-10 times ~ Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5
minutes

3. Stable blood sugar is the key
And most importantly, you must stabilize your blood sugar!
This is by far the most important factor when it comes to
burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To
effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your
body frequently; like every 2-3 hours. The key is to give
your body only what it needs at that time. Your body burns
calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it
once or twice a day? Give your body the fuel it needs:
vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean
proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.).

Many people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or
how healthy of a choice it is. Calories are calories and
it doesn't matter where they come from. If there's extra-
where's it going? Yup, you guessed it- body fat!

This is not to say that what you eat is not important
because it is, it just doesn't have that much of an affect
when it comes to fat loss. Try to make healthy choices
whenever possible, but don't feel like if you eat a
cheeseburger it is guaranteed to be stored as fat.

4. Get the help of a professional
Unfortunately, most people don't know enough about the
human body, nutrition, or effective exercise to meet their
health and fitness goals. Ask yourself this one
question, "Am I happy with my current progress or
condition?" If you're not, you should consider getting the
help of a qualified personal fitness professional. Don't
depend on the information you get from magazines or from
your local gym/ health club. A qualified fitness
professional can help you achieve your health and fitness
goals, and in less time than you would imagine.

If you are serious about your health and fitness goals, and
you are ready for that flat stomach, I recommend you start
implementing the 4 strategies listed in this article.
These 4 strategies can help you take control of your
metabolism and burn off that excess body fat and having you
looking and feeling great! If you would like to receive
more information on how to lose those love handles please
call me at 240-731-3724 or e-mail me at jesse@achieve-
fitness.com

Jesse Cannone is a certified personal fitness trainer, post-
rehab specialist, nutritionist, and a national fitness
presenter. He is also the author of Burn Fat FAST and A
Bride's Guide To Fast Fitness + Weight Loss in addition to
many other popular fitness articles. He is known for his
hard-hitting and to the point style and offers a great free
email newsletter called Fitness Success News, which you can
subscribe to at his website http://www.achieve-fitness.com

This website is hosted by a consultant who is presently conducting Research Project on this subject.