It's that awkward time of year when you feel incredibly bloated and like your gut is sticking out at all times, but it's not quite time to start the New Year's Resolution yet. (You still have more holiday eating to do!) If you're like most people, you're spending this week wondering how to get that flat stomach feeling without totally overhauling your lifestyle just yet. Should you be drinking flat tummy water or doing a few quick crunches to see instant results? It turns out the answer to the second part is a definitive NO. According to certified trainer Maria Brilaki, it's a common misconception that certain exercises will help you get a flat stomach. In fact, they are a total waste of time and you should be spending your time doing something else to get that flat tummy.
Click to find out what the WORST exercises for a flat stomach are, and what you should be doing instead -- >
The answer: Crunches!
The answer is crunches and other ab exercise! What?!
"Unfortunately, crunches is one of the worst exercises ever for belly fat loss," writes certified trainer Maria Brilaki. "Most abs exercises keep you busy with their countless repetitions, but are in fact very superficial. They don’t deeply work your abs, and they don’t help you with getting flat abs."
Brilaki also says that abs are no good because they are "too specific." You could be using that time to do an exercise that works more muscles (remember, more muscles means that you are burning more calories all the time).
Yikes! So, what should you do instead? Click to find out what Brilaki says is the most effective way to get that flat stomach afterall.
1. Push Ups and Pull Ups!
"The two most popular exercises that will give you a flat belly, but are not classified as 'abs exercises' are push ups and pulls ups."
Wow! Who would have thought? According to Brilaki, pull ups and push ups are amazing for abs because they both work multiple muscle groups and both contain a cardiovascular component, aka they will make you heart beat faster as you do them. The faster your heart beats, the more calories burn and the more FAT you lose (that's what we all want, right?).
And there's one more *really important* component to getting a flat stomach. What is it? Click to find out this crucial step:
2. Better diet.
The answer is to eat better.
"Nutrition is 80% of fat loss," says Brilaki. "If you want to keep eating what you are already eating, but lose weight, then you will have to exercise for HOURS and HOURS, and you may still get minimal results."
So, there you have it. The worst exercise for getting a flat stomach (crunches and other "ab exercises) and the best (push ups, pull ups, and calorie intake).
Will you try more push ups this week? Leave a comment below and let us know how you plan to lose the winter weight!
READ MORE: The One Reason Why You Should Join A Gym BEFORE New Year's Day
