8 Everyday Ways to Trim Your Midsection
No matter your age, no matter the time of year, everybody wants to look and feel better in their midsection. Most people think if they do an endless amount of crunches and sit-ups their abs will pop out and they will have an extremely strong sexy looking midsection. Well, the days of crunches and boring sit-ups are in the past, and as a matter of fact, there are some easy effective ways you can work on that midsection everyday with no equipment, better nutrition, and increased sleep. Here are 8 tips to use everyday to a better midsection.
1) Start every morning off with a plank. Shoot for 60 seconds to 3 minutes. Rest if you need to, go on your knees if you need to, engage the core, squeeze the glutes and a keep a flat back.
2) Work your core throughout the day - Engage your abs by doing isometric contractions (similar to a plank). Pull your abs in and squeeze, hold for a few seconds then release. Repeat throughout the day.
3) Limit your simple carbs, and keep any type of carbs down to minimum after 6pm.
4) Eat lots of green leafy vegetables.
5) One time during the day, lay on your back, place your hands under your glutes if needed, raise your legs up 12 inches off the ground, and hold for as long as you can. Engage your core the entire time.
6) Sleep: Getting the right amount of shut-eye helps. In one study, people who got 6 to 7 hours of sleep per night gained less visceral fat over 5 years compared to those who slept 5 or fewer hours per night or 8 or more hours per night. Sleep may not have been the only thing that mattered -- but it was part of the picture.
7) Stay away from sugary drinks: sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, etc.
8) Do some sort of physical activity, whether it be exercise or gardening. Just get moving! How does that saying go? Oh yeah, “get busy moving or get busy dying”.