How to Get a Flat Stomach in 7 Days: Exercises, Diet Tips, & More
Getting a flat stomach in just a week is an ambitious goal, but if you commit to a diet and exercise routine, you can see a difference after just 7 days. Keep reading to learn the best exercises, foods, and drinks to incorporate into your routine for a flatter stomach fast.
Things You Should Know
Do cardio exercises, like running, swimming, or jogging throughout the week.
Target your ab muscles with exercises like crunches and planks.
Eat small meals every 2 to 3 hours to stay full for longer.
Reduce bloating with potassium-rich foods, like mangoes, cantaloupe, and papaya.
Method
1Exercise
Curl Up: Lie flat on a mat with your knees bent and your heels pressed into the mat to stabilize your body. Tilt your torso so your lower back stays pressed into the mat as well. Put your arms behind your head and keep your elbows pressed back, then curl your torso upward, being sure your lower back stays against the mat the whole time.
Pelvic Tilt Crunch: Lie face up on a stability ball with your back and head pressed into the ball, your feet together on the floor and a 5 to 10 lb (2.3 to 4.5 kg) dumbbell or medicine ball in your hands positioned against your chest. Tighten your abs and crunch up until your shoulders are off the ball. Then use both hands to reach the dumbbell or the medicine ball up toward the ceiling. Do 3 sets of 12 15 reps resting for 30 seconds between each set.
Arms Over Straight Leg Crunch: Grab a pair of 10 to 12 lb (4.5 to 5.4 kg) dumbbells and lie on your back with your arms behind you and your legs extended and raised to a 45 degree angle. Bring your arms up over your chest and lift your shoulders off the mat while raising your legs until they're perpendicular to the floor. Return to your starting position without letting your legs touch the floor. Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions with a 30-second rest period between sets.
Work your core to strengthen your abs. Your core is made up of your abdominal muscles
plus the muscles of your lower back, pelvic floor and hips more than 15 muscles in all. To work toward a flat stomach, do core exercises that target all of these muscles.
Side Plank: Lie on your left side with your elbow directly beneath your shoulder and your legs stacked one on top of the other. Place your right hand on your left shoulder or on your
right hip. Tighten your abs and lift your hips off the floor until you're balancing on your
forearm and feet so that your body forms a diagonal line. Hold for 30 to 45 seconds. Repeat on theopposite side.
If you can’t hold the pose for 30 to 45 seconds, stay up as long as you can and work your way up.
Push-up Walkout: Get on the floor in a push-up position and place your hands so they're two inches wider than your shoulders. Keeping
your feet in place, walk your hands out as far as possible, then walk back. Do 10-12 reps.
For more of a challenge, lift one leg before you walk your hands out and back.
Climbing Rope: Sit down with your legs extended out in front of you and your feet turned out in a V position. Point your toes. Contract your core muscles and roll your spine into a C-
curve. Lift your arms up and move them as if you were climbing a rope twisting slightly with each reach. Do 20 reaches with each arm.
Practice cardio throughout the week. Nothing beats aerobic exercise in the battle against belly fat. A study by Duke University found that aerobic exercise was the most effective way to burn deep,
visceral belly fat and that aerobic workouts burn 67% more calories than resistance training or a regimen
that combines cardio and resistance.
Try to get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic activity (like brisk walking or swimming), or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity (like running or jogging). To lose weight faster, increase the intensity or the duration of your workouts.
You can't spot reduce fat away from a certain area, so you don't have to worry about only doing
exercises that tone your stomach. Instead, pay close attention to your diet and follow a balanced workout plan that targets your overall body.
Method2Diet
Eat small meals every 2 to 3 hours. Instead of 3 large meals that can fill your belly and tax your digestive system, eat small, frequent meals or snacks. Eat your meals about 2 to 3 hours apart; they'll
take up less space in your stomach, cause less expansion, keep your metabolism up and keep you
feeling full.
Try to avoid snacking while you’re bored or eating without thinking about it. The more you can eat mindfully, the faster you’ll reach your weight loss goals.
Eat highfiber foods to feel full longer. Many high fiber foods, such as broccoli, beans, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower will fill your stomach and keep you feeling full. Try to incorporate 25 to 38
grams of fiber into your diet every day for healthy, balanced meals.
High-fiber foods tend to make some people feel bloated or gassy. Fight back against gas producing foods by using Beano, which contains an enzyme that helps to break down complex
sugars found in beans and cruciferous vegetables so that they can be digested more easily.
Eat small portions of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. While raw vegetables and fruits are great choices for overall health, they cause your stomach to stretch, so it's best to eat them in 80 gram (1/3 cup) portions spread throughout the day. Or, stick to cooked vegetables
to reduce bloating.
Aim for 5 portions of fruits and veggies per day that are around 80 grams each.
Watch out for dairy that is hidden in the ingredients list. Sausages, deli meat, protein bars, chips, and salad dressings often contain dairy.[10]
If you’re eating yogurt for probiotics, swap it out with a different probiotic food, like miso soup or sauerkraut.
Choose potassiumrich foods to reduce bloating. Eat high potassium foods
including avocado, mini bananas, papaya, mango, cantaloupe and nonfat yogurt
(made without artificial sweeteners). Potassium is a natural diuretic, so it will help reduce water retention and puffiness.
Eat mango on its own or with other probiotic foods, like yogurt.
Limit the amount of refined carbs you eat. Following a low carb diet can help you lose
weight, especially in the short term. Focus on eating lean protein (like turkey, chicken, and fish) and starchy vegetables. Try to avoid refined carbs, like white bread, pizza dough, pastries, and most breakfast cereals.
Your body needs carbs to aid in digestion and give you energy. Choose natural carbs, like whole grains, legumes, and seeds to help you lose weight while staying healthy.