10 Easy Ways to Flatten Your Belly

10 Easy Ways To Flatten Your Belly

Provided by Prevention

1. Eat a bowl of raspberries.
Packed with fiber, they fight constipation (which can swell your midsection like a balloon).

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2. Drink lots of water.
It's filling, calorie-free, and it keeps your metabolism running in high gear.

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3. Skip the cocktails.
Sure, alcohol may be fat-free, but it's loaded with calories. It can also raise your levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that helps your belly store fat.

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4. Sit up straight.
Hunching forward makes your belly look bigger. For a slimming effect that actually trains the stomach-supporting muscles to stay taut, sit with your shoulders back, chin up and lower back supported against the chair.

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5. Plant a garden.
All the bending, lifting and twisting help shape your middle, and you'll burn about 350 calories an hour.

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6. Move your hips.
Hula-hooping works on the same calorie-burning, waist-whittling principle as gardening -- but with less dirt.

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7. Hit the greens.
Ditching the golf cart earns you a walking workout; whacking the ball tones and tightens your midriff.

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8. Get a leg up.
Crunches with your legs raised tone the upper portion of your ab muscles. Lie on your back with your legs propped up on a bed or chair. Curl up slowly, raising your head, shoulders and upper back off the floor, then slowly lower. Do 10 to 12 repetitions, two or three times a week.

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9. Reverse that crunch.
To tighten your tummy from a different angle, lie on the floor with your arms at your sides, feet off the floor, and your legs and knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Contract your abdominals and press your back into the floor, lifting your hips about two to four inches off the floor. Hold, then lower. Do 10 to 12 repetitions, two or three times a week.

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10. Do crossover crunches.
To work the muscles that define your waistline (the obliques), lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your right ankle on your left knee and your hands behind your head, elbows pointing out. Lifting your head and upper back off the floor, twist and bring your left shoulder toward your right knee. Hold, then slowly lower. Do 10 to 12 repetitions, then repeat on the other side. Do two or three times a week.

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