5 rules of flat abs

Hip raises to help strengthen your butt

Did you know that you can whittle your waist and trim your 'mummy tummy' without doing a single sit-up? If you're the kind of person who regularly does sit-ups and still have tummy flab that just won't go away then you may have to re-think your approach. Try our 5 rules of flat abs to get you started:

1. Attack those hidden core muscles. You can do sit-ups all you want but they only target the superficial muscles - instead, you need to work your transverse abdominis, multifidis and internal obliques. Say whaaaat? To practise engaging the right muscles, lie on your back and place your palms just below your belly button. Exhale and allow your stomach to expand as far as you can, then focus on pulling your belly button towards your spine, drawing your abdomen towards the floor. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 8-10 times.
2. Move your butt. In order to lose your tum, you have to work your bum. Try doing the glute bridge march and hip raises where you raise and lower your bum (see picture at top) to tighten your butt.
3. Eat those flat belly foods. You won't even be able to see your abs if they're under a layer (or more!) of fat, so it's time to excavate them by following these dietary guidelines:
   - Increase your protein. Research has shown that when you trade carbs for an equal amount of protein, you can reduce your overall tummy fat.
   - Cut out sugar. According to the Australian Diabetes Council, the average Aussie eats about 20 teaspoons of sugar every day in processed foods like soft drinks and sugary cereals. That's 1480 empty kilojoules a day!
   - Don't cut out all fat. Choose good fats like olives, nuts, and avocadoes.
   - Be aware of your sodium (salt) intake. Nutritionists suggest you should consume less than 2000 milligrams each day to avoid retaining excess water (most of us have closer to 5000 a day).
4. Stop stressing. High anxiety can produce excess cortisol - a hormone that encourages the body to store extra fat!
5. Work your abs LESS often. Daily ab workouts are not the answer ladies! You'll see benefits quicker if you gives your muscles a day to fully recover between workouts. And stick to 15-20 repetitions of each exercise. Too easy? Then you need to do a harder ab exercise!