7 ways to blitz tummy fat

If a flat tum is top of your summer wish list, we’ve got you covered.

While you can’t specifically target fat on your stomach with exercise, you can take smart steps to reduce all-over body fat. Here are 7 ways to blitz tummy fat

 1. Steer clear of processed foods
Ready meals, shop-bough sandwiches and lunches, and ready-made sauces are packed with hidden salts, sugars and all manner of ingredients that will see you packing on weight around your middle. Cooking from scratch is the best solution. You know exactly what you’re eating and you can also control your portion size. Giving yourself a complete break from these muffin-top makers and enjoying a diet packed with veggies, chicken and fish will see that belly slim down in not time. ‘Eat rubbish look rubbish, eat good look good,’ says co-owner and head trainer of Project Fit Joel Hilton. We couldn’t agree more!

 2. Chill out
Stress can be a major contributor to belly fat. When you feel stressed your body produces cortisol – a hormone that encourages your body to store fat around your middle. Need to get a handle on your stress levels? Regular yoga classes are a great way to manage stress in the long term – try our ‘wind down without the wine’ yoga sesh to chill out after a tough day at work. For a short-term fix, book yourself in for a massage, treat yourself to a long bath and try to peel yourself away from your phone, computer and iPad to switch off from the world around you. Tuck into magnesium-rich foods too such as leafy veg, nuts and seeds.

3. Embrace total-body moves
While it may seem tempting to blitz your abs in a bid to get a flat tum, you’d be barking up the wrong tree. Doing thousands of sit-ups will have no impact whatsoever on the shape of your mid-section if your abs are covered in a layer of fat. Sit-ups will certainly tone the muscle, but it won’t burn fat and you won’t get the results you’re after. Instead opt for full-body moves to up your fat burn. ‘Big total-body moves are the best thing for burning fat,’ says Joel. Try burpees, squat jumps and clean and presses. Or check out one of our fat-burning workouts here.

 4. Stay off the booze
Alcohol is a huge contributing factor to belly fat. It’s packed with calories, plus it can lead to cravings for rubbish food the next day – who hasn’t abandoned their salad in favour of a pizza or fry up on a hangover? If you’re going out for the night, drink moderately, drink plenty of water and opt for lighter drinks such as gin and tonics or vodka-based drinks.

5. Up the intensity
A bit of high-intensity exercise is a great way to blast fat all over your body and see your stomach shrink. The idea is that you go flat out for a short period of time, then have a short rest period, then go flat out again. Working in this way gets your heart rate up and burns more fat than exercising at a steady pace. ‘The demands that high intensity work puts on your body and heart force the body to burn lots of calories and therefore lots of body fat,’ says Joel. Check out our awesome fat-blasting high-intensity workout here.

6. Get your beauty sleep
A lack of sleep can lead to stress and increased levels of cortisol, too, but it can also make you hungry as your hormones battle to keep you awake and full of energy. This can see you bingeing the day after a bad night – skipping your healthy meals in favour of high-energy, quick fix snacks. It can also make you more reliant on coffee, which stresses the body and could in turn make you put on weight. Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. If you’re struggling to nod off, check out our top tips for getting a good night’s sleep.

7. Cut the sweet stuff
Sugar is a huge contributing factor to weight gain and we’re not just talking chocolate, cake and sweet treats – although, yes we are talking about those! – we’re talking about hidden sugars in refined carbs – white bread, pasta and rice – fruit juice and fizzy drinks and condiments like ketchup and honey. Steer clear to slim that tum in no time.

If you’re really serious about getting a flat tum in time for summer, why not try our 2-week flat belly diet?