Proven Tips for Flatter Abs

It's easier to find the proverbial needle in a haystack than to flatten your abs. But judging by the number of ads on your television advertising products to do just that, it seems to concern a whole lot of people.

But a word of caution, those six packs that the guys and gals are sporting on the commercials don't come from people who have pot bellies. All the ab crunches and exercise machines in the world won't take fat off of your midsection. As a matter of fact, building up the muscles underneath your fat belly only makes it protrude even further than it already does.

My two older brothers used to have the biggest "beer" bellies that I have ever seen. Their attitude was that it was sort of like a trophy. They both worked hard and spent a lot of money to get them. One year they even compared them side by side. I have the picture in my scrapbook. But not everyone is an ex-biker or an ex-marine, so if you're serious about getting those flat abs, here are a few tips that just might work:

According to WebMD here are some proven tips to make your stomach flatter and you don't have to go out and buy an expensive machine to do it.

Work on your posture. When you slouch, it makes your stomach protrude. The secret to good posture is sort of like the "bones" song, you know, the one that goes: "the thighbone's connected the knee bone, the knee bone's connected to the leg bone, etc."

Align your ears over your shoulder bones, your shoulder bones over your hipbones, your hipbones over your knee bones, and your knee bones over your anklebones. Keep your neck straight and lift your shoulders and let them fall naturally into place. You'll find that is not the way that your normally carry them.

Don't just concentrate on your abs. You need whole body exercise to lose weight all over your body and you MUST do this to lose that belly fat. There is no such thing as "spot" reducing. Think Pilates.

Like I said before, and this is a very important point, you have to work on your diet as well as doing exercises. But avoid the fad diets, most of them don't work and some can even be dangerous to your health. You want your weight loss to be gradual and remember, there are no "diet pills" that really work, except maybe the ones that make you feel full and I'm not so sure about their safety either.

The only way to lose weight is to eat a sensible diet with smaller portions. The reason that we Americans are the fattest people on the earth (and have more pot belies) is that we simply eat too much. Look at the serving sizes in a French restaurant and then check out "Big Bob's Beef House."

Losing weight and getting flatter abs takes time. It's probably a good idea to join an exercise group and work out with other people. That way you will stay motivated.

Source: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/slideshow-9-tips-flat-abs