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A simple way to tighten your tummy

                          (By Lisa Sarah John, Courtesy Bangalore Times, Feb 26, 2007)

One of the biggest questions in the world is how to lose fat from one particular spot in the body. About 10 per cent of people are gifted with perfectly proportioned bodies. The rest tend to have excess fat deposited in any one area of the body. Most people have excess fat on the abdomen.

That there is no natural way to reduce fat in any specific part of the body. Exercising a specific spot, massaging or applying pressure to it cannot make fat disappear from there. When you lose weight, you lose weight uniformly from head to toe.

However, the more the fat deposited in a spot, the more you will lose from there.

But exercises like crunches and abdominals are not a total waste. They are only meant to tighten the muscles in that area, and when that happens, you may notice a difference of one inch but not more. Only when the kilograms of fat lying under the skin in that spot are removed will you see a great difference.

But the wall of the abdomen should not sag and look ugly.

There’s a simple exercise to remedy that: Every now and then straighten your shoulders and back and pull in or tighten the muscles of your tummy. Please do not hold your breath but only contract the muscles and hold it like that for 20 seconds to a minute. You will look a centimeter taller and your tummy will appear flatter.

This exercise must be done several times a day, whenever you can, wherever you can —in your office chair, standing in the kitchen, when walking or talking. If you are attempting any kind of weight loss make sure you start this exercise along with it. If you lose 3 kgs, at least 1 kg may be removed from the abdomen.
Your abs and crunches, toe touching, sit-ups, and other exercises are also useful but they are done only for 5-10 minutes in the morning or evening, and during the remaining 15 hours the muscle is relaxed. This exercise can be done throughout the day and every hour and therefore is far more effective. Wearing a belt will not do this contraction for you even though the belt is tight because the muscle is not. You have to tighten and contract it.

Liposuction is another method by which fat is surgically removed from aparticular area. But it’s an expensive method and a surgery. Also if you have not learnt to control your eating and change your lifestyle and put on weight after the procedure, the fat will again get deposited in those places.

Reduce intake of fatty foods, eat regular balanced meals, eat plenty of fiber in whole cereals, fruits and vegetables, drink 2-3 liters of water, walk at least 20-30 minutes per day and tighten tummy to be healthy and look fit and smart.

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