Our Team Bikini campaign launched earlier this week with advice on how to get shapely arms.
The tummy is next on our ‘Tone-up List.’ A notoriously difficult area to tone, the tum is one of the areas women are very conscious about when it comes to donning a bikini. So, naturally, we’ve come up with some fat-busting methods for you to get bikini-ready and dare we say, ab-alicious.
Avoid the bloat with the following diet tips:
Cut out fizzy drinks; all those bubbles will go straight to your belly.
Don’t be fooled by some seemingly tummy friendly foods! Dried fruits and sprouts are more likely to create wind in your gut than washboard abs.
Salt makes you retain more fluid so you bloat more easily. This can also contribute to a sluggish feeling, a puffy appearance and the illusion of extra weight
Throw out the chewing gum! Gum makes you swallow air and that gets trapped in your stomach, which can cause even more bloating!
Similarly, fried foods are only digestible at a very slow rate – this can cause you to feel bloated so cutting these out entirely is a great start.
Eat regularly. You would imagine cutting out food altogether would lead to a lithe middle but long gaps between meals, smoking and drinking alcohol or coffee on an empty stomach will make your bloating worse.
Avoid the bloat with the following star tips:
While practising yoga Gwyneth Paltrow firms her middle by keeping her back straight and abs tight while moving from a standing to seated posture.
Hula hoop your way to a better tummy Madonna style
You might also want to try celebrity life coach Ali Campbell’s quick fix for a flat tummy - he was previously an athlete:
‘Tighten your tummy muscles, before holding and releasing them 15 times.
‘If you’re feeling really ambitious combine bum and tummy clenches… Please try this at home first - looking like you’re laying an egg in the office is never a good look!‘
Avoid the bloat with the plank:
Include the Plank into your workout routine. The Plank works the abdominal muscle - the muscle responsible for holding the stomach in and supporting posture.
Position your forearms and toes on the floor and keep the rest of your body above the ground. Ensure your back as flat as possible. Your head should be down and in line with your spine.
Stay in this position as long as you can bear it. Remember, no pain no gain!
Before we leave you to your tummy sculpting, remember it all comes down to consuming less calories than you are burning and then toning up your core muscles!
By Amy Nickell