Want a flat belly? Do these 6 exercises

Choose the right kind of exercises. Ten minutes is all you need, says Vikas Jain.
Illustrations: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

Photograph: Kind courtesy Disha Patani/Instagram

Your mirror can lie but your belly won't.

Excess carbohydrate that your body consumes gets stored in the body in the form of fat which is used by body while fasting or doing some rigorous exercises.

If the stored fat gets consumed it doesn’t make you look fat, rather your metabolism starts working faster.

But thanks to the food we eat combined by lack of exercise, most of us are gifted with belly fat.

Belly fat or visceral fat is fat that accumulates between your organs like stomach and intestines.

This produces toxins that affect the functioning of your organs and puts you at a high risk of diseases like Type 2 Diabetes.

If you are trying to lose the flab around your waist you have to start by eating a fibre-rich diet.

Make sure you restrict sugar intake, this includes sugar in colas and cold-coffees too. Steer clear of processed foods as these may already be loaded with trans-fats.

Having a toned belly doesn’t rigorous long hour sweating every day. All we need to do is choose the right kind of exercises and 10 minutes of our day.

There are few exercises that can help you have a flat belly.

1. Planks

One of the best exercises that you can do for your core is a plank. It helps to improve your posture by building isometric strength.

Go down on the floor in the press up position. Put the weight on the forearms while bending your elbows.

Form a straight line through your body from shoulders to ankle, suck your belly button into the spine and hold on the position for some time and relax.

In the beginning you may be able to hold the pose only for 8 to 10 seconds.

Don't worry, this will increase as you keep doing this. Repeat the same five-six times.

2. Side Plank

It helps to maintain proper posture and reduce stress on the spine and hence helps to prevent back issues.

Strengthens the abdominal and the back muscles and can be practiced anytime but being consistent is the key here.

Extend your legs and lie on your right side such that your feet and hips rest on the floor on top of each other.

Place your right elbow under your shoulder, while contracting your core muscles lift your hips and knees off the floor.

Hold on to the position for few seconds and come back to the normal position. Repeat the same on the other side.

3. Sit Ups

Strengthening the abdominal muscles is the advantage of this exercise.

Start by lying flat on a floor mat, face up.

You can put your arms behind your head or cross them in front of your torso.

Keep your lower body still and move your upper body towards your knees.

Take a deep breath and exhale as you go up.

Inhale as you bring your body back to the mat.

Make sure your arms are not pushing against your head and neck too much.

You are supposed to use the abdominal muscles to move up and down, so make sure your neck is not strained during this exercise.

Do this 10 to 15 times.

4. Russian Twist

Sit on a floor mat and bend your knees slightly, your heels should be flat on the mat.

Start leaning back till you feel that the muscles of the abdomen are engaged.

You could also come to this position by lying flat on the floor first.

Bend your knees and raising your upper body towards the knees.

You would be creating an imaginary V-shape with your torso and your thighs forming the arms of the V.

Hold your arms straight in front of your face. Slowly twist from one side to the other.

Make sure you are moving with the strength of your abdominal muscles and not your arms alone.

As you get better at this exercise, you could try holding a ball or weights when moving from side to side.

5. Crunches

Crunches are considered as the fastest way to burn the belly fat and are very easy to do at home without any equipment.

They tend to build endurance and power in your belly muscles.

Lie down flat on the floor, place your hand behind your head, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground.

Lift your upper body off the floor, exhale as you go up and inhale as you come down. Repeat, for few minutes and relax.

6. Downward Facing Dog

Photograph: Iveto/Wikimedia Creative Commons

From a high plank, hinge at the waist to push your weight back through your heels until you arrive in a downward-facing dog: legs straight and arms outstretched in front of you, hands shoulder-width apart.

Hold for 10 seconds, pushing your hips back over your heels to feel the stretch in your hamstrings and the backs of your arms.

Return to a high plank and repeat five times.

The author Vikas Jain is managing director, Anytime Fitness.