"Flat Stomach in 30 days" [derp face emoji]

Image of woman in sporting apparel measuring her waist.

One of the reasons I decided to become an entrepreneur in this space is because of the misinformation used to sell. And people are trying to sell you "flat stomachs" and "6-pack abs" without giving anything realistic to work with. It's not your juicer or your 30 sit-ups a day that is going to do it.

There are some "Big Rocks" in visible abs or "flat stomach" to consider. But first of all, I will say that you need patience and understanding that the shape of our belly areas fluctuates throughout the day let alone the weeks due to gas, food, and water mainly!

Let's define some terminology: Your core are your key muscles of support in the trunk of your body that include your abs, obliques, erector spinae, multifidus, pelvic floor, and diaphragm. People like to see "abs" or the 6-pack section of your core. Which is usually hidden by a layer of subcutaneous fat.

Fitness influencers try to sell you "6-packs" and "flat stomachs or belly". In my article the belly is that visible area of your body that you probably want to change like most people do to look "flat". The stomach is the internal organ in your digestive system that holds and breaks down the food after eating.

Going forward, let's talk about the Big Rocks in order of importance: 1) Nutrition 2) NEAT 3) Abdominal Hypertrophy.

Nutrition is the balance and context of food. Many people carry fat and the way to lose fat is to manage your caloric intake and hunger/satisfaction cues. It is proven that a deficit in calories over a period of time will cause you to use your fat stores for energy.

Another reason bellies might look rounder and less flat is because of water retention, maybe you just ate a meal, or gas/bloating. Foods you eat do influence those factors. It is important to see what foods your body can tolerate (context) and whether or not you are tracking and on a caloric deficit. Tracking your food can help you learn about nutrition and see patterns. Many times, a person has to get below a certain body fat percentage in order for abs to show through and it isn't often feasible for all the time in many people. Because a layer of body fat does influence certain systems in our body for the benefit of our bodies. And a certain amount of fat can be considered healthy.

NEAT is Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. In other words, activities you do throughout the day impact the energy you spend. Movement and activity burn calories. Calories are not fat but a measurement of energy. And fat contains energy. Sometimes when we eat less than what we are used to our bodies become less active in order to conserve. I usually try to manage this by taking walks, purposefully moving. However, then it becomes purposeful, it is no longer NEAT but begins to border on Exercise. But walking in a grocery store, cleaning your house, are NEAT.

Weightlifting will grow your muscles. In abdominal hypertrophy, you can try different things. Of course, the size of your muscles makes them more visible. You can perform resistance training exercises to grow your abdominal muscles. However, you cannot spot reduce fat by doing a bunch of sit ups or crunches to reduce fat. Fat dispersion and reduction are not linked to the exercises performed.

Another benefit of weightlifting and resistance training is that muscle is more metabolic. So, at resting or by just talking a walk, you are requiring more energy from food or fat stores.

Let me know if this helps send you in the right direction. It should save you money too- especially if you were planning on buying the $300 juicer!