ShareItFitness.com member Angelica T. showing off her flat tummy

Before we even get started, I’ve got to get a couple of things out of the way upfront…The Flat Tummy Formula is intense.  It’s strict, it’s tough, it’s demanding, it’s (fill in the blank).  I get it.  When I developed this 5 step formula to help you burn belly fat and slim down your midsection, I knew what I was asking of you.  I knew a lot of you would fizzle out and not be able to stick to the formula.

The bright side of this  is it really, absolutely, positively, WILL work for you if you can stick to this formula.  I’ve benefitted from being able to test this thing out on family, friends, clients, and even myself over the past 10 years and have found the keys to unlocking “six-pack abs” and making your belly fat a thing of the past.

At the end of the day, like almost all things fitness related, it comes down to how bad you want it.  How bad do you want to have a flat stomach?  How bad do you want to not feel self-conscious?  How bad do you really want that fried chicken?  Do you want it more than a tight and toned midsection?  Truthfully answer questions like that and you’ll have a good idea if this formula is going to be “too tough” for you to follow.

Burning Belly Fat

1. Cut Sugar and Simple Carbs NOW.  Sugar, high-fructose corn syrup…it’s all junk.  Sugar and other simple carbs) has been shown to have a negative impact on belly fat due to the havoc they wreak on your blood sugar levels.  Avoid the insulin spike, avoid the fat retention, and avoid all the other ugly side effects this white devil brings on.  You want to get serious about your diet?  Stop eating unnecessary sugar; sugar is bad for belly fat.  Now, I do realize fruit contains sugar.  I’m not anti-fruit, I’m just anti-over doing it with fruit.  Be cognizant to the fact that even though fruit is healthy, it still contains insulin-spiking sugars that will cause you trouble if you consume too much.  Shoot for no more than 25 grams per day; with less being even better.
2. HIIT Cardio 3x a Week.  HIIT cardio, i.e. short bursts of all out intensity followed by longer and more relaxed periods (:30 all out sprint/1:30 jog/repeat 15 times) is THE most effective way to burn fat.  Long and slow bouts of cardio aren’t going to get you where you want to be.  Go with HIIT sprinting and possibly a day of HIIT cycling (on a stationary or actual bike).  A Monday/Wednesday/Friday set up for your HIIT cardio would be fantastic.  Aim to keep sessions around 20-30 minutes to start with an eye on gradually increasing to a full 45 minutes.
3. Complex Workouts 2X a Week.  Complex workouts are quite possibly the most effective way to get additional cardio AND train your muscles.  This short but intense style of work is excellent at trimming fat, improving endurance, and helping you build lean muscle.  Remember, adding lean muscle mass to your body will help boost your metabolism, which in turn will help your body burn more calories than it otherwise would.  A heightened metabolism is the key to losing your belly fat for good.
4. Abdominal work 3x a Week.  Ab workouts should be in the 15-20 minute range.  Feel free to tack these on the end of your other workouts, or complete them on off days.  Just be sure to give yourself 48 hours between ab workouts.  If you have access to a gym, day 1 should be heavy.  Do decline crunches while holding a plate, use the weighted crunch machine, perform side bends with a heavy plate in your hand..you get the idea.  Day 2 should be high repetition.   Shoot for 30-40 reps of bicycle crunches, leg up crunches, in/outs, etc.  Day 3, get yourself a $7 ab wheel and just roll it out.  The movement an ab wheel requires hits the abs better than almost any other core exercise in my opinion.
5. Intermittent Fasting.  Intermittent fasting involves a 18-24 hour fast every so often.  Some do it every other day, some do it once a week.  I find once every 4-5 days is most effective.  And before people get all up in arms about this approach, there have been numerous studies that suggest a reduced calorie diet will lead to longer life spans.  Read about intermittent fasting and increase life spans here or check out this study on intermittent fasting and disease prevention to get a better idea of how some of the medical community views this approach.  Personally, this was one of the biggest factors for a lot of people I’ve worked with.  Take your time to do due diligence and see if IF is right for you.

I should add, there is actually a sixth, unofficial step in this formula.  That step is having PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE.  The changes you want aren’t going to come over night.  They aren’t even going to come in a month.  Getting the midsection I know you want is going to take several months of work.  But in the grand scheme…what is a few months?  It’s nothing.

There are going to be days you don’t want to do the workouts.  There are going to be days you want to eat a carton of ice cream.  There are going to be days you swear this formula isn’t doing anything for you and you curse my name.  All of those feelings and emotions will pass.  The people with the greatest success do NOT allow themselves to make knee-jerk decisions or react to emotional thoughts.  Persevere even when you feel you are wasting your time and you will soon find these negative thoughts easier to ignore.  Eliminating negative thoughts and overcoming burnout is the key to achieving success on any fitness plan, whatever your goals are.  Give this plan a solid 3 months.  Make the changes, do the workouts, and give it your all, and I guarantee, without a shadow of a doubt, you will have MUCH flatter, tighter, and a more defined midsection than you do today.

Looking for Additional Support?

Need some help with workout ideas or just want to connect with and hear from other people already using the Flat Tummy Formula?  Come on over to our full site, www.shareitfitness.com, and sign up for your FREE premium membership.  We’ve got hundreds of full-length (15-60 minutes) OnDemand workouts at your fingertips, a supportive community forum, and access to live health/fitness professionals ready to answer your questions or assist you. Membership will be free for a little while longer, so hurry up and sign up before it’s too late.

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Matt

Co-Founder at Share It Fitness

Matt has been involved in the fitness industry for over 10 years and has worked with, and helped countless individuals improve their lives. After college, Matt started his fitness career working in the trenches as a personal trainer for a big corporate gym. It was here he saw how impersonal Big Fitness really was. Clients weren't people, they were just sales waiting to be made. After branching out and starting his own personal training business in San Diego, Matt soon developed the idea of Share It Fitness and started our (now highly successful) blog. A fitness junkie himself, Matt knows the importance of incorporating exercise into your life. When he isn't working at Share It Fitness, you can find Matt running, biking, taking yoga, or pumping iron around San Diego.

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