4 DON'TS of toning your abdominal muscles

Don't resort to extreme diet.

There is a lot of information and advice out there for getting a toned midsection and a flat belly -- all of which may not be true. To help you out on the path to healthier weight loss fitness expert Roshni Shah tells you the dont's of toning your midsection.

Don t overdo exercising: Do not start by running 10 kilometres a day. Exercise can stress you out of you overdo it. You may initially see results by running 10 kilometres a day, but you are only setting yourself up for injury and fatigue. Instead, you can increase your calorie burn by doing physical activities all day long. For example, you can just go for a walk after lunch or take the stairs to reach office.

Don t perform exclusive exercise: Also, do not turn exclusively to sit-ups and crunches to burn your belly fat. You may strengthen your abdominal muscles with these exercises, but you will not see any visible results with them. In fact, crunches can put your spine health at risk. Instead, perform compound exercises that utilise your butt and thighs. Exercises like squats and lunges torch calories and have so many variations that they can be perfect for any level of fitness. Also, spot training (exercises that target specific body parts) won t help you burn fat. Complement your exercise routine with a few weight training exercises to lose gradually weight and tone your body. Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles with these exercises.

Don t fall into the trap of weight loss hacks: Do not allow yourself to fall into the hacks for fast weight loss as there can be no shortcut to weight loss. Apart from diet and exercise, you need to manage your lifestyle factors like sleep and stress to whittle your waistline. Try these exercises for stronger core muscles.

Don t resort to extreme diets: Also, do not resort to extreme meal plans. Meal plans that restrict you to less than 1200 calories per day are not sustainable. Just eat a balanced diet and make sure that you eat all your meals on time. Also, there is a common myth that low-fat foods will aid in low-calorie consumption. Most of these low-fat foods contain added sugar that can fill you up with more calories. For a flat belly, eat foods cooked in healthy unsaturated fats like rice bran oil and olive oil.

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