Include plenty of: Lean meat, such as beef, fish, chicken, or turkey. Lean protein, such as eggs and soybeans (tofu) or other beans. Antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, such as spinach, kale, blueberries, or strawberries. Nuts and seeds, such as walnuts and sunflower seeds (unsalted). Whole grains, such as oatmeal or whole-grain pasta. Try to avoid: Fast-foods. Rich sauces, heavy cream, ice cream, desserts and carbohydrates (bread, starches, etc. ). Sweets, such as candies, cakes, and pastries. Processed foods, such as sweet breakfast cereals, chips, or fish sticks high in sodium. Try not to eat right before you go to bed. Food that gets consumed right before bed often doesn’t have enough time to get metabolized by your body, and so is converted directly into fat. Avoid those late-night snacks!
Cut out all sugary drinks from your diet! Sugary drinks — even those like Diet Coke, or Coke Zero — will not contribute to your overall health like plain, filtered water will. You don’t have to be fanatical about it but try to avoid soft drinks as a general rule. Drink green tea! Green tea is packed with antioxidants, which are instrumental in curbing free radicals — cells in your body that attack other cells and contribute to aging. [3] X Research source Without sugar, green tea is a great way to get some fluids and antioxidants into your body, and it does not contain any calories. Drink a big glass of water or green tea right before a meal. This will give your stomach the illusion of being full, which means that you’re likely to eat less.
Get down in the prone position. The tips of your toes and your forearms — from the bottom of your elbow to your balled-up fist — should be the only parts of your body touching the floor. [4] X Research source Make sure your weight is supported by your toes and your forearms. Keep your body as straight as possible at all times. Hold this position as long as you can. To increase difficulty, an arm or leg can be raised. Place one foot on top of the other to also increase difficulty.
To get into starting position, lie down flat on a matted floor, your head, back and legs completely even with the floor. Shift your hands underneath your glutes. Gently lift your feet an inch or so above the ground, so that they are just barely hovering above, and are parallel to the ground. Keep this position until you start to feel a burn in your abs. Slowly lift your outstretched legs, with your knees bent a touch until they make a 90-degree angle to the floor. Your body should form an “L” shape. When your legs have reached the 90-degree angle, lift your hips up off the floor with the bottoms of your feet facing the ceiling and contract your abs for a second. Gradually lower your legs back down to the starting position, exhale, and repeat. [5] X Research source
Try the hands overhead crunch. Instead of keeping your hands at your temple, do a basic crunch while stretching your arms overhead with your palms crossed. Keep your arms outstretched above your head at all times while you complete the crunch. Try the cross-body crunch. With your hands to the side of your head and your fingertips at your ears, gently behind your head, bring your left elbow and right knee together when you crunch. Go back down and bring the right elbow and left knee together as you crunch. Try to bring your shoulder up towards your knee rather than just your elbow. Remember that the key is to contract the abs as you perform the movement. Try the legs on exercise ball crunch. Instead of having your legs bent on the ground, place your legs at a 90-degree angle onto a large medicine ball. Slowly roll your shoulders off the floor and contract your abs, as in a regular crunch. Move down and repeat. Try the decline crunch. Lie on a decline bench and secure your legs at the highest point so you won’t fall off. Lower yourself down so your body is completely in-line with the bench. With your hands crossed over your chest, gently lift your shoulders up, contract your ab muscles, and hold it for a second. Lower your torso back down and repeat. Try a rotation of crunches. Example: 20 regular, 10 cross-body, 15 hands overhead.
