1. Start eating six smaller meals a day, about two or three hours apart. Eating more frequent meals help to suppress hunger, stabilize blood sugar and can help build metabolically active muscle. This technique helps elevate your metabolic rate which declines as we age.
2. Eat more lean proteins such as fish, turkey or chicken. For carbohydrates, choose oatmeal, brown rice, whole-grain breads or pastas and fresh fruits and vegetables. Don't forget healthy fats from sources like flaxseed or fish oil, avocado, natural peanut butter or olive oil. Select clean foods that do not readily store as body fat which is important as our metabolism slows and our bodies tends to store more fat with fewer calories.
3. Increase your protein intake. Taking in more protein fights the metabolic decline and muscle wasting that occurs as we age.
4. Take in more calcium and dietary fiber. As carb intakes are reduced, fiber intake can decrease as well. Consider a fiber supplement. Limit sodium intake, especially if you have high blood pressure, to keep from storing excess fluid, which can hide a flat stomach with bloating.
5. A few hours of lifting weights a week can help build muscle in your body. Resistance training workouts three to five days a week is ideal. Weight lifting maintains strong bones, elevates fat-burning hormones, builds muscle and speeds up metabolism as well as keeping your metabolic rate up for up to 48 hours afterward. Some women think they'll bulk up with weight training but that is a myth.
6. Doing cardio workout for 30 minutes up to six days per week will increase stamina and burn extra fat, including that layer cover your flat ab muscles. You can do low-impact cardio, such as the elliptical machine, swimming or walking on the treadmill.
7. Ab workout exercises such bicycles and crunches are very helpful. You can use a medicine ball and do trunk rotations to target the muscles of your upper and lower abs. Try to work your obliques as well.
8. Try to reduce your stress. I know, easier said than done! But try working less, fewer hours and finding healthy ways to bring down your stress levels. Yoga is an excellent workout that not only can work your body but also help you relax. Too much alcohol can increase cortisol level and increase belly fat, not to mention all the extra calories you're taking in.
9. Try not to consume caffeine after 6PM. Although caffeinated beverages can enhance fat-burning when consumed around exercise, caffeine can increase cortisol as well as keep you from getting a good night’s sleep. Quality sleep can help reduce cortisol levels as well.
10. Take time to "unplug". Those who spend more time plugged into technology (TV, smartphones, computers, etc) tend to be more stressed than those who don't. More stress = more belly fat, so if you want a trim belly start planning some device-free time each day.
Bottom line: getting and keeping a flat belly is not out of reach for you, even now as you get older. By just making a few small changes to your lifestyle you can start seeing sexy flat again. Eat well, avoid stress, get your cardio in to burn the fat on top of your gut, avoid the bloat, sleep well and keep your cortisol levels in check. Anything is possible if you put the effort in.
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