A flat stomach–we all want one. It makes everything we wear look better. It doesn't matter if it's a tight dress, a T-shirt and jeans, or a summertime bikini, nothing ruins our look faster than a bulging belly.
So what's the best way to tighten up your waistline? Well, it's not the way most people think. But this one easy trick you'll LOVE is the key to those washboard abs you've always wanted …
Read more ¿Qué más?: 5 Super foods to help you lose weight once & for all
It's not by doing hundreds of sit-ups or crunches every day. It's not by chaining yourself to the fancy ab machine at your local gym. You might find this hard to believe, but one of the best things you can do to get a sexy stomach is much easier than exercise–it won't make you sweat. And it won't leave you feeling sore the next day. In fact, it will leave you feeling refreshed and energized.
Because the belly-fat blaster I'm talking about takes place in your comfy bed. And to get those toned abs, all you have to do is get your sleep!
Sounds simple, right?
Yet so many people mess this up. And when you do, no matter how hard you work in the gym, you're going to have a hard time getting rid of that pouch, because lack of sleep causes your body to store belly-fat.
This has to do with a stress hormone called cortisol. When you don't get enough sleep, your body starts producing more cortisol to deal with the stress. This raises your blood sugar… and all that extra sugar is stored as fat!
Cortisol also increases your appetite and causes you to crave carbohydrates and fatty foods. High cortisol levels also shut down your body's production of leptin, which is the hormone that controls hunger. So with high cortisol levels, you'll have to eat much more food in order to feel satisfied.
Those are the reasons cortisol is a nightmare for those trying to lose weight.
Now, let's get to the good stuff: The easiest way to lower your cortisol levels is to get a healthy amount of sleep every night. I know, it's easier said than done, but you're definitely going to want to make the effort because sleep is as important to any fat loss program as diet or exercise. In many cases, it's even more important.
Check this out: Recently, Glamour magazine did a study on seven overweight women who were struggling to lose weight. They put them on a four-week weight loss program. But here's the amazing part: This program didn't require any diet or exercise changes. All they asked the women to do was sleep more! And without making any other changes, these women all lost between 7 and 21 pounds.
Not bad for four weeks, right? That's how much of a difference-maker sleep can be. So you need to make sure you're getting yours. Eliminate the distractions that disrupt your sleep. Make sure to sleep in a dark, quiet room. If your room doesn't get dark enough, there are comfortable blindfolds you can buy to put your eyes at rest.
If you can't fall asleep without the TV on, that's okay. Just make sure to set your sleep timer. The last thing you want is to get woken up by a loud commercial at 4 a.m.
And finally, make sure you don't eat or drink too close to bedtime. You don't want to have to interrupt your sleep to make a mid-night bathroom run.
So get comfortable and aim for eight hours each night. Not only will you feel more energetic in the mornings, but the fat will begin to melt off of you. And do me a favor: Leave me a comment below. Let me know how much sleep you're getting each night now, then focus on getting eight hours a night for a week. I promise you'll be amazed at the difference.
This post was originally published on July 4, 2013.
Image via Corbis
