A flat stomach is something a lot of people want, and they want it as soon as possible. This is the main reason why the companies on TV advertisements are making millions from their ab machines. The problem with these machines is, working your abs for hours every week is not the way to create a flat stomach, or what is commonly known as a six pack.



Getting six-pack abs requires a full body workout and a proper nutritious diet. To burn the fat on your stomach you have to burn the fat from your whole body. When you lose weight you can't just lose the fat from your stomach. Fat melts away at the same rate over your entire body, so to have a fat free stomach you need a fat free body.

Your diet

Your diet needs to be healthy and consist of 5 to 6 meals a day. Eating less meals than this will mean you may never get to see your abs. Eating regular small meals speeds up your metabolism so your body can naturally burn fat at a faster rate even when you're resting.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this should be eaten within an hour of waking. Breakfast kicks your metabolism into gear and sets your body up for the rest of the day. To get a flat stomach you must never skip breakfast.

Your muscles

To speed up your metabolism enough for your body to start melting the fat away you need to start working out. When you increase the size of your muscles your body naturally burns more calories because muscle mass burns more energy than your fat mass.

You haven't got to start looking like a body builder in order to increase your metabolic rate you just need to get your muscles growing.

When you use weight training alongside a healthy diet you'll soon start seeing the results you're after.

Cardio

To help your body burn even more calories you should add some form of cardio exercise to your weekly regime. A good hour of cardio will burn between 600 and 1000 calories depending on your size and your work rate.

If you do 4 hours a week that means you have the chance of burning off up to 4000 extra calories a week.

When you see pictures in magazines and on the internet of people with washboard abs they incorporate all of the above into their fitness program.

Just dieting alone isn't enough, and just exercising isn't enough. All of the elements put together in a regular program will give you excellent results, and your weight will be easier to manage the longer you stick to your program.

You want to create a program that you will enjoy, and one that fits easily into your lifestyle. If you don't enjoy yourself, or you can't find the time to exercise you may give up which is something you won't want to do.