Everybody wants a flat stomach! Everybody craves for a flat stomach! Everybody obsesses over a flat stomach! There are three factors that we can control to help get that flat stomach. Those are nutrition, physical activity, and stress reduction.

As we strive for a flat stomach, we must also monitor the quality and frequency of our food intake. We can begin by increasing our food intake to 5-6 meals throughout the day. Each meal should be made up of foods from the different basic food groups. Water intake is very important, which is a better alternative to sodas. Making healthier food choices will help give our bodies the necessary fuel for our daily lives and our workouts.

Progression is always the key to starting an exercise program. We can start by walking for 20 minutes and progress to 30 minutes, three times per week. Exercise intensity should be maintained at a brisk pace to increase the heart rate and keep the activity challenging.

By focusing on multi joint exercises, we can increase our metabolism and decrease our overall fat. By increasing our metabolism, we can tap into the body's fat burning capabilities to help flatten our stomach, where the fat is accumulated. When we increase our lean body mass from exercise, our bodies will search for the next available energy source, which will be fat from our stomach.

Our bodies have a way of surviving and maintaining energy supplies when it feels it is in danger. When we have high levels of stress, our bodies produce the Cortisol hormone, which stores fat in our stomach area. Stress causes the body to hold onto the fat, so that it can be used as an energy source for survival.

One method of coping with stress is deep breathing. Take a deep breath through your nose, try to feel the breath go deeply into your lungs and into your diaphragm, then slowly breathe out and exhale through your mouth. This technique allows for more oxygen in your system as well as help remove carbon dioxide from our bodies.

Flattening your stomach can be as easy as 1-2-3, nutrition, physical activity and stress reduction. By committing to making changes in our lives, we are able to achieve that flat stomach.