Running burns calories and tones your stomach.
Walking and running are two of the most effective methods for flattening your stomach. Running burns calories fast which results in a flatter stomach. Your abdominal muscles become tense when running -- so they tone naturally which creates a flattening effect.
Instructions
Toning Up the Stomach Through Running or Walking
1. Warm-up for 10 minutes. Warm muscles, ligaments and tendons are more flexible and allow your body to move more freely. Stretching muscles before exercise also reduces the chances of you tearing muscles or feeling in pain the following day. These stretches should be stationary, starting from the neck and finishing with the ankles. A gentle pulling feeling should be felt in the muscles being stretched. You should hold this for around 10 seconds, then move on to the next area. Never stretch to the point where the muscle feels in pain.
2. Jog at a speed of 1 to 2 mph for five minutes. The jog will further warm up your muscles and lessen the risk of tearing the muscles when higher intensity exercise is started. It will also increase your heart rate and get the other systems in your body ready for high intensity exercise. Systems in your body such as blood pressure and circulation do not adjust at the same time as the heart rate. They need time to acclimate to this rapid change in metabolism.
3. Run on a treadmill or in a park for a minimum of 30 minutes. The United States Department of Agriculture states that for every 3,500 calories you burn you will lose 1 lb. of fat. If you burn 500 calories per day you will lose approximately 1 lb. per week. You can increase your weight loss by increasing the amount of time you run.
4. Power walk if you do not want to run. Walk at around 3 to 5 mph for a minimum of 30 minutes. Scientists at Washington University discovered that if you walk at approximately 5 mph, you can burn as many calories as someone running at the same speed. This is because you will be using the same amount of energy.
5. Spend 10 minutes a day doing sit-ups. You can burn two to three calories per minute by doing sit-ups. This will help you flatten your stomach -- as your cardio workouts will help you burn fat. As you start to lose weight through running, the sit-ups will tone your stomach making it flatter and your muscles more defined.
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