1. Go high-waisted. Whether you wear pants or a skirt, a high waist downplays ab flab.
2. Switch to green tea. In a study of moderate exercisers, green-tea drinkers lost notably more belly fat than a control group who drank another caffeinated beverage. Make your own frozen bars from iced green tea at home!
3. Skip crunches. Or at least stop obsessing about not doing them. Cardio exercise like jumping rope or interval training is just as important. Start with 20 minutes three times a week, and work hard enough to break a sweat.
4. Zap your muffin top. Bella Contour, the newest noninvasive slimming technique. It's described as a handheld wand that delivers a combination of ultrasound, electric current and vacuum pressure to tighten skin around the abs (or thighs or buttocks). realaesthetics.com.
5. Try a natural sleep aid. A study found that subjects who sleep from 6 to 8 hours a night have significantly less stomach fat than those who sleep fewer than 6 hours. Rebloom ($24 for seven 2.5 oz. bottles; rebloom.com), a liquid supplement with zzz-inducing melatonin and Valerian root, helps your body ease into dreamland.
6. Work on your back muscles. A strong back is critical to good posture, which in turn sucks in stomach pooch.
7. Layer your tanks. The problem with shapewear tops is that they're so tight that they actually call attention to your tummy. Wear a Lycra workhorse under a loose cotton T to compress flab, or go for a two-in-one.
8. Make thyme for your body. Clarin's new extra-firming body lotion uses botanical extracts like thyme to boost the product of elastin fibers, which can help smooth skin around your abs.
9. Avoid the three C's. Canned, Carbs and Carbonated Drinks.
![]() |
| Instead of canned food, choose fresh |
![]() |
| Instead of carbs, choose protein |
![]() |
| Instead of carbonated drinks, drink herbal teas |
10. Eat wheat berries for breakfast. Whole grains have been known to fight the belly fat associated with heart disease and diabetes, whereas refined grains like those in white bread and pasta offer none of those benefits. So skip the bagel, and boil up some wheat berries instead. Served with agave syrup, they're a tasty alternative to oatmeal.
From an article in the August 2011 InStyle magazine. Discover other ways to improve your life at instyle.com/tenways
