Every woman obsesses over a FLAT BELLY.  I remember the days before I became a trainer when I rushed through all the fitness magazines looking for any and all belly flattening exercises and tips.  But then you have a baby and the OBSESSION grows even  more.  

Its really hard to get rid of the dreaded pooch and get a flat belly post-children.  It almost feels like it will never be the same.  I mean, all your organs and muscles in  your belly region have been ridiculously extended one, two, or three times.......If you have 4, well thats even more crazy! lol

The good news is that it your belly CAN BE FLAT again.

Here are the 5 Rules For Flat ABS

1. Core Exercises From The INSIDE OUT:
 most women post-pregnancy and even thereafter just focus on crunches after crunches after crunches.  All kinds of crunches on a ball, on the floor, with your legs up, with your legs down, etc.  But especially post-baby you need to train the deep lying abdominal muscles like transverse abdominis. No need to remember the name, just remember these exercises:  Click here for the exercises to flatten the belly.
2. Move Your Rump:  Your booty and your belly are very close friends.  When you sit around and not move and you don't work your booty, the glutes start to not work effectively which may cause some problems in the hip area which may cause a tilt in the pelvis which pushes your abdomen out.  Now who wants that?  Sometimes even though it may not be fat, the pooch bulges because of this problem in the pelvis.  So ladies, move and work your rump.
3. Eat Belly Flattening Foods:  Its important to have the right nutrition and speed up metabolism in order to burn fat and have a flat belly.  Eat lean proteins, starchy carbohydrates and fibrous veggies every 3-4hours in order to rev metabolism and burn lots of fat.  Also, make sure to include healthy fats in your diet as they can help you burn fat.Click on the following link to see what kinds of Fats will help you Burn Fat.
4. Stop Stressing Girlfriend:  I know its hard since juggling work, kids, home, hubby, activities, etc is not an easy task.  But stress makes your body produce more cortisol which doesn't allow you to burn fat effectively and actually makes you gain weight in the belly region.  So think of taking a yoga class, going to church, and giving yourself some down time.  There are also some supplements that you can take to help you with the belly fat if you are under a lot of stress, they help with the release of cortisol.  Click here to see them:  Cortisol AM & Cortisol PM.
5. Get Some Sleep:  I know I know, especially if you have little ones, its hard to get enough sleep.  But if you don't get enough sleep, it is very hard for your body to burn fat efficiently.  And if you don't burn fat efficiently, you will not have a flat belly.  So maybe spend some time planning your days and try to get to bed earlier and get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.  Haha I laugh as I write this because I still use a monitor for my baby (almost 2), and I hear every little peep he makes throughout the night!

You can do this!  Good luck!  And by the way if you need help working your RUMP and you live in my area (Weston, Florida), I am starting an awesome legs, gluteus, and abs class on Mondays at 9am at BB3 Personal Training & Performance Center for only 30$ per class.  But you must reserve your spot because its limited to 10 people.  So email me now michelle@michellemariefit.com to hold your spot.  The class is going to be awesome.  Its Rock Hard Mondays, don't miss it!