Do you ever take a beach vacation and look snatched on day one, but more like Winnie the Pooh by day three? You’re not the only one. What we eat and how we live daily can make us look and feel 10 pounds heavier or lighter. There are steps we can take every day to keep our bellies under control and be beach-ready at a moment’s notice.
First and foremost, you should be keeping your water intake at an all-time high. Water can make all your dreams come true: less bloat, less hunger, more energy, clearer skin, and the list goes on from there.
But for the belly, water is essential to help you flush out your digestive tract, keep you regular, avoid starvation, and keep your belly trim. Find yourself a water bottle and keep it full all day long. Drink and refill from sunup to sundown to help you hang on to that flat stomach.
RELATED: Take The Gallon Of Water Challenge!
Along those lines, water helps you flush out excess fluid that can make your belly look less than amazing. But salt is one of the culprits behind your body holding on to unwanted water weight, resulting in swelling throughout the body, including the stomach.
So when you cook or eat out, try to use as little salt as possible. Cook with other herbs and spices, and ask restaurants to go light on salt when preparing your meal. It may take some time to adjust to the taste, but you should have fewer days of belly bloat and joint swelling!
RELATED: Best Snack Swaps For Your Day At The Beach
You can also modify your diet to help your body flush excess water and avoid unwanted belly bloat. There are some foods known for their anti-inflammatory properties, which means your day-one vacation body can look the same on days three, four, and five!
Start to work these foods into your regular diet to reap all the flat tummy rewards:
A non-dietary way to get the beach-ready belly you desire is to get up and move after your meals. Your food is more likely to sit around in your belly if you just stay seated or, worse, lie down after eating.
If you can walk for 20 minutes immediately after a meal, you can speed up the digestive process and get things moving right on out, instead of making your belly poke out further.
And lastly, if you really want to wake up to a flat stomach every day, watch your alcohol intake. Alcohol is a lot like salt in that it dehydrates your body and makes your body more prone to holding on to excess water.
This means that after a night of indulging in a bottle of wine, you’ll likely see swelling in your face, around your body, and likely your stomach too. Drink modestly and try to have a glass of water with every alcoholic beverage to stay hydrated.
The belly is a fickle thing, but you can do your part to keep it to its true size instead of poking out at the worst possible moments, like the requisite vacation Instagram photoshoot.
Sharita Jennings is a fitness and travel enthusiast and creator of Get Fit Like That, LLC. She is a health policy attorney, ACE-certified group fitness instructor, and fitness nutrition specialist. She provides online fitness plans and leads group fitness classes in Washington DC. Check out her fitness tips and workouts at GetFitLikeThat.com.
By subscribing, you consent to receive emails from BlackDoctor.com. You may unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service.
