Time to get rid of 'mommy tummy?' Try these five things

Birth rates across the United States dropped more than 10% over the past two years. But for approximately 3 million new and recurring moms, that statistic is meaningless. The post-pregnancy period can be a time of frustration and self-doubt regarding your body image. While some women can snap back into their pre-pregnancy shape, many women struggle with the extra weight that settles around their midsection.

If you struggle with the "mommy tummy," don't worry — you're not alone. Here are five tips to help you lose that pesky belly fat — even if you're not a new mom.

Set the right expectations-

Unfortunately, you cannot expect to lose belly fat by doing countless sit-ups and crunches. Research shows that spot reduction (the idea that you can target specific body areas for weight loss) is a myth.

The only way to lose belly fat is to lower your overall body fat percentage.

In other words, you need to:

• Burn more calories than you are consuming,

• Consume fewer calories than you are currently ingesting,

• Or use a combination of these two strategies.

In addition, there is no guarantee that the belly will be the first place where you lose the weight. Now that you have the proper expectations, let's cover what you can do.

Burn more calories using NEAT

Your body burns calories constantly, even when doing everyday activities. You can use this fact to your advantage by increasing your NEAT or non-exercise activity thermogenesis.

NEAT refers to the number of calories your body burns whenever you move throughout the day. Examples of NEAT include:

• taking the stairs instead of the elevator,

• parking your car further away from the store,

• fidgeting around in your seat if you have to sit for prolonged periods,

• doing housework.

The more active you can be throughout the day, the more calories you will burn and the closer you will get to your goal.

Make small changes to your diet

Adherence to a healthy diet is vital for losing weight (and keeping it off). While increasing your daily movement is essential for burning calories, decreasing your caloric intake is far more significant for losing fat.

The problem with many popular diets is that they are too restrictive and often unsustainable in the long term.

A better approach is to make small changes to your diet that you can stick with over time. For example, one simple change you can make is to increase your lean protein intake.

Research shows that protein is beneficial for weight loss because it helps preserve muscle mass, is more filling than carbohydrates or fat, and requires the most energy to digest.

Yes, your body has to burn calories digesting the food you eat!

Another simple change you can make is eating more high-fiber foods. Fiber-rich foods slow down the rate of food absorption, feed the healthy bacteria in your gut, keep you satiated, and regulate your bowel movements. As a result, high fiber intake is associated with reduced total caloric intake and fat loss.

Try adding high protein and fiber foods into your daily meals when in doubt.

Eliminate liquid calories

Excess calorie intake can negate all of your hard work up to this point. One of the easiest ways to regulate your calorie consumption is to look at the liquids you regularly consume.

Liquid calories come in sugary drinks (soda, sports drinks, etc.), fruit juices, and alcohol. Hidden liquid calories can also come in the form of creamer in your coffee, extra dressing on a salad, or extra sauce on your meals.

Throughout the day, all of these additional calories add up. Do your best to identify and reduce your intake of liquid calories as much as possible.

Get quality sleep

Quality sleep is essential for overall health and wellbeing, and it is also necessary for maintaining a healthy metabolism.

Not getting enough sleep is linked with weight gain and metabolic dysregulation. Sleep deprivation puts your body in a constant state of stress and high cortisol, the hormone responsible for keeping your blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, and fat accumulation.

Also, you are more likely to make poor food choices when you are tired. Aim to get at least 7 hours of quality sleep per night to maintain a healthy metabolic environment.

Bonus: Strength train

Another key strategy you can use to lose fat is strength training. Not only do you burn calories while strength training, but you also increase your lean muscle mass.

Lean muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat. Therefore, the more muscle mass you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate (BMR) will be. In other words, lean muscle tissue will allow you to burn more calories, even when you are at rest.

A straightforward way to get started is to focus on movement patterns rather than individual muscle groups. For example, you can use compound exercises such as squats, lunges, shoulder pressing, and rows to target multiple muscle groups simultaneously.

Other important considerations

Before you engage in a fitness routine post-pregnancy, it is essential to determine if you have diastasis recti. Diastasis recti is a condition that occurs when the two halves of the abdominal muscle wall (rectus abdominis) separate along the midline.

Unfortunately, up to 60% of women will have the condition after giving birth. Diastasis recti can contribute to lower back pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, and urinary incontinence.

If you think you may have diastasis recti, here is a list of 100 exercises you can do to strengthen your core safely and gradually.

Conclusions

Losing belly fat typically requires improving your diet, decreasing your caloric intake, and engaging in regular physical activity. Consistency is vital when trying to achieve a healthy body composition. Make small, sustainable changes to your routine, and you will be on your way to reaching your goals.