• Vitamins & Supplements
  • Food & Drink
  • Sports Nutrition
  • Free From
  • Natural Beauty
  • Weight Management
  • Offers
  • Summer Shop
  • The Health Hub
  • Learn more Healthbox
  • Account
Track your order Delivery & Returns Help Centre My subscriptions

Customer Service

  • Contact us
  • Site map
  • Site map
  • Store locator

About us

  • Who are we
  • Working at Holland & Barrett
  • Press releases
  • Privacy & cookie policy
  • Terms & conditions
  • Holland & Barrett More
  • Holland & Barrett International
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Modern Slavery Statement

Connect with us

Store
0370 606 6606
My account
Rewards
  • Sign in
  • How do I join?
  • What are the benefits?
  • FAQs
Holland & Barrett :: the good life
  • Menu
  • Account
  • Store
  • Basket
    Search for
    • Vitamins & Supplements
    • Food & Drink
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Free From
    • Natural Beauty
    • Weight Management
    • Offers
    • The Health Hub
    • Healthbox

    Home / Weight Management / Weight Loss / How to tone your tummy and lose weight from your waist

    How to tone your tummy and lose weight from your waist

    If you really want to whittle your waist, eating a healthy balanced diet is important, but regular exercise is vital – if you’re not burning off more calories than you take in, the pounds can creep on.

    The good news? You don’t have to hit the gym for hours. Staying active in your day-to-day life can make a dramatic difference.

    Apart from burning calories, exercise also works to control your sugar cravings. A study by the University of Exeter discovered even a fifteen-minute walk can reduce the urge to eat chocolate. The feel-good chemicals triggered during exercise may biologically dampen our cravings, or it could simply be that working out is a distraction from thinking about food.

    Follow these tummy toners

    The best way to lose weight is with cardiovascular exercise, such as cycling or jogging, but you can also work your way to flat abs with these specific moves.

      1. Medicine Ball Heel SlidesLie on your back holding a light medicine ball. Set your lower back midway between fully flattened and fully arched. Lift your feet up and hold the medicine ball straight up in front of you. Engage your abdominals to ensure the mid-point in your lower back is maintained while you slowly straighten one leg out towards the floor. Simultaneously lower the medicine ball behind you until it touches the floor. Return to the start position and repeat, this time straightening the other leg. Perform 1-3 sets of 10-20 reps.
      2. Walking PlankStart in a plank position with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders, with a straight line from your ears to your ankles. Keep your back flat, without over-arching. One hand at a time, push yourself up into a press-up position. Then, one at a time, return to the elbow plank position, keeping your abdominals engaged throughout, to stabilise your lower back as your torso rotates, lifts and lowers.
      3. Side Plank And Heel LiftPerform a side plank, keeping your elbow directly underneath your shoulder with one foot on top of the other. Make sure you are not only in a straight line from the front, but also from the side – try not to arch your lower back and poke your bum out. Maintain this position while you lift your top leg up, hold for five seconds, then return to the start position. Perform the leg lift slowly 3-10 times, or until you feel you can no longer maintain good form. Repeat on the opposite side.
      4. Roll-Outs On The BallPlace your elbows on a stability ball with your knees behind you so that your weight is on the ball. Keep your lower back in a mid-point position while tightening your tummy muscles. Roll the ball forwards so your hips extend, increasing the gap between your knees and the ball. Keep your tummy muscles tight throughout and avoid letting the arch in your lower back increase. Roll the ball out out as far as your can, then back in to the start position, flexing at the hip as you go. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-20 reps.

    Get more great weight loss tips in our diet and weight loss guides.

    Shop our Sports Nutrition range.

    This article has been adapted from longer features appearing in Healthy, the Holland & Barrett magazine. Advice is for information only and should not replace medical care. Please check with your GP before trying any remedies.

    Tweet
    Follow on Instagram
    Weight Loss

    You may also like

    10 easy ways to burn fat

    Article

    10 easy ways to burn fat

    Burning fat can be a real challenge. Whether it is in an attempt to improve..

    READ MORE...
    Best vegetarian diet for weight loss

    Article

    Best vegetarian diet for weight loss

    Since vegetarian diets are often full of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains, it..

    READ MORE...
    8 exercises to help burn fat

    Article

    8 exercises to help burn fat

    We all know that the key to burning fat is a healthy balanced diet and..

    READ MORE...

    Connect with us

    • Log in Register
    • rewards for life

    Customer service

    • Store locator
    • Contact us
    • Site feedback
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Delivery & returns
    • Site map
    • My account

    About us

    • Who we are
    • Working at Holland & Barrett
    • Press room
    • Privacy & cookie policy
    • Terms & conditions
    • Holland & Barrett More
    • Holland & Barrett International

    Brands

    • Holland & Barrett
    • Bootea
    • Dr Organic
    • Precision Engineered
    • Manuka Doctor
    • Good n Natural
    • Miaroma
    Register
    Click to verify if this website is operating legally

    Copyright © Holland & Barrett Retail Limited, 2017. All rights reserved. hollandandbarrett.com is a trading name of Holland & Barrett Retail Limited,. Registered office: Samuel Ryder House, Barling Way, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 7RH. Registered in England: company no. 2758955. Registered VAT no. 211727395.