A smaller waistline…the #1 item on most ladies’ fitness Wish List!  But how do you achieve a smaller waist???  100 Crunches a Day?  No Carb/No Fat Diet?  Hours and hours of running on the treadmill?  NOPE.

I have done all of the above (and then some) in attempts to achieve a thinner, leaner tummy and what I am about to share with you is what is REALLY going to give you that smaller waist you’ve been searching for.

 1.  Drink More Water! 

That’s right W-A-T-E-R…you know, that clear stuff that trickles out of your SPICKET (that’s Jersey-Girl term for “Faucet”).  Well, that stuff is drinkable and YOU should be drinking it!  And if your tap water isn’t clear, just mosey on over to your local market and pick up a case of the bottled stuff;)    But seriously, our bodies require a lot of H2o in order to function at it’s best throughout the day.  Water helps recharge and cleanse your internal organs.  It also helps move built up toxins out of the body.  Ideally women should be drinking about 9-11 eight ounce cups of water a day.  That may sound like a lot, but if you can get yourself into the habit of drinking one cup every hour during the day, I promise you will feel AND see a difference in just a few days!

2.  Work that BACK!

You can do 1,000 crunches a day-7 days a week and still not be able to achieve that sought after Hour-Glass physique.   In order to achieve a proportional waist-to-upper body “V” shape, you need to work your upper and mid back muscles.  A lot of beginners don’t spend much time or focus on the back muscles because…Well, let’s be REAL ladies…you don’t hear too many people shouting “Yo honey…Nice Lats!“ or “Check out the Rhomboids on that Chick!“.   However, incorporating the major muscle groups off your back into your workout routine will not only support better posture and lessen back pain, but it also creates the illusion of a smaller waistline.

3.  Build A BOOTY!

Just as building muscle in your back region creates the illusion of a smaller waist, the same can be said for your lower half, aka the BOOTY!  The more prominent your dairy-air is, the smaller your mid section will seem.  As a naturally bottom-heavy female, I can not tell you how happy I am that BIG butts are now the “in thing”!  For years top fashion industry models boasted unrealistic stick figure-like physiques that would have women over-training and starving themselves to replicate.  FINALLY we have come to our senses and realized curves are beautiful, curves are SEXY!!!  And what better curve is there than the one on our backside???  So, definitely be mindful of adding some good ol’ Glute exercises into your next workout.

4.  Be Good to Your GUT!

Gut health can have a serious impact on bloating.   Poor gut health can turn a tight-tummy into a beer-belly any long-haul trucker would be proud of!  *Kidding*  But seriously, maintaining a healthy digestive system can make a huge difference in the appearance of your physic, especially your mid-section.  WNBF Bikini Pro and registered dietician, Kara Corey, created the below video going in detail how important good gut health is and some tips on how to achieve it.

Obviously I am not saying to toss sit-ups and crunches out the window entirely or giving the green light to go ahead and eat a crappy diet…so long as you do these 4 tips.  What I AM saying is that if you feel like you’ve hit a plateau in your  physique transformation or just aren’t seeing the results that you want to see, trying these 4 tips might just do the trick!  Just remember to be the best YOU!  Don’t get caught up in comparing yourself to anyone other than the person you were yesterday.  LOVE your body and all that it does for you.  YOU are beautiful!!!