If you look with envy at all those men and women in the advertisements who have flat abs, have faith! You too can have a flat tummy, if you set your mind to it.

The key element to a flat stomach is working off the excess fat which has accumulated there, and not adding any more fatty deposits there. Men have a greater tendency to store fat around the midsection, but women suffer from this problem also.

The fat that bulges over the stomach area needs to be burned and tightened with exercise, at the same time as you eliminate your intake of the empty calories which generated it. No more junk food! With cardiovascular exercise, some weight training, and some targeted abdominal exercises, in a few weeks you will notice a flatter stomach. You will feel your stomach tightening within a couple of days, and you will be able to measure the difference in only a few weeks.

To get the flat tummy you dream of, here are some important considerations.

To flatten the appearance of the surface of your stomach, there are a number of exercises which, when performed correctly, will strengthen and tighten the muscle tone which is now probably rather limp and atrophied. Be aware that it is how you complete these exercises which will make the biggest difference. Additionally, if you are not careful about form and if you exaggerate in the quantity, you may not see as much progress as you had hoped and you can actually hurt yourself.

An abdominal muscle workout is best considered as a combination of abdominals, obliques, and lower back exercises. It is important to strengthen and tighten your entire core, so your hard work will build a solid muscular foundation, which will work like a corset around your waistline.

Abdominal exercises involve raising your trunk, raising your lower body, or both, from any standing or lying position. Balance your exercises so the upper abdominals, the lower abdominals, the obliques, and the lower back muscles all get equal attention.

Breathing is crucial. It supplies oxygen to the muscles you are using, as well as to your brain. Always inhale through your nose before beginning the motion, and exhale through your mouth as you perform the repetition.

The flat stomach will be the result of burning calories by regularly getting 45 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, and the crunches, sit-ups, leg raises, torso raises, and other such exercises. The exercises should be done in moderation, and with careful but constant stretching. For every set of 12 to 20 repetitions, hold a stretch which reverses the tension for 15 to 30 seconds. You want the muscles to be long and lean, which is why stretching is so important.

If you only complete consecutive repetitions of all of these exercises, without stretching, you will build up thick, bulky muscles. This results in increased abdominal mass. You could actually end up increasing your waistline measurement.

Be constant about being active and maintain a healthy diet. That is how you will succeed in getting the flat abs you so desire.