With over 16 million workout videos sold since 1980, Kathy Smith has become a household name in fitness. A mother of two, Kathy also serves on the board of the USC School of Gerontology, the Women's Sports Foundation and is a recipient of the IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award from IDEA Health & Fitness, the world's largest professional fitness organization.

How Can I Get Flat Abs?
By Kathy Smith

The #1 question people have asked me throughout the years, and continue to ask me to this day, is "How do I get a flat stomach?"  So I'd like to take this opportunity to shed some light on the dark underbelly of belly fat.  It's time to talk about the truth of tummy trimming.  Can we finally shed some fat around our midsections?  Can we finally get that slim, lean waistline we all want and deserve?  The answer is simple:  Yes we can!  Just follow my Top 3 Tummy Trimmer Tips below:

1.  First thing's first:  Abdominals require work.  To get the midsection of your dreams, start by activating the correct muscles so that you always get the most out of your workout . . . more bang for your belly:

Think globally, act locally.

In a recent Mens Health UK article, Arthur Jones explained the difference between the "local" and "global" muscles in our bodies.  The local muscles are closer to home - they protect the spine and create stability.  Local muscles also include the obliques and pelvic-floor muscles - the deeper, more "internal" areas of your abdominals, the muscle groups that are activated during lower-resistance and endurance exercises.  Global muscles, on the other hand, are a little more "superficial" (closer to the surface).  They include the rectus abdominis, also known as the six-pack - or, at least, where a six-pack ought to be.  These are muscles that can be activated with exercises like the standard crunch (and variations of that).

The trick is to incorporate both groups into your routine by training your abdominals using a variety of methods.  The next step is to stimulate your body's fat burning abilities by doing cardio exercise.  The idea here is simple:  no matter how strong those ab muscles are, no one will see them if they're hidden by a layer of fat. 

2.  Slow it down!  And then go for broke.

Cardio confusion kicks in when people don't know how much time they should spend on it or how challenging the workout should be.  The key is to include both long/slow and burst training methods in your routine.  "Long/slow" workouts allow you to continue exercising at a moderate pace for a longer period of time so that you can burn more calories. 

On the other hand, cardio that incorporates "burst training" (short periods of high-intensity exercise) helps stimulate your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which boost your metabolism and tap into deeper fat stores.  Since this method is more challenging, you can't perform these exercises for a long period of time, so it's important to alternate between these two types of training.  We all know that what goes in must come out - but don't underestimate the importance of eliminating waste when it comes to trimming your waist.

3.  Fill up on fiber.

Wellness expert Paul Chek jokes that "we're all full of it"—meaning that, because of our poor dietary habits, so many Americans aren't reaping the benefits of good digestion.  So make fiber your best friend, and aim to get at least 25 grams a day.  Studies suggest that getting an extra 14 grams of fiber daily may cause your body to absorb 10 percent fewer calories!

You are what you don't eat.

The idea of elimination goes beyond digestion - it also refers to what you should eliminate from your diet.  You can maintain a high-fiber diet and do crunches until the cows come home, but if your diet includes a lot of processed foods, saturated fats, and sugar, flat abs will remain a far-away dream.

Perhaps it really is as simple as 1, 2, 3:  Activate.  Stimulate.  Eliminate.  And then, when you've got the trim tummy of your dreams, it's time to celebrate.