Fitness
Fact-checked

At WiseGEEK, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.

Learn more...

How do I get a Thin Waistline?

Vicki Watson
Vicki Watson

To get a thin waistline entails a combination of diet planning and a sensible exercise program. Understanding which exercises for a thin waistline to incorporate into your daily routine is essential to reaching your goal. Coupling the proper exercises with a sensible diet usually give the desired result. In some instances other factors, such as hormonal issues caused by menopause, may require medical intervention to remedy.

A healthy diet helps fight belly fat, leading to a thin waistline. Forming good dietary habits help raise your metabolism, reduce caloric intake and reduce your overall weight. Getting in the habit of reading the nutrition labels when food shopping can help you avoid foods high in sugar, simple carbohydrates, polyunsaturated fats and sodium. Sugar and fat add calories to your diet, while sodium often results in unwanted water retention.

Exercise and a healthy diet are the keys to getting a thin waistline.
Exercise and a healthy diet are the keys to getting a thin waistline.

Adding healthier foods, such as complex carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables can also help raise your chances of getting yourself a thin waistline. Reducing your caloric intake will help as well if additional pounds are part of the problem. This can be accomplished by reducing portion sizes.

Changing your dining habits may also help produce a thin waistline. For example, eating six small meals throughout the day, as opposed to the traditional three meals daily, may help raise your metabolism. Making breakfast the largest meal of your day, while making late night meals the smallest might be effective as well.

Changing dining habits may help an individual obtain a thin waist line.
Changing dining habits may help an individual obtain a thin waist line.

Exercise can move you closer to your goal of a thin waistline by helping to burn calories quickly and build muscle. While crunches and abdominal exercises in moderation can help produce a smaller belly, choosing exercises that concentrate solely on the waistline may prove counterproductive, as too much muscle may actually give the appearance of a thicker waist. A variety of exercises that works different areas often results in better overall physical fitness and a thinner waistline. For instance, walking is considered one of the healthiest forms of exercise. Coupling this with other kinds of workouts, such as cardio or aerobic exercises, helps produce firm muscles throughout the entire body.

As a woman ages, it can become more difficult for her to have a thin waist, as the metabolism slows and fat tends to collect more easily on the abdomen.
As a woman ages, it can become more difficult for her to have a thin waist, as the metabolism slows and fat tends to collect more easily on the abdomen.

While poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle are the most common causes of a large midsection, other issues may also be part of the equation as well. For instance, as you age, your metabolism naturally slows. Heredity may also play a role, directing weight to accumulate in the abdominal area. Hormonal changes during menopause also cause the body to store fat in the belly. You should consult a doctor for guidance in creating your exercise and diet plans as well as recommendations for any other assistance you might need.

Discussion Comments

Mykol

Joining a local fitness program with a friend has helped more than anything. This has helped me be accountable to someone and I am more apt to make myself go to the gym if I know someone else is counting on me being there with them.

I tend to put most of my weight around my abdomen, so I really wanted to lose my belly fat. Within a few weeks of joining the program I lost 6 pounds and 2 inches around my waist. This has given me the motivation to keep working at it.

julies

I purchased an ab exercise machine from one of those commercials that looked too good to pass up. That was going to be my ticket for a flat stomach and a thin waistline. Like all things that are new, I used it for a few weeks and now it sits in my basement untouched for the most part.

I suppose I didn't really give it a fair chance to work, because I know the key to anything is being consistent. There isn't any one thing that will work for everyone, but it takes a combination of several factors to find what works best for you.

andee

Maintaining a weight that is the right balance for your height is one way to have a thin waistline. Sometimes it takes more than just what the scale says though. The best way I have found is incorporating a good ab work out in my exercise routine.

When you do set ups to strengthen your abs and twist slightly from side to side as you are coming up, that will also help your waistline. This way you are working several muscle groups at one time for better results. By toning abs you not only help your waistline, but help strengthen you abs and back too.

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register:
    • Exercise and a healthy diet are the keys to getting a thin waistline.
      By: Alexander Zhiltsov
      Exercise and a healthy diet are the keys to getting a thin waistline.
    • Changing dining habits may help an individual obtain a thin waist line.
      By: VRD
      Changing dining habits may help an individual obtain a thin waist line.
    • As a woman ages, it can become more difficult for her to have a thin waist, as the metabolism slows and fat tends to collect more easily on the abdomen.
      By: inarik
      As a woman ages, it can become more difficult for her to have a thin waist, as the metabolism slows and fat tends to collect more easily on the abdomen.
    • Crunches and sit-ups can be done to create a smaller waistline.
      By: Dirima
      Crunches and sit-ups can be done to create a smaller waistline.
    • Reducing portion sizes can aid in losing weight.
      By: Boyarkina Marina
      Reducing portion sizes can aid in losing weight.
    • Abdominal and oblique muscles can be strengthened by crunches and sit-ups, but usually fat can only be reduced through diet and cardiovascular exercise.
      By: theartofphoto
      Abdominal and oblique muscles can be strengthened by crunches and sit-ups, but usually fat can only be reduced through diet and cardiovascular exercise.
    • Fat that accumulates around the midsection is more dangerous than fat that accumulates elsewhere on the body.
      By: Barabas Attila
      Fat that accumulates around the midsection is more dangerous than fat that accumulates elsewhere on the body.