One of the most envied body parts is a tummy that is flatter than a board. After all, there is something sexy and confident about someone that has a midsection that is tight and toned. And, if you’re like most people, you’ve even envisioned yourself with bikini worthy abs, strutting around the beach for the entire world to see.

Sadly, if you’re like most people, you’ve also given up the hopes of ever seeing that trim midsection become a reality. However, you can have a thinner tummy and we’ve got some ways to help you get it. Here are three things you can do that will help you create abs that others envy:

Lower Your Body Fat Percentage

It doesn’t matter how tone your muscles are in your core area, you’re not going to be able to see them if they are hidden under a layer of fat. Therefore, you’ll want to decrease your overall body fat so that your finely tuned abdominal muscles will be able to shine through.

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to get your body to burn fat and having it defy you. It’s like trying to force a young child to share their favorite toy with a sibling. It doesn’t matter how much you beg and plead, sometimes you just have to physically remove the toy from their hands to get them to let go.

The same is true with body fat. You can talk to your jiggly thighs or round tummy until you are blue in the face, but sometimes you have to do things that make your body burn the fat because it isn’t going to do it on its own. What are those things? Here are seven of them:

Are you looking for ways to lose weight that don’t involve following crazy diets or taking unsafe supplements? Would you love to lose those extra pounds in a way that is not only effective, but actually good for your body?

There are some crazy weight loss plans and products on the market today. While some of them do work, a majority of them only bring about short term results because they can’t be sustained for any length of time. Plus, some are downright unsafe and should never be attempted because of the damage they can do to your body.

If you truly want to lose weight once and for all, you’re best off doing it naturally. When you work with your body the way it was designed, not only will you achieve permanent weight loss, but you will also likely find that it is easier to maintain your loss as it will feel like second nature.

Here are five simple suggestions that will get you started on the safe and nature weight loss path:

#1 - Think Nutrition

How would you feel if you knew that your actions were likely putting your children’s health at risk? Certainly, this isn’t your intention, but your thoughts, attitudes and behaviors regarding nutrition and physical activity are handed down to your children just as easily as your genes.

When you make choices consistent with healthy living, your little ones are much more likely to do the same. And, that’s the goal – you don’t want them struggling with food and weight issues, perhaps like you did, when they become adults and start making decisions without your input.

It’s easy enough to point your finger elsewhere and blame your children’s weight issues on sugary cereals, unhealthy food commercials aimed at children and fast food places that promote eating greasy, high calorie food to kids but it’s time to get real and take some responsibility. Yes, all of these factors may contribute to the issue but the bottom line is that you, as a parent, play the starring role in determining your children’s health outcome.

Have you tried to lose weight so many times that you would need more than just your fingers and toes to count them on, as well as those of every member of your family? And does each attempt eventually result in you weighing the same as, if not more than, when you first started your weight loss journey? If so, unfortunately you are not alone.

Dieting is one of the most understood lifestyles around the globe. People everywhere are watching what they eat in an attempt to lose weight and gain health. But, if that’s the case, why is it that there is an obesity epidemic that is threatening the health of people all over the world?

The answer is simple: diet. Not diet as in what food people eat (although healthy eating is obviously very important), but diet as in the process. It’s about what effect calorie restriction has on your physical body.

You Can Blame Your Slow Metabolism on Your Grandparents

Raspberry ketone supplements are a great way to improve your health and boost your body’s ability to burn calories. It is not possible to enjoy these same benefits from eating fresh raspberries. To achieve the same results as the supplements provide would require eating many pounds of berries a day, which is expensive and adds up to way too many calories. Supplements allow you to enjoy raspberry ketone benefits in a safe, inexpensive, convenient manner all year round.

Choosing the best raspberry ketone supplement to help you burn fat and lose weight can be challenging, especially if you are new to the supplement market. There is a great deal of misleading information out there concerning health supplements. Many raspberry ketone products make big weight loss promises, but never deliver. If you want to buy raspberry ketone that is high quality and effective, you must first understand supplements and determine where to buy the highest quality products.

What You Should Consider

When you go to the supermarket, do you know which foods are genetically engineered? It’s okay if you don’t, as most people aren’t sure either.

It’s certainly understandable as you’re forced to remember all sorts of things when it comes to food. You’re expected to watch the fat content (primarily trans fats and saturated fats) and the amount of sodium in foods you ordinarily eat in order to stay healthy and strong.

You also need to know whether a product has anything that you or your family is allergic to in it, and so much more. So, is it really necessary to add one more thing to your already overflowing list of grocery shopping responsibilities?

In short, the answer is yes. Why?

Ultimately, you should know everything that you put into your body – from foods to supplements to anything else you choose to ingest. Your health and that of your family is in your hands, so the more you know about the items you consume, the more you’re able to make informed decisions in regard to your own health and welfare.

We’ve all heard commercials and television experts touting the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids.  Even the renowned Dr. Oz makes a point to highlight the many benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids on a regular basis.  But few of us are getting enough Omega 3s in our diets.  Let’s take a look at what these acids do for our diets and our health, and why we should make sure we're getting enough of them.

When it comes to diet, one of the most important things to understand is that Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to energy production.  ALA, which is the precursor to both EPA and DHA (two other Omega 3s), is a vital source of energy for the body that certainly shouldn’t be overlooked as part of your supplement regimen if you aren’t getting enough of it through things like flaxseed, algae, and fish.

You are hungry, but you don’t have much time. You are in a hurry, so you grab something already prepared. Whether you reached for fast food or something prepared from the store, these choices are almost always filled with sodium, sugar, saturated fat, and preservatives. Exactly what your body needs to store more fat.

It’s a decision we have all faced, but, even when it seems like there are no healthy options, there are ways to eat right while on the go. You just need to know how to make better choices when faced with these decisions, and what all this can mean to your health and well-being.

Most people know that almost all fast food is unhealthy. Many fast food restaurants serve food that is loaded with saturated fat, sugar, and sodium. Even when you think you may be choosing the healthy option, you may be consuming more calories and sugar than you should.

Sugar, and its related derivatives corn syrup, molasses, maltose, and dextrose, is found in many of the foods consumed in our modern life. This sweet substance is common, but can it really be considered addictive? Let’s look at how we become addicted to sugar, what sugar does to our bodies and health, where it can be found, and ways to end your love affair with sugar.

Most estimates put the average consumption of sugar between 20 and 30 teaspoons a day. While at first this may not seem that bad, it is worth noting that women should be consuming a maximum of six teaspoons a day and men should be consuming no more than nine teaspoons a day.

Sugar, much like alcohol, heroin, morphine, and cocaine, releases hormones in our brain that activates our “feel good” receptors. This means that sugar meets the same criteria as other addictive substances, resulting in a compulsion to consume, a gradual tolerance to its effects caused from continued use, difficulty functioning without it, and withdrawal symptoms when consumption ends.