You’ve probably heard the saying “abs are made in the kitchen”, which initially is true. What you choose to eat will make more of a difference in how your stomach looks than anything else. Eating nutritious, well-balanced meals that nourish your body without leaving junk behind that gets stored as excess fat in your belly is a key concept for a change in body composition. And while that concept seems fairly simple, many people find it the most challenging aspect of start a health and fitness routine.

When you envision exercises for the perfect hourglass shape, odds are, the focus is on sit ups, crunches, planks, and other abdominal movements. The look of a small waist may be the goal, but there are a variety of different muscle groups required to achieve this enviable silhouette. “Balancing muscles and curves in the upper body, core and lower body is paramount,” explains trainer and registered dietitian Jenny Champion.

In terms of diet, planning and preparation are three important things to remember:

1. Plan for the coming week, to avoid getting hungry and grabbing whatever is close to you. With a plan and a schedule, it’s likely that you will grab food close by and let yourself down. Anything that you can prepare in advance is going to reward you later. 
2. Slow steady progress is better for long term results. Losing weight quickly is actually not what you should focus on. Working toward a safe rate of weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs per week will be much more likely to result in a permanent loss. Instead of “I must lose x lbs to achieve this bodyweight”, reset it to, “this week I’m going to walk 5 times and plan my meals every day”. Going too hard too quick is most of the time not recommended.You want your lifestyle adjustments to stick and your slim waist to stick around too! 

3.Balanced approach to eating and diet. 

Restrictive meals and diets can cause your metabolic rate to drop. Evidence shows how hard it is for adaptive thermogenesis to begin the more you cut down calorie intake. In reality, a tightly restrictive diet can be counterproductive.

But how do you identify a crash diet? Any protocol requires you to cut out a whole food group (also known as a macronutrient) or exercise excessively. We always advocate balance.

So now that we have the fundamentals under our belt, how do we train to get a smaller waist and curvy, hourglass shape?

1. Walk for weight loss: If you’re going to take off unwanted fat on your waist, and body over all, calorie-burning cardio exercise is important. But when you decide to get your move on, choose something you like. Often we look at exercise as a punishment rather than part of our day. Find things you actually enjoy and make sure to include them in your weekly plan. 
2. Lift Weights for a Slim Waist. Muscle is active tissue, meaning it burns calories even when you are sitting around. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest and the better your metabolism works. The good news is that, much like cardio, strength training comes in many forms. Lifting weights in the gym is one way. So even your own body weight will work too. Getting an might make you think to only focus is abdominal moves. The look of a small waist may be the goal, but there are a variety of different muscle groups required to achieve this enviable silhouette. “Balancing muscles and curves in the upper body, core and lower body is paramount,” explains trainer and registered dietitian Jenny Champion. three target areas to work on for more of an hourglass shape:

• Upper body (shoulders and lats) Shoulders and lats will actually help to create the illusion of an hourglass figure. By having rounded shoulders and bigger lats your waist will automatically look smaller, creating an hourglass body. 
• Waist. (see 3)  
• Glutes, thighs, and hips. – Adding muscular width to your legs will help create the illusion of a smaller waist. Consider the leg press, squat, lunges and the stiff-leg deadlift for full leg development. The gluteus maximus, being the largest muscle in your body, has incredible muscle-building and fat-burning potential. Perform glute bridges, hip thrusts, Bulgarian split squats and stiff-leg deadlifts for ultimate glute growth. 

3. Work your abs and core So once you are eating well and moving more—which will take off the layer of fat covering your middle, it’s important to strengthen and tighten what’s under. Choosing specific moves that work your transverse abdominis, obliques, and rectus abdominis are all part of the picture. Dedicate time to work on abs and core, along with the right diet, cardio and strength training and you shall succeed. If you still find yourself struggling try a personal trainer to get help on the way.