Want Kate's Abs? These 5 Habits Are Holding You Back

So you exercise on a regular basis, do your 50 sit-ups every morning and despite your best efforts, you still don’t have a supermodel’s stomach. You could just retire your quest for washboard abs and convince yourself that anyone with a flat stomach has been granted a god given gift or you could look a little closer to home - more specifically your fridge. 

We all know that a healthy lifestyle is all about balance. What this means is that exercise alone will not give you the body you desire unless you cut out some bad food and drink habits. Vanity aside, some foods are simply bad for us. With no nutritional value, they serve zero purpose in our desire for a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle. So before you ditch your sit-ups, try cutting these 5 foods and drinks out of your diet first.

Soft Drinks and Refined Sugar: You wake up and reach for a can of soft drink. You convince yourself that it’s ok because you have opted for a sugar-free option. False. As Harvard nutritionist Walter Willett notes, if you want to rid yourself of belly fat, the first step is cutting high-calorie, low value foods.

With no nutritional value, soft drinks, candy and other sources of refined sugar will not only deliver zero nutritional value but will promote bloating. The unnecessary intake of additives, colours and flavourings will send your liver into overdrive, in turn leaving you feeling and looking swollen.   

Alcohol: While many of us will enjoy a glass of wine from time to time insisting that it will help prevent heart disease, the reality is that wine and other alcoholic beverages are high-calorie, low value drinks. 

Whichever way you may try and wrap it into a nice parcel of excuses, if you want Kate or Miranda’s stomach, no amount of alcohol is appropriate. Furthermore, scientific studies have proven that alcohol intake, even a glass, increases chances of overeating.  

Coffee: Now this one was a hard one to type, even for us. However the night owls' best friend and your 4pm comfort drink may be making you bloated by increasing the acidity in your stomach. Furthermore, coffee promotes the over production of hydrochloric acid (HCI), naturally found in the lining of the stomach. This overproduction can lead to a HCI deficiency down the track, which in turn will decrease the good bacteria in your gut and increase bloating.   

Refined carbohydrates: Now we are not saying ditch carbohydrates altogether. Complex carbohydrates form a very large part of a healthy diet. However refined carbohydrates such as white breads and pastas deliver a sugar rush to your body, the equivalent of eating sugar. The result, not only will you feel bloated but you are more likely to overeat. As the sugar rush fades you will be left feeling hungry and reaching for that unnecessary mid morning or afternoon snack.