There is a whole multimillion dollar industry devoted to reducing your stomach fat! People will spend hundreds of dollars on getting instructors and using gym equipment for a flat belly, when all you need is carry out some basic stomach exercises at home. The battle of the bulge is the oldest and longest running battle of all time. There is no easy way of reducing that belly fat, other than regular exercise. All you have to do is devote about half an hour, stick to some basic moves for 365 days a year. That is all you need to get that dream flat belly. Before embarking upon this flattening journey, and start performing these abdominal exercises, it is a good idea to check with your family doctor, if you have any heart disease or other ailments. If you follow a regimen of some of the good stomach exercises regularly and devotedly, then you will certainly achieve a flat belly! In our body, excess fat accumulates around the belly, especially in case of men. With regular exercise, one has to stimulate the body to burn this extra fat. There are two ways or two types of exercises to flatten your stomach. One type of exercise targets the abdominal muscles. This includes exercises like crunches. This type of exercise directly helps reduce the abdominal fat. The other type is cardio exercises, like running, which stimulate the body to burn the excess fat stored in the stomach, thus, indirectly reducing stomach fat. You could choose either of the two types, or work out a combination of both. Many people dream of having six pack or 8 pack abs, but have no idea of the amount of workout you need to put in to get it. There is no easy way out. Let us look at each of these exercises in detail. ✦ Running Running is one of the best cardiovascular exercises, to reduce stomach. This is an indirect way of reducing the fat around your stomach, without directly putting any strain on your stomach muscles. Running and jogging are good exercises for the whole body in general. Not only does it help in reducing fat, it improves blood circulation to all parts of the body too. Running is a very high calorie burning exercise. Running is something that comes naturally to us. If you can run 3 miles regularly, you will stay fit for life, and have a flat belly. So running to burn fat is a great idea. Cycling can also help lose fat fast. ✦ Swimming Swimming is another effective exercise to lose those accumulated fats around the belly. Swimming is also a very high calorie burner. You can swim in any style you want. You must have noticed that seasoned swimmers have flat bellies. If you swim regularly, you will easily achieve the goal of having a flat stomach. ✦ Abdominal Crunches Abdominal crunches are some of the most hardcore exercises. They directly apply strain to the belly muscles to shape and carve the belly into the beautifully flat one you always wanted. Lie down on your back, fold your legs in the knees and let your feet touch the floor. Now touch your hands behind your head and lift your back so that you crunch your belly. This is the simplest crunch. Side crunches, reverse crunches, twist crunches are some other types of crunches. 50 crunches a day are enough to achieve that flat stomach you have always wanted, assuming you aren't obese or too overweight. If you are, it will take a lot more effort in the form of cardiovascular exercises. If you follow any one of these exercises regularly or in conjunction, you will achieve a flat belly with ease. Do not forget to warm up and cool down before and after the exercise routine.