What is the best flat stomach exercise? Is it crunches? Sit-ups? Perhaps it's using an ab ball or doing bicycles? Would you be surprised if you told you it was none of the above?

Now, doing stomach exercises are definitely required for getting your abs toned and into shape, but the most important stomach exercise that most people overlook is actually cardio. Do not go and waste your money on the next ab exercise machine. Just get your best pair of walking or jogging shoes and head outside.

Why Walking?

Your body is not capable of burning fat from one spot. This is due to the physics of our bodies. Spot toning is one of many incorrect myths about getting a flat stomach. Read more about spot toning.

In order to lose weight in one part of your body, you have to burn fat throughout your body as a whole.

Not only does walking help you burn calories while walking, it helps you burn calories even when you are sitting down doing nothing at all. You see walking helps to boost your metabolism. When you boost your metabolism, you burn more calories at rest, thus burning more fat. This is especially true after a workout. Your body will benefit from elevated metabolism for a few hours.

Does this mean you can go out and eat a cheeseburger after your workout? No. It's not that big of a boost but it helps.

Remember to couple a healthy diet along with your flat stomach exercises and cardio. A great book called The Abs Diet: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life. Is a great resource for understanding the truth behind how your diet can affect whether or not you get nice toned abs.