Q: I have a question; I am a mother of 3 children. It has been years since my last child. I work out 5 days a week, running, cardio and weights. No matter what I do I still have a baby tummy. What can I do? I had a flat tummy up until my 3rd child.

A: A couple of things. What is your lifestyle like? If you are a stressed person there is a hormone called cortisol that is released in excess during stress & stored in the belly. It is also released from the intake of alcohol. So if you consume a lot of stress & alcohol, these can be reasons for holding onto belly fat, and if these are factors, I suggest making adjustments. Also, eating a lot of breads, pasta, refined sugars/grains, can cause inflammation in the cells which hold a lot of water, getting that "softness" in the belly area. Be sure to have plenty of fiber. For many of my clients whom are post pregnancy, having had 3, 4 & 5 children, I have them log, food & exercise, so I can evaluate. Then I vary their cardio vascular program with intensity /intervals/frequency which will help change their physiology to start burning more fat for longer periods. In addition, I have them build up to strength training using weights/resistance bands in the core area. This is very effective as building larger muscles can change the appearance of the muscle underneath the skin. Also there's a chance you can have "loose skin" from the pregnancy & that may not be something you will be able to change completely. If you are in the LA area, you can always reach me to schedule a consultation. I don't know what your skill level is so it's hard to give you specific exercises, but this should put you in the right direction.