Five tips for belly fat reduction
The most popular requests I get from others is, “Show me an exercise to get rid of this belly fat.” I then must explain that spot reduction is a myth. You can’t pick and choose where you want to burn fat from or do specific exercises to burn it from those areas. Fat is reduced throughout the body when weight is lost. Having said that, there are things you can do to get rid of belly flab. It’s just not a magic exercise that melts the fat from that area!
Number One: Lift weights. Weight lifting will significantly decrease abdominal fat along with overall body fat, and raises the metabolism by building muscle. A simple total body program 2 to 3 times per week is sufficient.
Number Two: Eat healthier along with exercise to reduce abdominal fat. Going on a lower calorie diet is one way to lose weight but studies have proven that when you combine exercise with a low calorie diet, you will reduce more belly fat. Eating more whole grains and less refined grains (things made with white flour) is very helpful. Common sense: minimize fat, choose lean meats & poultry, trim excess fat & skin, less sugar, alcohol only in moderation (a serving of wine is 4 oz.), use the right cooking method (baked, broiled, grilled or sautéed), portion control, lots of vegetables.
Number Three: Exercise more. Increase your exercise duration, frequency and intensity. Add time gradually if you are a beginner. Try adding 5 to 10 minutes a week to the length of your workout. Increase the intensity of your workout by adding short bursts of speed to your cardio. After you’ve been working out for at least 3 weeks, add an extra day of cardio. Try splitting your workouts – workout two times a day. It all adds up to more.
Number Four: Try interval training. Interval training is a cardio workout which switches from a lower intensity to a higher intensity throughout the workout. Studies have shown that it is a great way to reduce belly fat, burn calories and increase endurance. Try these tips for adding intervals to your workout: During your regular workout, add 4 or 5 bursts of high energy, working out as hard as you can for as long as you can, at least 30 seconds, then slow down and completely recover before repeating. Try a walk/run interval: start out walking to warm up for at least five minutes then jog or run for 30 seconds, after which you walk at a moderate pace for one minute. Continue the intervals for at least 20 minutes. Always walk slowly several minutes at the end to cool down.
Number Five: Do abdominal exercises in moderation and perform core strengthening exercises regularly. Although abdominal exercises will not burn enough calories to lose the belly fat, they are important to keep the muscles strong and toned. There are countless different exercises for core strength and abdominal toning which can be done. Try doing crunches on a big exercise ball and planks on forearms & toes. Do abdominal exercises every other day or three times a week. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not necessary to do 500 crunches every day to have toned abs.