As the summer approaches you will no doubt begin to look forward to having some fun in the sun. Whether or not you are an active swimmer going to the beach to soak in the sun and kick back with friends and family is a most desired activity.
For many, a fat belly is the telltale sign that you have weight to lose. What exercises should you do to get rid of your fat belly?
These days as I drive along the road, pass parks or walking trails I see persons of all ages jogging or walking. Whenever I teasingly ask “what are you doing out here”, 9 out of 10 of the responses I get are “I am trying to lose this belly”
Cardio Routines
Ask any gym owner and they will tell you that the treadmill is the most used equipment their gym. However cardio sessions are ineffective at burning fat, especially belly fat, because of the body’s “Adaptive Response”. Jogging for hours on or off the treadmill leads the body to think you are starving it. In this situation the body gives the brain a command to actually slow your metabolism and cause your body to store more fat – not to mention significantly increasing your appetite and set you up to overeat.
If you wish to use cardio exercise with the aim of losing belly fat it must be intensive and short.
The shorter, more-intense your session, the more you will burn calories, preserve muscle and boost your metabolism. But what if your current fitness level prevents you for doing high intensity cardio on the treadmill or perhaps sprinting like Usain Bolt, even for a minute or less?
Resistance Training
Then you may want to think about Resistance exercises. Resistance training can be done on weight machines, with free weights or using the body weight for resistance(calisthenics). These exercises are performed to increase the strength and mass of muscles, prevent bone loss and increase bone strength and increase your overall metabolism.
Whatever your level of fitness you can do callisthenic exercises such as push up, pull ups, sit up crunches jumping jacks, lunges, squats etc.
Abdominal Crunches
In their efforts to lose belly fat, many person rush to incorporate routines that focus on sit ups and other abdominal crunch type exercise. There are many variety of these. The basic idea is that you begin by lying on your back, then tighten and flex your abdominal muscles by using them to alternately or simultaneously raise then lower your upper and lower body off the floor. In one version of this exercise you raise your legs up towards the ceiling or curve them towards your head and face. In another version you keep your legs, hips and buttock on the floor while raising your head and shoulders towards the ceiling. In the final version your move your head, hands and feet together making a V shape that crunches the abdominal muscles.
Toning the abdominal muscles in this way give more support to all the organs in the belly cavity streamline your abdominal area and could make you appear shapelier. Abdominal crunches are however a slow and tedious way to burn fat and may have little impact in melting the dangerous visceral fat.
Interval Training
The evidence has weighted in heavily in favor of Interval Training as the preferred exercise regime to lose belly fat.
Intervals are brief, high intensity periods of exercise where you work out as intensely as you can for your fitness level, alternated with active recovery periods where you slow down just long enough to catch your breath before you repeat this again. Interval means change – change in the type, intensity, work or rest periods.
It is the intensity of the work out that increases its effectiveness for fat burring. High intensity workout outpaces the body’s ability to recharge the muscles energy stores. This lead to a higher level of fat burn during and long after your workout
Interval Training Workout are normally completed in 15- 20 minutes which is perfect for you as a busy professional. You should find it intense and difficult to complete regardless of your fitness level. The exercises you chose to do can be made less or more intense by the addition of weights, the number of repetitions done in a given time or the speed at which you move.
The shorter, more-intense your session, the more you will burn more overall calories and preserve muscle. This will not only boost your metabolism but help you created that tight and lean look as reshape your shape and get your new fit and flat body
Exercise As You Rise
Experience and medical evidence suggest that if you are exercising for weight loss then the best time to exercise is after you’ve woken up in the morning and before you eat. Exercise 3-4 times per week until it becomes a habit.
Warm up to release tension and energize and increase the flexibility of your body then get into the swing of it
If you are a beginner try circuiting through 2-3 different types of weight bearing or callisthenic exercises, Rest without standing still, then repeat.
For example;
2 minutes of high stepping, stretches, waist rotation – to warm up
I minute jumping jack
10 squats
5-6 pushups from the knee
Plank – hold 30-60 seconds
Rest 60 seconds
Repeat
Boost your Fat Burning 10 times
A sneaky little trick that will boost your fat burning like crazy is to do resistance training followed by aerobics (cardio) This works because your body will use glycogen to fuel the resistance exercises when these are followed by an aerobic exercise routine then your body will mobilize the fat as fuel as it will not have much sugar left.
It will take effort to begin exercising to lose belly fat, however once you start to see results you will be highly motivated to put in extra effort.
Resources
See eight creative flat belly exercise illustration
Already fit, get ripped, toned and powerful without leaving your home
Thinking of high intensity interval training – 8 great reasons to go for it
