Most people are constantly pondering how to lose belly fat. It is critical to understand that belly fat poses numerous health risks to your body which makes it the most dangerous type of unhealthy fat. Therefore, besides its aesthetic implications, a large waist line is also an indicator of disease.
In most cases, we gain weight around the mid section due to spikes in our cortisol levels. One one of the main culprits for the high levels of cortisol secretion is stress. Lean muscle burn calories most efficiently. However, cortisol breaks down the lean muscle in the body and also encourages fat storage especially in the mid region. On the other hand, the unhealthy fat that forms between your organs in the abdominal region secrets proteins that usually trigger chronic inflammation which puts you at risk of diabetes, cancer and even heart disease. Therefore, it is very important to learn effective ways of losing belly fat and shaping up by adopting effective exercise and diet plans for a healthier and slimmer body.
You definitely want to keep calories within a healthy range by simply avoiding foods that contain high levels of saturated fat. Research shows that incorporating certain foods in your diet can help burn excess fat for a smaller waistline.
· Healthy fats
Besides reducing inflammation levels and helping maintain a healthy heart, MUFAs (Monounsaturated fatty acids) can stop the accumulation of belly fat in your body even before it starts. For instance, research published in the Diabetes Care Journal shows that people who get about 25% of their daily calorie requirement from monounsaturated fatty acids did not gain belly fat, while people who are more carbohydrates and less MUFAs gained unhealthy fat in the mid section.
Olive oil is one of the best sources of monounsaturated fatty acids primarily because it can be easily incorporated in numerous meals. Other excellent sources of MUFAs include carbohydrates and nuts. Pine nuts are also great primarily because they are very rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids which increase levels of the hormones responsible for signaling the body when you are full. You can shack on an ounce of pine nuts 20 minutes before having meals to reduce your appetite and avoid overeating.
· Green tea
A study published in the Journal of Functional Foods shows that people who drink one to two cups of green tea that is enriched with 609mg of catechins (antioxidants that burn fat cells) daily for a period of 12 weeks lost 16 times as much belly fat as those who simply consumed green tea without these vital antioxidants.
· Dairy
When the level of calcium in the body is low, it usually produces hormones that stimulate the storage of unhealthy abdominal fat. Therefore, you can help reduce the level of these hormones by simply meeting the recommended daily calcium requirements which is about 1000mg for adults. Moreover, research shows that calcium from dairy products generally has a stronger effect compared to calcium obtained from other sources. Eat low fat Greek yoghurt as a snack since six ounces contain almost 20% of the recommended allowance for calcium.
2. Fight stress to reduce abdominal fat
Although everyone has some form of stress, how you handle it is what matters moist. Some of the most effective ways of fighting stress include meditating, exercise, relaxing with family and friends, and counseling. Reducing stress keeps you healthy and better prepared to make tough decisions and good choices.
· Low glycemic index foods
People with high levels of cortisol (stress hormone) tend to accumulate excess abdominal fat. On the other hand, foods that rank high on the GI (Glycemic Index) generally cause more spikes in blood sugar levels which stimulate the release of cortisol especially when the glucose levels crash. Inconsistencies in the blood sugar levels can lead to insulin resistance which ultimately leads to type 2 diabetes. In order to stabilize the cortisol levels in your body, choose low GI foods like chickpeas, lentils, beans, instead of high GI foods such as potatoes and white rice.
· Vitamin C
Vitamin C also helps stabilize cortisol levels when you are under chronic stress. It is also essential for the production of carnitine, which is normally used by the body to convert fat into fuel. Therefore, vitamin C is great for burning abdominal fat. In case you are going through stress from work, emotional crisis, or bad eating habits, you simply need to increase your consumption of vitamin C in order to counteract all the adverse effects. Some of the best sources of vitamin C include kiwi, kale, and bell pepper. These sources have more vitamin C than oranges.
· Avoid sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages
Added artificial sugar is very dangerous largely due to its uniquely harmful effects especially on the metabolism system. Sugar is generally half fructose and half glucose. Fructose is only metabolized by the liver and when you eat refined sugar, your liver is automatically flooded with fructose which is all converted into fat and stored in the body and hence accumulation of fat around the abdomen and insulin resistance.
Minimize or completely eliminate the sugar in your diet including juices, some sports drinks, and tea or coffee with sugar added to them. However, this does not apply to who fruit which are not only healthy but also provide plenty of fiber which mitigates most of the negative effects of sugar (especially fructose).It is important to start reading labels before making purchases if you really want to reduce your intake of refined sugars since some foods that are labeled as healthy foods can also contain very huge amounts of refined sugars.
Excess consumption of sugar is that main driver of fat accumulation in the belly especially sugary beverages like fruit juices and soft drinks.
· Be aware of meal portion sizes
Do not underestimate portion sizes because this is one of the main factors that lead to gaining unhealthy abdomen fat. The classic food portion is boneless meat, poultry or fish about the size of your fist (about four ounces). You don’t have to be very rigid and strict on every meal portion; however, it pays to be aware of eh amount of food and composition of your meals.
3. Burn the belly fat
· Exercise
One of the most effective ways of trimming all your body fat including belly fat is vigorous exercise. Ensure that you get about 30 minutes of exercise at least five days per week. Walking also counts provided it is brisk enough to make you breathe harder and work up a sweat, with a heart rate that is faster than normal.
Doing plenty of cardiovascular exercises is the best way to slim down especially at the middle. Some of the best examples of this include:
· Jogging
· Swimming
· Aerobics
· Bicycling
· Walking
· High activity sports such as basketball, tennis and racquetball.
Any activity that brings the heart rate to the training zone and maintains the same rate for at least 20 minutes burns fat and also conditions your heart.
As you lose fat, the skin becomes more taut and as the muscle tissue within your body increases, you will appear less flabby and more toned.
· Turn your body into an effective fat burner
Although cardiovascular and toning exercises will improve and speed up the process of losing belly fat, it is vital to understand that this is not all you need. When you work out all the large muscle groups, it adds more mass to muscles which revs up your metabolism to great heights.
Muscles need extra calories for maintenance, so the food you consume will be used to feed your muscles rather than being stored in your trouble spots. On the other hand, your conditioned heart (due to toning and cardiovascular exercises) will also be more effective at burning calories. This gives you the rare golden combination to help you burn belly fat for healthy weight loss.
· Work your abs
It is vital to work out the abs at the end of the work out session primarily they are used for most of the other exercises you will be doing. Abs are very important stabilizer muscles that will help keep your form in check. However, if you start with the abs your work out will be way less than optimal because the abs will be already exhausted. Therefore, it is vital to work out from the large muscles to the smaller muscles.
Janda sit-ups and crunches work out the main abdominal muscle known as the rectus abdominis. This muscle is also responsible for flexing the spine. Although the rectus abdominis compresses the belly to a point, there are other muscles you need to focus on as well.
The obliques (both internal and external) are located at the sides of the large rectus abdominis and they are primarily used when you twist at the waist or bend sideways at the spine. They also compress the abdomen when they contract, so it’s important to focus on them even as you work out your rectus abdominis. This can be done by adding dumbbell side bends, as well as a twist to crunches works. However, you should not use any jerky motions in order to avoid back problems.
Just below the obliques is the transversus abdominis which is often referred to as lower abs. The transversus abdominis is the muscle women who want to lose weight especially after pregnancy should focus on. Exercises that primarily call for raising the legs have proven to be very effective at strengthening eth transversus abdominis and hence burning fat in the lower abdomen.
· Walking
This exercise puts all the muscles in the abdominal area to work. Be sure to maintain a brisk pace, contract your mid section, and swing your arms while you walk. In fact, once you body gets used to a daily walk, you will find it hard to go a day without it. However, you must walk for at least 30 minutes at a time in order to achieve the desired aerobic effect.
· Weight training
Besides helping boost your metabolism, weight training also strengthens your bones. In fact, studies show that women who usually work out with some weights are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis than their counterparts who don’t. on the other hand, adding muscle will do wonders for your self-esteem and energy level which helps burn fat around the abdomen area. Lifting weights will give you a symmetrical and more feminine shape. Always drink plenty of water especially if you enjoy walking and weight training.
· Yoga
Yoga is also very effective when it comes to strengthening your body , especially the back and abs. Moreover, it improves your posture, creating a leaner, taller appearance. Mat-based exercises including Pilates are also great options. Finding an activity that you really like to do is very important because it increases the likelihood of you sticking to it.
· Single crunch
Although core exercises usually strengthen the abs, they don’t eliminate the unhealthy fat that lies just beneath them. This can only be achieved by combining core exercises and ramping up your calorie burn with cardio activity (biking, running and walking). A study by Duke University has found that individuals who usually do moderate cardio for at least 180 minutes per week (about 30 minutes of brisk walking per day for xix days) hardly gain any visceral fat. Moreover, people who work out at higher intensity for the same period of time actually enjoy better results (the about of belly fat reduced by almost 7% over a period of just eight months). You can also maximize your work outs through interval training. Intensity training basically alternates bouts of high and low intensity cardio.
After establishing a regular and consistent cardio training routine, you simply need to add 2 or 3 weight training sessions to your weekly work outs. The weight training should be on non-consecutive days. We all gain fat naturally as we age; however, you can slow down the production of belly fat significantly by simply building muscle tone.
The mind set
One of the most vital things you must do us to program and prepare yourself mentally. You should not use the scale to measure progress. Instead, you can use a pair of jeans that you’d like to fit into once again. You will notice slight change every couple of weeks, and this should boost your confidence.
