Love handles are the pockets of fat that form around the midsection and sides of the abdomen. While the name "love handles" may be cute, the fat is not. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic report that abdominal fat in women raises the risks of cardiovascular disease, gallbladder problems, some cancers and diabetes. It also ruins a sleek silhouette. There are a number of ways to get rid of love handles and reduce the health risks.
Step 1
Tighten the deep abdominal muscles by performing abdominal hollowing exercises. Get on the floor on all fours and take a deep breath. As you exhale, suck in your stomach as if you're trying to touch your navel to your spine. Hold for 10 seconds and release. Repeat 10 times and feel the burn in your abdomen.
Step 2
Perform pelvic tilts to tighten the lower abdominal muscles. Lie on the floor on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Leave your arms at your sides and raise your pelvic so that your back is aligned with your hips. Hold while you count to 10 and lower your pelvis. Repeat 10 times.
Step 3
Work the obliques with bicycle maneuvers. Lie down on the floor on your back and raise your knees so they are at a 90-degree angle to the floor. Place your hands beside your head and pump your feet as if you were riding a bike. Try to touch your left elbow to your right knee as it comes up and your right elbow to your left knee. Alternate sides as you pump. Continue the exercise for five minutes.
Step 4
Engage in high-intensity aerobic exercise to burn fat. Exercise by cycling, running, doing aerobics or swimming at least four or five times a week for 30 to 45 minutes. You can burn up to 600 calories an hour from intense aerobics.
Step 5
Lift weights twice a week for 20 to 30 minutes to build lean muscle and boost your metabolism. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that women who worked out with weights, whether they were free weights or resistance machines, lost more deep abdominal muscle fat than women who only did aerobic exercise.
Step 6
Reduce the number of calories you eat. There are 3,500 calories in a pound. So if you cut out 500 calories a day from your diet, you should lose 1 lb. per week. The stored fat around your belly will disappear along with fat accumulated in other parts of the body.
Tips and Warnings
- Measure your waistline. Even women who are a healthy weight can be at risk for developing diseases associated with excess belly fat. Women with waist sizes larger than 33 inches should make an effort to lose the love handles. Researchers at Harvard Medical Center report that waist size is more important for women than their body mass index, or BMI. Check your hip to waist ratio as well to find out if you carry high health risks. Your hip to waist ratio should not be above .8. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to find your ratio.
- You cannot target where the fat is lost when you diet and exercise; it will burn all over the body, in addition to the abs and obliques.
Things You'll Need
- Free weights
- Tape measure
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