Because women naturally have a greater percentage of body fat than men, it can be especially difficult for them to tone muscles and lose weight in areas such as the midsection, where excess fat is likely to gather. Sticking with a comprehensive and consistent fitness program, however, can be very effective in an effort to slim down.
Beginning
After you develop a complete fitness and exercise plan, it's helpful to weigh yourself and measure your midsection so that you can track your results as you follow the plan. Write down your weight, and measure your midsection at about the level of your belly button while breathing evenly and without sucking in your stomach. The Mayo Clinic notes that a waist measurement of 35 inches or more indicates an unhealthy amount of abdominal fat, which can be improved with aerobics and targeted core exercises.
Fitness Plan
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a complete fitness plan includes elements of aerobics, strength training and flexibility exercises, and all three components can help you lose weight. Aerobic exercises require moderate to intense activity and can help you reach a goal of burning more calories daily than you take in, which will eventually lead to losing weight. Strength training builds muscle, which burns more calories at a resting heart rate than body fat. Flexibility exercises and stretching help prevent injury and tone your body, which will help you look good at any weight. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends two weekly strength training sessions plus a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 60 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity weekly.
Physical Activity
Leading a physically active lifestyle is just as important as regular exercise is for weight loss. You can burn extra calories if you move more, which will help you lose weight quicker. In addition to your workout sessions, Harvard Medical School recommends walking or biking to errands, parking your car far away from a destination and walking the distance, playing actively with your kids or pets, tidying up your home regularly and taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator.
Results
You can track your weight loss results in the weeks and months after you put your plan into effect by periodically writing down your weight as well as checking to see if your waist measurement has changed. Another way to track results is by calculating your body mass index, or BMI, which judges whether you are at a healthy weight by finding out the proportion of your height to your weight. Finally, remember to also keep track of how you feel, sleep and eat on a daily basis.
Tips
Don't rush, especially if the exercises you are doing are intense. It is best to ease into a new fitness plan and lose weight slowly but consistently. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that people who lose weight at a gradual rate of one to two pounds per week are more likely to keep it off in the long term than those who lose weight rapidly. One healthy way to accelerate your weight loss is to follow a healthy, balanced diet in addition to exercising regularly.
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