To banish belly fat forever takes dedication to eating well and exercising daily. Excess fat around the stomach is a sign of visceral fat, fat that hides deep inside, surrounding the organs. Visceral fat increases your risk of high-blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other major diseases. Eating a healthy, low-fat diet and combining cardiovascular and strength training exercises will help you achieve the flat abs you desire.
Belly Dancing
Belly dancing engages the entire core for stomach strengthening, is a cardiovascular exercise for fat-burning and is tons of fun. Belly dancing can burn as many or more calories than walking, jogging, swimming or riding a bike, according to Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist Edward R. Laskowski. Belly dancing can be done as a group fitness class or in the privacy of your own home. Fitness Magazine recommends doing a few basic belly dancing moves such as the rib slide, the hip circle, the figure eight, the camel and the belly roll to shimmy your way to a sexy stomach.
High Intensity Aerobic Interval Training
High intensity aerobic interval training takes about 10 exercises and executes them at four-minute intervals with two-minute rests in between. According to Len Kravitz, PhD in the April 2009 "Idea Fitness Journal", the way to maximize energy expenditure is to vary or increase the intensity of the exercise. Interval training varies and increases exercise intensity and utilizes strength and cardiovascular exercises to provide the most effective fat-burning and core strengthening workout.
Bicycle
"Ace Fitness" expert Jessica Matthews suggest that to burn fat you need to engage in approximately 60 minutes of cardiorespiratory exercise daily. Cycling is an effective cardio exercise and engages the entire core for abdominal strength training. Keep your heart rate up and keep your core engaged for maximum fat-burning benefits.
References
- Mayo Clinic: "Belly-dancing: A good exercise for weight loss?"; Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
- Fitness Magazine: "10-Minute Workout: Belly-Dance Away Ab Flab"; Jocelyn Anderson
- IDEA Fitness Journal: "Calorie Burning: It's Time To Think "Outside The Box"; Len Kravitz, Ph.D.; April 2009
- ACE Fitness: "How can I get rid of belly fat?"; Jessica Matthews; April 2010
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