The most effective way to shrink your waistline is to lose overall body fat by eating healthy and exercising daily. Losing unwanted stomach fat will decrease your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high-blood pressure and cancer and increase your self-esteem. Since there is technically no such thing as 'spot reducing', according to the Mayo Clinic, working-out to drop belly fat should include cardiovascular and strength training exercises.
Aerobic Activity
The American Heart Association defines aerobic activity as movement that uses the arm and leg muscles and gives the heart and lungs a continuous workout. Aerobic activity such as walking, running, jogging or dancing burns calories and is an effective way to burn fat. Most aerobic activities also require substantial use of your core, providing you with an abdominal workout by default. When walking, jogging or running, be aware of engaging your stomach muscles by keeping your shoulders upright over your hips and pulling your belly button in toward your tailbone.
Abdominal Circuit Training
Abdominal circuit training is a fast and effective way to burn fat and tone the stomach. This workout combines strength training for the abs with aerobic activity to help burn fat. Start with a three to five minute warm-up followed by 24 minutes of eight core stations, and then a three to five minute cool-down. The core stations should flow easily and should encompass all major abdominal muscle groups with no rest in between stations. The total workout should be 30 to 40 minutes, according to the "Idea Fitness Journal" article "Sample Class: Abdominal/Core Circuit".
Yoga
Yoga is generally known for its ability to stretch and lengthen the muscles and relax the mind, but it is a highly efficient tummy toner. According to the "Yoga Journal" article "Core Curriculum", by Alisa Bauman, just about all yoga postures require and build abdominal stability and strength. Flow standing poses such as warrior and triangle into floor poses like plank, without stopping, to increase the heart-rate for fat-burning benefits.
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