Even if you've successfully shed fat from other areas of your body, you may notice that your belly and love handles refuse to budge. This is because the abdominal area is one of the most stubborn fat spots on your body. However, burning enough calories and following a proper nutrition plan will result in the maintenance of muscle and the loss of fat. In addition, you can perform exercises to help tone the muscles of your core, which will give you a slimmer, fitter appearance and help burn belly fat and love handles.
Pelvic Lifts
The tried-and-true sit up isn't actually one of the most effective exercises for shedding belly flab, according to the Mayo Clinic. You can target your lower abdomen, where belly fat tends to collect, by performing pelvic lifts. This exercise is one that you can perform quickly and easily and requires no equipment. While this exercise may not burn a lot of fat, it can tone your abdominals to provide a lean appearance when you lose fat.
To perform pelvic lifts, lie on your back with your arms down at your sides and your knees bent. Lift your rear end off of the floor by tightening your abdominals and hold the raised position for 10 seconds. The Mayo Clinic suggests performing five repetitions at first and working up to 20 repetitions.
Swimming
Performing exercises that target your abdominal muscles can tone your muscles, but it isn't the best way to burn belly flab. Because fat is stored energy, or excess calories, you'll need to burn calories to reduce your level of body fat. The more calories an activity burns, the more it will help you burn off your love handles.
For this reason, swimming is an effective belly fat burner. According to the swimming calorie expenditure chart at fitness website Nutristrategy, you can burn nearly 900 calories during a one-hour session of butterfly swimming if you weigh 180 pounds. The calorie expenditure varies slightly with bodyweight; lighter individuals will burn fewer calories.
Front Squat
Working your legs is an effective way to burn belly fat because leg exercises "force large muscle groups to burn a lot more calories, which helps increase your metabolism," according to the fitness and exercise website iFit & Healthy. Leg exercises can also help build muscle, which helps burn fat.
One particularly effective exercise recommended by iFit & Healthy is the barbell front squat. To perform this exercise, adjust a squat rack so that the barbell is at the level of your upper chest. Hold the bar with your palms facing up and your hands wider than shoulder-width apart. Move the bar off of the rack and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight as you slowly squat down as far as you can. Reverse the motion and repeat.
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