Belly fat, or visceral fat that surrounds the organs in your abdominal cavity, is linked to health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, according to Harvard Health Publications. Fortunately, making some simple lifestyle changes may help you naturally and quickly burn off belly fat.
Increase Your Pulse
Thirty minutes or more of cardiovascular exercise at least four days per week will help you lose belly fat. If you balk at the prospect of jogging for 30 consecutive minutes, or if you simply don't have enough time in your day to commit to a 30-minute workout, break it up into segments of at least 10 minutes, recommends UAB Medicine. You also needn't commit to a single type of exercise to get results. For example, try biking 10 minutes to and from work and go for a swim before dinner. Keep in mind that your doctor may recommend more or less exercise depending on your current health, level of physical activity and your weight loss goals.
Strengthen Your Muscles
Add two or three days of weight training to your aerobic exercise and you may burn belly fat faster because muscle burns more calories than fat does. Women who weight trained for an hour twice per week cut their proportion of body fat by almost 4 percent and were more successful in maintaining visceral fat loss in comparison with participants who only got advice about exercise, according to research from the University of Pennsylvania. Although you don't need to commit to an hour per session, aim for at least 20 to 30 minutes per session and target all major muscle groups, including your back, chest, abdominal and upper and lower leg and arm muscles.
Eat Fewer Calories
Replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats and replacing most portions of simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates may help you fight belly fat, according to the MayoClinic website. To do this, fill most of your plate with fruits, vegetables and whole grains, cut down on most red meat and focus on eating lean sources of protein such as chicken and beans. Include at least two servings of fish per week to get in a heart-healthy dose of polyunsaturated fat. Cut 500 to 1,000 calories from your diet to lose up to 2 lb. per week if your doctor tells you that you need to lose weight, but don't drop lower than 1,200 calories per day if you're a woman or 1,500 per day if you're a man or else your body may slow down its metabolism and hold onto "emergency" fat stores.
Considerations About "Spot-Burning" Exercises
Firming up your abdominal muscles won't burn off belly fat but it may help you flatten your belly once you lose excess belly fat. Try the abdominal hollowing exercise to tighten deeper abdominal muscles. Begin on your palms and knees on the floor and deeply inhale as you allow your belly to hang toward the floor. Breathe out and, once you finish exhaling, pull your navel in and up into your stomach as if it were going to meet your spine in the back. This should cause you to feel tightness around your waist. Maintain the stomach-sucked-in position for 10 seconds, rest briefly and repeat 10 times.
References
- Ohio State University Medical Center: Non-Surgical Weight Loss
- UAB Medicine: Belly Fat Can Increase Risk of Heart Disease, Diabetes
- MayoClinic.com: Belly Fat in Women: How to Keep it off
- Harvard Health Publications: Abdominal Fat and What to Do About it
- Penn Medicine: Women May Prevent or Delay "Middle-Aged Spread" By Lifting Weights
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