Aerobic Exercise To Lose Belly Fat

Aerobic activities are big calorie burners. Aerobic exercise, also called cardiovascular exercise, demands an accelerated flow of oxygen to supply energy. As oxygen pours from your lungs into your bloodstream, heart and muscles, your heart pumps at a faster sustained rate, increasing your metabolism and burning calories and fat. While aerobic exercise can't spot-reduce a specific area of your body, it can banish fat from your body as a whole, including belly fat.

Bicycling

It's no surprise that in 2009, more than 38 million people in the United States participated in bicycling, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Although the body-shaping benefits of cycling mainly occur from the hips down, a 160 lb. person can burn almost 300 calories per hour while enjoying a leisurely bike ride. Vigorous-intensity bicycling can burn almost 700 calories per hour. Burning calories translates into burning fat from all areas of your body, including your belly.

Dancing

"It is possible for dancers to burn calories at a faster rate than someone running a five-minute mile," says Phil Martin, a dance instructor and lecturer in the department of kinesiology and physical education at California State University, Long Beach. According to Martin, dancing normally burns 318 to 655 calories per hour but can exceed 1,200 calories. Whether you prefer the cha-cha, polka, swing, samba or salsa, dancing yields significant aerobic-conditioning benefits. Dancing can tone your entire body, especially your calves, thighs, buttocks, hips and abdomen. It can also improve your cardiovascular fitness and help you lose belly bulge.

Jumping Rope

Jumping rope doesn't require expensive equipment or a lot of time. It doesn't even necessitate that you leave the comfort of your own home. The vigorous-intensity aerobic workout helps you improve coordination, balance and stamina, strengthens your bones and burns calories to the tune of 730 per hour for a 160 lb. person, according to MayoClinic.com. As an added bonus, while you burn fat from your entire body, including your midsection, jumping rope also firms and tones your buttocks and thighs.

Swimming

Swimming is a high-intensity aerobic exercise that doesn't subject your joints and bones to added impact. In fact, according to Rice University Recreation and Wellness Center, as soon as you hit the water, your effective weight amounts to only 10 percent of what it is on land. However, because water resistance is 12 times greater than that of air, swimming provides a more challenging aerobic workout than running, walking or biking. MayoClinic.com reports that a 160 lb. person burns about 511 calories per hour by swimming laps. You can burn even more calories if you add the backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly to your repertoire. High calorie-burning swimming also helps tone and strengthen your legs, hips, chest and upper arms as well as your abdomen.