When you have excess pounds in your midsection, you are at risk for health complications like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. This is due to the accumulation of visceral fat which is active and disrupts hormone balance. The best way to lose belly fat is to do the right combination of exercises. Your goal is to shed pounds, increase your metabolism and tone your abdominals.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Cardiovascular, or aerobic, exercise involves movement of the arms and legs in a repetitive fashion for an extended period of time. In turn, this elevates your heart and causes you to burn a high number of calories. When you burn calories, you lose weight in your stomach and throughout the rest of your body. The best types depend on your personal preferences. Running, biking, elliptical training, kickboxing, jumping rope and cross-country skiing are all adequate forms. The most important factor is that you choose something you like and will do on a regular basis. You also need to exercise long enough to achieve weight loss. Try to get in 60 to 90 minutes of cardio per session, performed five days a week to lose weight.
Strength Training
Strength training exercises help you melt away belly fat differently than cardio. When you increase your muscle mass, you also increase your resting metabolic rate. With a faster resting metabolism, you burn more overall calories and lose belly fat faster. Your best bet is to do exercises on a stability ball. This forces you to recruit more muscle fiber, and it will also cause you to contract your abs to remain balanced. Incorporate exercises into your routine that target all your major muscle groups like pushups, shoulder presses, back extensions, lying triceps extensions, seated biceps curls and squats. To keep your heart rate elevated, take short rest breaks between each set.
Abdominal Training
Working the abs as you disintegrate belly pounds will give your stomach a leaner and more defined look. Instead of focusing on one exercise, perform multiple exercises from various angles to recruit as much abdominal muscle fiber as possible. Hanging leg raises, side bends, Russian twists, alternating leg raises and stability ball situps are exercises that work the entire abdominal area.
Pilates
Pilates is a type of exercise where you move your arms and legs in various directions while contracting your abs. This further helps tone and tighten your belly as you lose weight. A rollup is an example of a Pilates exercise. To do this, sit on the floor with your legs together and straight, shoulders lifted and arms extended straight out in front of your chest. Steadily move your torso forward by contracting your abs and round your back as you reach your hands straight out above your feet. Slowly roll back to the starting position and repeat. For a full core workout, try a series of Pilates classes.
Effect of Diet
If you exercise on a regular basis, but disregard your eating habits, you will not lose much weight in your belly. Your best bet is to follow a strict eating plan that contains nothing but nutrient-dense foods. By doing this in conjunction with a calorie reduction, you can promote weight loss even faster.
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