When it comes to losing weight, eating right is a big part. No matter where on your body you're hoping to trim fat, diet will help. Unfortunately, eating right alone won't give you your dream body. The best way to get rid of pesky love handles is to eat a well-balanced diet, consume healthy fats and participate in both aerobic and toning exercises.
Balancing Your Diet
In order to lose those love handles you'll need to balance your diet. Eating right is all about incorporating each food group. You don't have to have each food group at every meal, but try to get your servings of grains, fruits, vegetables, meat and beans, dairy, and fats and oils throughout the day. Make healthy substitutions throughout your day, like packing fruits and vegetables for snacks or eating whole grains instead of the white variety. When your body is well fed, you will not only look better, but you'll also feel better and have more energy to put into working out.
Healthy Fats
If you're trying to lose weight in your midsection, it may seem strange to think of fat as your friend. Consuming monounsaturated fats in moderation can actually help you reduce your midsection. Unlike the other -- unhealthy -- fats, monounsaturated fat lowers your cholesterol levels and helps your body burn through fat in your waist area. Avoid saturated and trans fats whenever possible and substitute with monounsaturated fats. Try cooking and baking with olive oil, eat almonds as a snack, or top your sandwich with avocado instead of mayonnaise to get your serving of monounsaturated fat. Be careful not to go overboard with these healthy fats. Although they are good for you, consuming too much can lead to health problems and even weight gain.
Aerobic Exercises
One of the basics of weight loss is that you need to burn more calories than you eat. A great way to burn calories is through aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise gets your heart pumping, blood flowing and sweat dripping. Experiment with different aerobic exercises so you don't get bored working out or to find which one you like the best. A few examples of calorie- blasting aerobic exercises are running or jogging, bicycling, roller-skating, swimming, tennis and other sports. The best part about aerobic exercise is that much of it can be done outdoors without a gym membership. A gym has more aerobic machines available, but you can get the same benefits outdoors for free.
Belly-Toning Exercises
To supplement your healthy eating plan and aerobic exercise, incorporate some belly- and oblique-toning exercises to quickly melt your love handles. Try holding a medicine ball and twisting side to side. Do this both standing up and lying on the floor or on a balance ball. Another move to try is holding a push-up position and rotating to each side of your body. Like strength training, toning exercises should be done in sets. Try working your way up to three sets of 10 for each exercise.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Belly Fat in Women: How To Keep It Off
- American Heart Association: Losing Weight
- HelpGuide.org: Nutrition for Women Eating Right to Look and Feel Your Best
- "Fitness" Magazine; 12 Foods for a Flat Belly; Lara Rosenbaum; July 2008
- "Fitness" Magazine; Lose Your Love Handles in 3 Moves; December 2005
- "Fitness" Magazine; Obliques with a Twist; Jocelyn Anderson; September 2005
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