Even with steady routines of exercise, many women struggle to lose extra belly fat. As they age, it's natural for women to experience a decline in the percentage of muscle in their bodies and a gradual rise in fat. However, there are several specific exercises that can combat those shifts and help women remain lean and toned.
Types
Although most women think of abdominal exercises, such as crunches and sit-ups, when they consider ways to banish belly fat, there are many other types of workouts that can be beneficial. Strength training exercises, such as weightlifting and calisthenics, strengthen core muscles and help increase the percentage of muscle throughout the body. And although it doesn't directly target the stomach area, regular aerobic exercise is one of the best ways to slim down the midsection.
Guidelines
ACEFitness.org and ACSM.org recommend that women adopt varied exercise routines that include strength training, aerobics and flexibility for the best fat loss results. With strength and core training exercises in particular, people should consider two weekly sessions of at least eight exercises, with eight to 12 repetitions per movement.
Exercises
Crunches, sit-ups, torso twists and other classic abdominal exercises do work well for toning stomach muscles. To burn calories and fat, add aerobic intensity with jogging, short sprints or other cardiovascular exercise. Specific ab exercises that are good for trimming the stomach area include the plank, the abdominal bridge and the quadruped. When you've mastered the traditional version of each ab exercise, try a modified version with a stability ball. Tthe ball forces core muscles to work harder and balance the entire body. As a consequence, they can act as an aid to burn belly fat faster.
Tips
When doing abdominal and strength exercises, breathe evenly and smoothly. Focus on quality of movement over quantity; if you aren't sure of the proper technique for an exercise or if it feels uncomfortable to you, stop until you can consult with a physician or fitness professional about the right way to do it. Finally, always warm up and cool down before and after each workout.
Considerations
Adopting a combination routine of core and aerobic exercises is likely to take off some belly fat, but to truly make a difference, women also need to be vigilant about what they eat. A healthy diet that focuses on whole grains, lean proteins, nonfat dairy, fruits and vegetables and limits high-fat, high-calorie and sugary foods also goes a long way toward keeping the midsection slim and trim.
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