Belly fat consists of a combination of subcutaneous fat below the skin and visceral fat surrounding your internal organs. Individuals with a significant amount of belly fat are at an increased risk of developing potentially serious conditions like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, colorectal cancer and breast cancer. Healthy eating and routine physical activity are essential to trimming fat around your waistline and improving your overall health.
Step 1
Perform 30 to 60 minutes of cardio exercise each day to elevate your heart rate to a level that supports optimal fat burning throughout your abdominal regions. Diversify your cardio workout regimen with exercises like running, skipping, kickboxing, and stair-climbing to help target different abdominal muscles and to help you burn upward of 500 calories in a single hour. Increase the duration and intensity of your cardio workout as you build strength.
Step 2
Do ab targeting resistance exercises at least two to three times per week. Weight training builds lean muscle mass to help you burn fat more efficiently. Do at least three sets of 12 or more repetitions on various weight resistance machines, using free weight. Use just enough weight to tire your muscles after the 12th repetition.
Step 3
Do at least three sets of 20 or more repetitions of various calisthenic exercises like sit-ups, crunches and push-ups to target your transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, external obliques and internal obliques and to enhance definition. Increase the number of repetitions you perform as you build strength and endurance.
Step 4
Burn more calories than you consume to support consistent fat loss. You must burn 3,500 more calories than you consume to lose 1 lb. of fat, therefore, it is essential that you maintain a nutritional deficit by consuming a low-fat, well-balanced diet. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and limit your intake of junk foods and beverages high in sugar or caffeine to promote overall weight loss, which should, in turn, also reflect around your mid-section.
Things You'll Need
- Athletic shoes
References
- MayoClinic.com: Belly Fat
- MayoClinic.com; Strength Training: Get Stronger, Leaner and Healthier; June 2010
- Bodybuilding.com; What Is The Best Calisthenics Workout?
- Harvard Health Publications; Abdominal Fat and What to do About it
- MayoClinic.com; Weight Loss Basics; Dec. 4, 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Belly Fat in Women: Taking - and Keeping it Off; April 2011
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