Apple-shaped women carry the majority of weight around the waist, rather than over the hips and thighs. MayoClinic.com warns that a waist measurement larger than 35 inches places women at a greater risk of developing health problems. Women generally gain more weight around the middle after the age of menopause. Heredity also plays a role. Although diet is important in losing weight, exercise can also help you trim down your round waistline.
Aerobics
Even though you can’t direct and control the location of fat loss through dieting or exercise, aerobic exercise helps you lose fat from all over your body, leading to a reduction in your apple-like appearance. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that most healthy adults participate in at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week or 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity. Brisk walking constitutes moderate aerobic activity, while jogging constitutes vigorous aerobic exercise. Consider alternating these basic forms of aerobic exercise with various aerobic activities you enjoy, such as tennis, bicycling, swimming, skiing or skating.
Resistance
Resistance exercise helps build and maintain muscle strength and promotes the growth of healthy muscle fibers, an important aspect in burning calories and minimizing fat accumulation. Include at least two sessions per week of strength-training exercises in your regular workout routine. Exercise bands, free weights and resistance machines all provide a variety of exercise options that help you burn fat and increase muscle. Even without additional equipment, you can perform resistance exercise by using the weight of your own body to do lunges, pullups, pushups and squats.
Toning
Abdominal toning focuses on building the muscles of your abdomen through specific types of resistance exercises. Even though you need aerobic exercise to burn the fat, abdominal exercise helps tone the underlying muscles. MayoClinic.com recommends performing abdominal crunches by lying on your back and bending your hips and knees to a 90-degree angle by placing your feet on a wall. Perform this exercise by tightening your abdominal muscles and pulling your head and shoulders off the floor.
Precautions
As with any new exercise program, always check with your doctor before starting your fitness routine, especially if you suffer from chronic pain or illness. Visceral fat, the type of fat that contributes to a round waistline, produces hormones that produce a negative effect on your cholesterol levels and reduce your ability to use insulin. Abdominal fat increases your risk of certain medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer, all of which may lead to premature death.
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