How To Lose Weight & Get A Tighter Core

If you want to lose weight and tighten the core, it’s possible with healthy lifestyle changes. However, you can’t just focus on core-strengthening exercises like abdominal crunches. You need to include cardio activity, strength training and a reduced calorie diet to accomplish your midsection fat loss. Together, these changes can help you achieve a tighter and slimmer midsection.

Step 1

Select cardio activity that burns the most calories per session. How much you weigh affects the amount of calories you burn. For example, a 160-pound person burns about 292 calories doing water aerobics for 1 hour, while a 200-pound person burns about 364 calories doing the same activity for the same amount of time, according to MayoClinic.com. Increase your intensity to swimming laps and you’ll burn 511 calories an hour if you weight 160 pounds. Other high calorie burning activities include jogging, playing racquetball and jumping rope. A 160-pound person burns at least 500 calories an hour performing these activities.

Step 2

Combine cardio activity and core tightening exercises with circuit training to burn 30 percent higher calories. Start out with a core toning exercise, like the abdominal crunch. Then, alternate to high-intensity cardio such as jumping jacks. Rotate between a new strength-training exercise and cardio activity for at least 30 minutes.

Step 3

Eat foods that are high in volume and low in calories. For example, fruits and vegetables have very few calories; however, they are large in volume. These foods are also high in fiber, which takes longer to digest. Increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables can help you shed unwanted fat. Other good food options include whole grains, lean protein sources and low-fat diary.

Step 4

Select foods that have a positive effect on your metabolism. For example, monounsaturated fats can help improve your basal metabolic rate, according to Self magazine Editor in Chief Lucy Danziger in a January 2011 interview on The Early Show. Eat foods like avocados, nuts and olive oil to increase monounsaturated fat intake. Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon and mackerel, also have a positive effect on your metabolism.

Tips and Warnings

Discuss calorie intake goals with your doctor. Women typically need at least 1,200 calories, while men need a minimum of 1,500 calories, recommends MedlinePlus.
Don’t tone your core muscles two days in a row. For example, if you tone your core on Wednesday, wait until at least Friday to tone the muscles again. This will help safeguard from injury.