Carrying extra fat or weight in the abdominal area raises your risk of diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer even more than excess fat in other parts of the body. The right exercise and food program can help to shed the excess fat, but it needs to be a well-balanced, long-term plan.
Exercise for Abdominal Fat
There is no such thing as spot reduction or exercises that cause weight loss just in the abdominal area. Losing abdominal fat means reaching a healthy weight, and the best form of exercise for weight loss is cardiovascular activity. Your plan should restrict calorie intake and include regular exercise to burn off calories. To maintain your current weight, you need about 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise every week. To lose weight, you need even more, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Burning Calories and Fat
Excess abdominal fat usually is the result of eating more calories then your body burns off. Since 1 pound is equal to 3,500 calories, you need to exercise enough to burn off 500 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week. Burn off 1,000 calories every day to lose 2 pounds per week.
To prevent health complications from abdominal fat, women should keep their waist size under 35 inches and men should stay below 40 inches, says MayoClinic.com. Including aerobic exercise in your day can help you reach your goal, and, once you start participating in aerobic exercise, belly fat often is the first to come off. Develop a lifelong plan, because, if you stop exercising, the abdominal weight may come right back on.
Exercise Intensity
Aerobic exercise includes activities such as walking, biking, swimming, dancing and aerobics classes. The goal is to work out at 60 to 85 percent of your maximum target heart rate. Take 220 minus your age and multiple the answer by 60 percent and 85 percent to get your target heart rate range. Keep your heart rate within this level for the entire exercise session. Wearing a heart rate monitor that keeps track of your pulse and calories burned while working out can help you keep your exercise session at the right level.
Strength Training
While abdominal exercises help to strengthen and tone the stomach muscles, they do not burn off belly fat. However, a full body strength training program can help you trim your waist line. Increasing your muscle mass, which does not mean bulking up, helps your body burn more calories, even while at rest, because muscle requires more calories than fat does to survive, reports the American Council on Exercise. Your strength training program can include core exercises to make your waist look trim as the weight comes off.
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