Of all the mails I get sent every day, by far the most common - from men and women alike - are questions about how to lose stubborn belly fat.
A pot belly... love handles... the spare tire... call it what you will. It seems to be the area of your body that you'd really like to do something about.
You've been trying for years to rid yourself of that spare tire around your middle.
Read on, and I'll explain what you can do to get rid of it once and for all.
Not only is a firm, flat stomach the ultimate symbol of sex appeal, researchers have found that losing abdominal fat is one of the most important steps you can take to stay healthy for life.
It won't surprise you to learn that the best way to lose abdominal fat is to eat right and exercise regularly. And there's a growing body of research showing that the fastest way to burn off the fat from your belly is with a combination of weight-training and aerobic exercise.
With any exercise routine, you are unlikely to have success unless you focus on your diet and nutrition at the same time.
The combination of diet, cardio and strength training exercises will help kick-start your body to lose that belly fat.
Diet plan:
- You always want to combine a source of protein and a complex carbohydrate with every meal. Or you can substitute "good fats," such as nuts, seeds and foods made with olive oil, for the carbs
- Water is incredibly important. Drink it abundantly. You should exclude fruit juices in order to help limit sugar intake
- Five to six small meals a day, every two to three hours, is the best way to go. The body digests food more efficiently this way, and you're less likely to succumb to sugary snacks, because you're not as hungry
Cardio Exercise:
You should make sure to incorporate 30 to 45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise into your workout three to four times a week. It will help you shed pounds, increase your metabolism and improve your cardiovascular health.
Body Workout:
- Push up straight into a plank position on the mat. This exercise is a compound exercise that includes the arms and legs as well as the core muscles, all critical to eliminating body fat. When you do a pushup, you have to keep your abdominal or core muscles tight when lowering your body to the ground
- Ball Tucks: While sitting on the Resist-a-ball, do tucks to strengthen both the lower and upper abdominals
- Using a medicine ball, you can twist and throw for an advanced workout. In a sitting position, you twist to strengthen the obliques and throw the ball to get a full body workout
