Belly fat can be stubborn to lose. Our first instinct to trim inches along the waist may be to do crunches and ab work. Although it’s important to have strong core muscles, it won’t necessarily give you the toned tummy you desire. That’s because crunches don’t target the fat around your abdomen.
To really combat belly fat, you need to incorporate various exercises – including cardio, strength training, and core work. And don’t forget the most important part, a healthy, balanced diet.
Losing Fat For Better Health
Toning up your tummy isn’t just about better-fitting jeans and losing the muffin top. Too much fat around the area that stores your vital organs can harm your health. Extra inches around your waistline have been linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers.
Stress & Belly Fat
Exercise has the added benefit of relieving stress and anxiety. When your body is anxious, you produce the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol can cause the body to hold onto fat, especially in the tummy. Working out properly can reduce the production of cortisol and increase endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers and endorphins.
Exercises To Tone Your Tummy
There is no exercise that will target only certain areas for fat loss. To lose belly fat, you have to lose weight all over. That’s why doing just abdominal work isn’t enough. Certain exercises and combinations of exercises incorporating full-body movements and targeting several muscle groups will help blast away belly fat and reveal your six-pack.
- Planks
- Burpees
- Mountain Climbers
- Running On An Incline
- Strength Training
- Walking
Planks
Planks are a great exercise for toning because it challenges your entire body. It’s not only an effective core exercise but also targets your glutes, triceps, biceps, chest, back, and legs. To add a balance challenge and supercharge your plank exercises, you can also add a Bosu ball.
Burpees
Burpees will not only get your heart rate up but will work out your legs, hips, glutes, stomach, arms, chest, and shoulders. Burpees help build muscle, strength, endurance and are a fantastic fat-burning exercise. To up the intensity, you can add a medicine ball for an overhead press.
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are a full-body workout. This cardio exercise will work your core, along with your shoulders, arms, and legs. Try mountain climbers in between your strength training exercises.
Running On An Incline
Running on an incline helps build more muscle than just running on a flat surface. It’s also been shown to increase calorie burn by as much as 50%. Choose an incline on a treadmill or find a hilly area in your neighborhood.
Strength Training
The great part about strength training is your body will continue to burn calories even after you’ve left the gym. Building muscles will help increase your metabolism, so you burn more fat even when you’re not working out.
Walking
A brisk walk for at least 45 minutes a day can help trim your waistline. Walking after a meal will use a portion of the calories as fuel instead of becoming fat. You can break up your walk by adding strength moves such as lunges or squats.
Personal Training To Lose Belly Fat
For full-body workouts to be safe and effective, it’s important to use proper form and technique. A personal trainer can customize a diet and exercise plan that will help beat the bulge and fight off the dreaded muffin top. If you’re looking to tone and tighten your belly and lose excess fat, contact Team Dee’s in Las Vegas, NV today.