Losing weight and toning the stomach is a goal that many people want. The stomach is an area that is difficult to treat and can also be a signal of a serious health problem. A high percentage of body fat around the abdomen can indicate an increase in visceral fat (fat in the abdominal cavity) or a dangerous type of fat in and around the organs in the abdomen. You have to change your lifestyle if you want to lose body fat around the belly. Research shows that one of the best ways to reduce belly fat is to do moderate-intensity cardio on a regular basis. Adequate exercise and supported by a healthy diet can help reduce belly fat.
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Part 1 of 3: Exercise to Reduce Belly Fat
Step 1. Do steady cardio
Stable cardio is any form of aerobic exercise that keeps your heart rate at a relatively stable level for at least 10 minutes. This type of exercise can help burn calories and increase metabolism.
- In general, it is recommended that you do at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity each week (or 30 minutes a day five days a week). Try to do activities that are a combination of moderate-intensity activities with high-intensity activities. This combination in addition to being able to burn calories from fat is also very useful for heart health.
- Activities that are considered moderate-intensity cardio include: running, walking/jogging, hiking, cycling, using the stairmaster or elliptical, dancing, or swimming.
- Several studies show that the most effective reduction in belly fat is to do moderate-intensity cardio for a maximum of 60 minutes each day.
Step 2. Do the exercise in the morning
Try to do cardio in the morning before you eat breakfast. Exercising on an empty stomach allows your body to use energy from stored fat.
- Try to include a variety of cardio exercises in the morning. Even brisk walking for 20 to 30 minutes can help the body use its excess fat stores for energy.
- Maybe you have trouble getting up early in the morning. Make this early wake-up a priority so that in a few weeks your body and mind will get used to it.
- Make sure you go to bed early too. Getting enough rest is very important, so you should go to bed early if you want to get up early for exercise.
Step 3. Include abs and midsection exercises
While cardio can play a big role in burning and reducing fat throughout the body, there's nothing wrong with adding some light strength training to help tone your abs.
- Include a variety of strength and midsection toning exercises. When the fat in your stomach has been reduced, tightening the abdominal muscles will make the muscles more visible.
- Some toning exercises include: crunches, planks, bicycle crunches, or v-sit.
- Toning exercises do help strengthen muscles. However, you cannot get rid of fat in certain body parts. It's just a myth if someone says that you can target certain body parts to reduce fat. So, doing abdominal exercises will not reduce fat around the waist only.
Part 2 of 3: Adding Cardio Workouts to Lose Belly Fat
Step 1. Go for a jog or run
Running and jogging are steady cardio exercises that are great for burning fat. If you can jog quickly or run, you can burn more calories and help reduce body fat.
- In general, you can burn approximately 100 calories for every 1.6 kilometers you run while running. After all, running is a great exercise for heart health.
- If you're not a runner, start slowly. You can start by jogging 1.6 km first, then slowly increase your distance or speed over a few weeks.
Step 2. Do spinning (indoor stationary bicycles) or high-intensity cycling
Spinning and high-intensity cycling are other exercises that are also great for burning large amounts of calories and fat.
- Spinning exercise is done indoors using a stationary bicycle. You can control the speed and endurance of the bike you use. The harder you train and the faster you pedal, the more fat you burn.
- If you've never tried a spinning exercise, it's best if you do it slowly first. This is a high-intensity workout and it may take you several weeks to reach your desired level of fitness.
- Spinning exercises are usually done in an enclosed space. You can feel very hot and sweat profusely. So you have to drink fluids constantly while doing this exercise.
Step 3. Do aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise is another great cardio workout to help you burn fat and calories.
- This exercise is very effective because it focuses on the legs and buttocks. This large muscle group allows you to sweat a lot so that it will burn fat and calories.
- You can burn up to 400 calories in 30 minutes at the highest intensity.
- Again, if you've never done aerobic exercise, start slowly. Use small steps and make minor modifications to moves that are too difficult. Over time, you can use larger steps or perform moves without having to make any modifications.
Step 4. Do high-intensity interval training (HIIT)
This cardio workout can burn more calories from fat and also boost your metabolism for about 24 hours after you've finished your workout.
- When you do HIIT, you alternate short periods of very high-intensity cardio followed by short, moderate-intensity cardio. It doesn't take you as long to do HIIT as a steady cardio workout. This exercise takes about 20 minutes (plus 5 minutes at the beginning and end of the workout to warm up and cool down). This is a shorter, but more powerful exercise.
- Research shows that there is a close relationship between the intensity of cardio exercise and reduced belly fat. HIIT exercises can be very effective for reducing belly fat.
Part 3 of 3: Eating Foods to Support Body Fat Reduction
Step 1. Limit carbohydrate consumption
Research shows that a low-carb, low-calorie diet not only results in faster initial weight loss, but is also the most effective way to reduce belly fat.
- Some foods that are high in carbohydrates include: dairy products, starchy vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts.
- Focus on limiting carbohydrates that come from some of these foods: bread, sweets or sugary drinks, rice, chips, pasta, crackers or cakes. Although these foods contain a variety of other nutrients, you can still get the same nutrients in other food groups. So, it doesn't matter if you limit these foods.
- Consumption of carbohydrates that also contain various other nutrients such as protein, fiber, minerals, vitamins, or antioxidants. Foods such as fruits, starchy foods, dairy, and vegetables are full of other important nutrients and should be included in your diet.
- Go on a low-carb diet that focuses on minimizing carbohydrates, not eliminating them. Some carbohydrates are still needed for the body to function optimally.
Step 2. Monitor the calories you consume
In addition to following a low-carb diet, it has been proven that a low-calorie diet is also a beneficial action. Research shows that a combination of a low-carb diet with a low-calorie diet gives the best results for reducing belly fat.
- A low-calorie diet refers to a variety of different calorie levels. The total recommended number of calories will not be the same for each person depending on gender, age, weight and activity level.
- In general, cutting about 500 calories from your diet each day is a safe amount. It can lose about 0.45 kg in a week.
- Use a calorie counter or online app to calculate the number of calories you currently consume in a day. Subtract the number you get by 500 to find out how many calories you can consume in a day.
- When reducing your calorie intake, don't reduce the amount too much. Eating less than 1200 calories a day can put you at risk for malnutrition, fatigue, and loss of muscle mass.
Step 3. Consume the right type of fat
There are various types of dietary fat that you can consume. Some of them have been shown to be healthier, while other fats have been shown to increase the amount of fat around the stomach and organs in the stomach.
- Research shows that regular consumption of saturated fat is associated with increased levels of belly fat and visceral fat. Saturated fats can be found in a variety of foods, such as: full-fat dairy products, butter, processed meats, fatty meats, and fried foods.
- Instead of eating foods that are high in saturated fat, choose foods that are low in fat. For example, choose lean meats or low-fat dairy products.
- Also, use fats like canola oil and olive oil when cooking to replace butter.
- To replace foods that contain lots of saturated fat, consume foods that contain lots of unsaturated fats and omega-3 fats that are good for the heart. These foods include: fatty fish (such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, or tuna), olives or olive oil, nuts and peanut butter, avocados, and seeds.
Step 4. Increase the amount of vegetables and fruits you eat
When you are on a low-calorie and low-carb diet, focus on eating adequate amounts of vegetables and fruits each day.
- Both types of food have great nutritional content, because they contain lots of vitamins, fiber, minerals and antioxidants with very small calorie content.
- In general, it is recommended that you consume about 5 to 9 servings of vegetables and fruits each day. However, if you're also focusing on limiting your carbohydrate intake, don't eat more than one to two servings of fruit daily or 1 to 2 servings of starchy vegetables a day.
- Include plenty of non-starchy vegetables such as: broccoli, leafy greens, bell peppers, cauliflower, tomatoes, brussels sprouts, green beans, zucchini, asparagus, eggplant, or mushrooms.
Tips
- Always consult with your doctor before starting any exercise or weight loss program to determine whether it is safe and suitable for you or not.
- Losing belly fat takes patience and time. You must always be consistent to exercise and follow a diet that can give good results.
- Do not exercise immediately after eating. Wait at least two to three hours, as you may experience cramps and your food will not be digested properly.
- To stay motivated, make an effort to exercise with your loved ones or friends.
