A fat belly or fat waist is a very difficult part of the body to shape. Stress and poor lifestyle make belly fat accumulate and difficult to remove. However, you can reduce your body fat percentage and get rid of belly fat by exercising on a schedule, following a diet, and adopting a healthy lifestyle.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Doing Waist Slimming Exercises
Step 1. Make time to exercise at least 3 times a week
Consistency is a determining factor for the success of slimming the waist and reducing body fat. You are free to schedule an exercise as you wish, but make sure you exercise at least 3 times a week by doing movements that are beneficial for losing belly fat.
While you may need to match your workout duration to your body shape and training goals, make a commitment to exercise 30-60 minutes per training session
Step 2. Do a variety of exercises to prevent a plateau (exercise not progressing)
Slimming the waist is not easy because belly fat is difficult to lose. Therefore, you need to run a diverse exercise program to keep progressing. Over time, the effectiveness of the exercise decreases as the muscles get used to doing the same movement. A variety of exercises is beneficial to train different muscle groups so that fat burning increases.
- A varied exercise program prevents boredom and keeps you motivated to train.
- For example, if you practice yoga every Monday and take a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) class every Tuesday, schedule another workout for Wednesday, such as lifting weights at the gym. You can do the same exercise two days in a row, but the training schedule needs to be changed at least 2 times a week.
Step 3. Prioritize HIIT training for cardiovascular work
To get the most out of your cardio workout, do short, 20-60 second energy-draining moves several times. While consistent moderate-intensity exercise, such as walking or jogging, can reduce body fat percentage, short, high-intensity cardio exercises are more effective at losing belly fat.
- Practicing interval sprints and HIIT in class are great ways to reduce body fat and burn calories in no time.
- You are free to determine the sequence of high-intensity cardio exercises, for example, when practicing sprints on a treadmill.
Step 4. Schedule strengthening exercises for a full body workout
In order for your waist to look slim, you need to reduce fat throughout your body, not just belly fat. For that, you must schedule exercises that will strengthen all muscle groups. This exercise aims to build fat-free muscle so that calorie burning lasts throughout the day and removes fat that has accumulated in the abdominal area.
- Do squats holding dumbbells and rotating your upper body to thoroughly strengthen your abs, legs, and arms.
- Another way to increase body fat burning and tone your core is to rotate your hips with a ball (for exercise).
- Doing dead lifts while holding dumbbells is also beneficial for overall muscle training to burn fat and strengthen core muscles.
Step 5. Perform useful movements to strengthen the core muscles to form abdominal muscles
Although belly fat can't be overcome just by training the abdominal muscles, this exercise is still needed as well as cardio training and strengthening all muscle groups. For that, do movements that focus on training the abdominal muscles, such as sit ups while training the oblique muscles. In addition to toning your abdominal muscles to slim your waist, this move helps you train your body as a whole.
- For example, the plank posture with variations is useful for strengthening the core muscles and tightening the abdominal muscles. As a variation, do a side plank posture. Alternatively, do a plank posture that is combined with jumping jacks (jumping stars), bringing your knees closer to your chest, or mountain climbers (stepping your feet alternately). In addition to toning the abdominal muscles, this movement is useful for cardiovascular training.
- Do waist twisting and upper body rotations to work your oblique muscles and get rid of the fat deposits that make your belly fat.
Step 6. Take the time to walk as often as possible
Apart from reducing belly fat, walking is a great way of doing high-intensity cardio and strengthening muscles. Although the progress is slower than other, more intense exercises, regular walking is beneficial for reducing waist and abdominal circumference significantly.
- Take the time to walk as soon as you get up in the morning so you don't think too long so you don't want to do it.
- Instead of using a vehicle, you can increase the number of steps by walking, or park the vehicle some distance from the entrance. This method increases the number of daily steps effortlessly.
Step 7. Reduce body fat by practicing yoga
Although yoga is a relatively light exercise, this exercise can reduce body fat, including fat in the abdominal area. In addition to slimming the waist, yoga is useful for dealing with stress so that cortisol levels are reduced.
- Vinyasa and power yoga are great choices if you want to lose belly fat because both methods make you move continuously so that you burn calories and reduce body fat.
- Yoga is useful for relieving stress so you can sleep well. Both of these things help you reduce body fat that is difficult to lose.
Method 2 of 3: Adopting a Healthy Diet
Step 1. Eat fat-free protein sources
In order to reduce body fat, make sure you consume fat-free protein sources, such as chicken and fish. High-quality fat-free protein is useful for stabilizing blood sugar levels and keeping you full so you don't want to eat nutritional snacks.
- Consuming enough fat-free protein is useful in regulating insulin and cortisol levels in the body. Both of these things are useful for eliminating belly fat.
- Salmon from the wild is a source of fat-free protein and omega 3 fatty acids which are needed to reduce belly fat.
- Eggs contain low-calorie fat-free protein. Eating eggs is an efficient way to reduce belly fat because the price is relatively cheap.
Step 2. Eat nutritious foods high in fiber
In addition to fat-free protein, eating fibrous foods is very useful for slimming the waist because it keeps you full and doesn't get hungry quickly. This way, you can limit your calorie intake because you don't have to fill your stomach with snacks.
- Apples, bananas, raspberries, pears, and strawberries contain a lot of fiber so you feel full and helps reduce belly fat.
- Every 100 grams of broccoli, mini cabbage, turnip greens, and green beans contain several grams of fiber.
Step 3. Eat foods that contain lots of antioxidants
Vegetables high in antioxidants, such as kale and spinach, can reduce inflammation that causes belly fat to form. In addition, these vegetables contain various vitamins needed to maintain health and reduce waist circumference.
In addition to containing antioxidants, green tea is useful for burning body fat
Step 4. Eat healthy fats
This suggestion may seem inaccurate, but healthy unsaturated fats can eliminate belly fat, instead of making your belly fat. Avocados, olive oil, unprocessed nuts, and fish are sources of monounsaturated fats that keep you full and increase energy, but don't cause body fat to accumulate.
In contrast to unsaturated fats which are useful for removing belly fat, saturated fats and trans fats, for example in processed cheese, make belly fat accumulate so that the stomach bulges
Step 5. Do not consume sugar in excess
Sugar can be the main cause of belly fat. Processed foods that use a lot of sugar are usually very high in calories so that calorie burning is inhibited. In addition, granulated sugar triggers an addiction that makes you addicted to eating sweet foods so that belly fat accumulates. So that the waist looks slimmer, do not consume sugar in excess. Instead, eat nutritious foods.
- Although the consumption of granulated sugar needs to be limited, do not eliminate granulated sugar from the list of foodstuffs to overcome a fat stomach. You can eat sugar every now and then, but not too much.
- If you want to eat sweet foods, choose fruit instead of sugary processed foods. Despite their high sugar content, fruits are not the main cause of belly fat accumulation because they contain natural sugars.
Step 6. Avoid refined carbohydrates
So that you can slim your waist, don't eat foods high in refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, pastries, biscuits, cakes, white rice, and foods made from potatoes. When exercising, carbohydrates are beneficial to increase energy, but refined carbohydrates increase insulin levels so that belly fat does not decrease, even more.
- Insulin keeps body fat in place. Therefore, belly fat does not decrease if insulin levels in the body increase.
- Avoid foods that contain refined carbohydrates. Eat nutritious carbohydrates from whole grains, such as quinoa and oats.
Step 7. Eat nutritious food to activate metabolism
The increase in the hormone cortisol due to neglecting the eating schedule makes belly fat increase. Therefore, make it a habit to eat regularly so that the body does not produce stress hormones.
- Getting into the habit of eating on a schedule and eating healthy snacks prevents you from overeating or snacking late at night.
- Eating regularly prevents the metabolism from slowing down. This plays an important role in slimming the waist.
Method 3 of 3: Applying a Healthy Lifestyle
Step 1. Do activities that help relieve stress
Stress causes belly fat to accumulate. When you are under stress, increased cortisol makes the body store fat in the abdominal area. Prevent this by doing activities that help you relieve stress, such as:
Read a book, play a musical instrument, or play golf
Step 2. Get in the habit of getting enough sleep at night to keep you motivated to slim your waist
A good night's sleep makes it easier for you to lose belly fat. If you are sleep deprived, you have difficulty controlling your appetite, cravings for snacks, mood, and motivation. Make sure you get enough sleep at night to have the energy to stick to a consistent diet and exercise on a schedule to slim your waist.
- A good night's sleep is useful in controlling stress by lowering the hormone cortisol so that you can reduce your waist and stomach circumference.
- You won't be looking for a snack when you're asleep. Eating a late night snack hinders the progress of slimming the waist.
Step 3. Don't rely on a scale to measure progress
Body weight does not change, even increases as muscle mass increases even though belly fat decreases. Instead of relying on the scales, evaluate by observing the physical condition and whether or not the size of the clothes when worn. Thus, you have an accurate indicator to determine whether or not your waist and stomach circumference are shrinking.
Step 4. Consult with a health professional to develop a healthy lifestyle
In addition to making you feel more confident and look more attractive, losing belly fat plays a big role in improving your health. Excess belly fat increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease. If you want to lose belly fat and stay healthy, ask your doctor or nutritionist how to develop a diet and exercise program that fits your needs, medical history, and lifestyle.
