The Only 20 Tips You Need To Know To Reduce Tummy Fat
When trying to get in shape, belly fat can be a real show-stopper. With exercise your rhomboids and deltoids become strong, your arms start to look more toned, squatting shapes those quads and hamstrings, but belly fat- it just won’t go!
You can kill yourself on the treadmill or crunch yourself to exhaustion but the belly fat will not budge an inch. So, what do you do to banish belly fat for good? Read on...
The first thing you must know about losing body fat is that there is no way to target certain sections. Isolated fat reduction is not realistic and does not happen naturally. When trying to get in shape you need to, therefore, focus on your entire body.
1. Kick start your metabolism
When we sleep our body stays in a temporary state of starvation. As a result, the metabolism slows down. To jump start your metabolism and burn calories effectively you must eat within the first thirty minutes of waking up. The best thing to have at this time of the day is a fruit of your choice. Not juiced, not candied but a raw fruit like an apple, or pear, or papaya till you’re full. This will give your body a healthy dose of natural sugar and get it up and kicking.
2. Have small but frequent meals
Our stomach is like a balloon – the more you fill it, the bigger it gets. Eating small meals will shrink the size of your stomach. Eating frequent meals will prevent your metabolism from slowing down. However, a lot of people tend to eat frequent meals that are not small enough, thereby ending up eating more than they were when they began. It is important to listen to your body in this case. It takes twenty minutes for the brain to understand that your body is full. Therefore, chew slow.
3. Have a protein rich diet
A protein rich diet will help you shed the fat and keep it off for a long time. Protein is essential to build, repair and maintain muscles which in turn help burn more fat from the body. Thus, it is advisable to include milk, whey, soya, cottage cheese, and a combination of lean meat in your diet. However, chicken has been found to reduce the metabolism by a few degrees and hence it is better to save it for dinner. Fish on the other hand is a great choice for lunch and mid-day meals.
4. Eat fat to lose fat
Unlike carbohydrates which are found in everything we consume, fats have specific sources. There are certain essential fatty acids that our body cannot produce but are critical to our being. So when you stop having fats completely, your body thinks that it won’t be getting fat anytime soon and, therefore, starts storing carbs as fats. But when you have fats from certain healthy sources, you’re not only giving your body the essentials it needs but you’re also telling it to use up its reserves by all means as you’ll keep them coming. Walnuts, peanuts, cheese, fish, yoghurt, avocado are great sources of healthy fat.
5. Ditch white carbs
Carbohydrates are our major source of energy. White carbs or refined carbs are stripped of their nutritious qualities. Most of our comfort foods, baked goodies, and desserts are made of white carbs which due to their high glycemic index spike the insulin level in our blood within moments of consumption. The sudden rise subjects our body to stress and triggers retention of belly fat. So to rid yourself of that muffin top, switch to smart carbs that keep you full for longer and are rich in fiber. Think vegetables, oats and brown rice.
6. Eat whole grains
Another smart way to include good carbs in your diet is through whole grains. Unlike refined grains that only contain the endosperm, whole grains have the germ and bran retained thereby increasing the nutritious value and fiber content considerably.
7. Don’t count calories, count nutrition
So you like cheesy raviolis and you think a small helping will not have much calories and, therefore, you can indulge in it. But in reality you are giving your body a whole lot of cheese, white flour and butter – i.e. all fats and white carbs. Instead of counting calories, it is much easier if you deconstruct the ingredients in your head and think about the nutrition they are adding to your system. Ideally, every meal you have, no matter how small or big, should have 50% protein, 25% fat and 25% smart carbs.
8. Drink plenty of water
Water is pretty much your miracle drink when it comes to weight loss. It flushes out toxins from your system, helps you understand the difference between boredom and hunger and keeps you full for long!
9. Ditch alcohol, for good
There are somethings you must ditch for good if you really want to lose belly fat and keep it off. The first thing in that list is alcohol. Be it beer, vodka, whisky or whatever – alcohol wreaks havoc on your system. They cause the body to dehydrate, lead to binge eating and most importantly add empty calories to your body. The same goes for bottled carbonated beverages – lose them and half the battle is won.
10. Run, Run, Run!
Running is a form of cardio-vascular exercise that strengthens your core while training your legs. With a healthy diet if you simply run for 30 minutes a day you will notice substantial changes in your waistline.
11. Befriend Cardio
Apart from running, other forms of cardio that you can include in your daily exercise regime are cross training, rowing, cycling, or even simple walking. Though these don’t necessarily strengthen your core as much as running does, any form of cardio will spike your metabolism and help you scorch the fat off.
12. Interval training
A great way to incorporate cardio into your daily exercise routine is through interval training. Instead of sprinting at the same pace for 30 minutes, you walk for a minute, jog for a minute, run for a minute and then repeat the whole cycle. This method burns more fat than sustained sprinting.
13. Kill the crunch
As mentioned already, natural targeted weight loss is not possible. Yet we often believe that if we work our ab-muscles we will get rid of the extra belly fat. Crunches, sit-ups and the likes are great exercises but they make your ab muscles bigger and stronger so that you get the packs. But with all those layers of fat surrounding it, the abs will not show but make your stomach look bigger. So if you want to shed the fat first, crunches are not what you would want to do.
14. Train your core
Instead of trying out isolated moves, do more of compound movements that work several muscles at the same time. You would specifically want to train your entire core if you’re trying to lose belly fat. Planks and its variations, bicycle crunches and leg lifts are a great way to strengthen your core muscles.
15. Have realistic goals
Did you put on all those pounds overnight? No? Then why would you think you can lose it in a click of the hand? Belly fat or weight reduction in general requires consistency. You must eat right and work your body at the same time. If you cannot workout for more than 30 minutes a day, don’t set unrealistic goals of losing 20 pounds in 10 days.
16. Magic Drink
Though there is no miracle belly fat cutter drink as such, certain concoctions can help you digest food quickly, keep your metabolism up and in turn get a trimmer waistline. Lemon juice, honey, parsley, ginger, cucumber, cinnamon, mint, green tea and other ingredients can be blended in different combinations and drunk.
17. Get a stability ball
Nowadays because most of our work happens in front of the computer, we are required to sit for most of the day. While you cannot help it in office, for home try replacing your study chair with a stability ball. This way you will keep your core engaged and keep burning fat even when you’re sitting.
18. NEVER skip meals
Never. Ever. Skip. Meals. Especially breakfast. Skipping meals cause your body to switch into starvation mode. This is exceedingly damaging as your body feels you are going through harsh situations and to help you it stores most of the next meal you will have as fat.
19. Keep Calm
Stress is a big reason for weight gain especially around the belly area. So in order to get rid of belly fat, along with proper diet and exercise you must also actively not take stress.
20. Get enough sleep
Sleep is very important if you’re trying to lose belly fat or trying to get fit in general. Sleep gives your body the time it needs to repair itself and calms your mind. A minimum of 6 to 8 hours of sleep is what you must try to achieve every night.
Last but not the least, you must focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For, being healthy and in shape is a way of life. A balanced meal plan and healthy dose of exercise along with the pointers mentioned above will definitely help you achieve your fat loss goals.
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