How to Lose Belly Fat?
![Tips on how to lose belly fat with cardio and healthy eating](https://www.bowflex.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-bowflexShared/default/dw6198d8f4/blog/content/how-to-lose-belly-fat.jpg)
Oh, I know how you wish that you could just spot-reduce your abs!
But, that's a myth. Spot reducing doesn't exist. You can't just choose a spot for fat to come off. Don't let anyone fool you into anything different.
But, there is a way.
It's a simple recipe with tough ingredients!
There is no magic pill or exercise that gets the excess abdominal fat off your midsection. It takes hard work, and it takes a combination of the most important ingredients.
- CARDIO is key
You must be consistent with your cardio exercise. At least 30 minutes or more each day. The most effective way to tone your midsection with cardio is to run hills or sprints. If you can't run, then swim! If you can do both, then alternate them and be consistent!
- Do CORE exercises every day
You can do them in the morning, night, or before or after a cardio workout. Core strengthening will pull your abdominal wall in and give you a tighter-looking (not to mention stronger) midsection. It's the first step in looking leaner throughout your midsection. The best way to tighten your core is to perform planks, Russian twists and sidewinders. Forget about crunches! They fail to tighten your transverse abdominals the way planking does. Plus they tighten muscles that are already tight, just hunching you over making your stomach look like crap.
- Eat GREENS!
You have to eat a healthy diet. Eliminate heavy starches and heavy dairy. I love cheese too, but cheddars and port cheese will make you bloated. Try goat cheese and Greek yogurt over other types of dairy. The only way to truly lose the excess abdominal fat is to eat right and exercise.
- One Move to Lose Two Inches Right Now
Now technically this isn't a fat loss secret as you would normally think about it, but with this tip you can trim a couple inches off the waist line right now.
There are so many people walking around with forward shoulders and tight chests causing their bellies to protrude out, and it's giving the semblance of having a lot of extra weight. We sit and drive in our modern society so much that our postures have become rounded and hunched like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
So I'm going to give you a couple tips on how to stretch out that chest and build up your back and upper shoulders so we can pull your posture up and tighten up the abs.
Here are tips on what you can do to work on this problem:
First, it is important to stretch to get the range of motion. After stretching, you can move to the strengthening and exercising in that newly gained range of motion.
Find a door frame in your house and put your hand on it above head level. Put your other hand on your ribs, turn and look away until you feel a good stretch all through the chest. Perform on each side for 30 seconds, two or three times per side.
Next, lean forward with chin tucked and slowly press the arms overhead or lift both arms up in a "Y" fashion and then lower the arms back down. Do about 10-15 of these, focusing on pulling the shoulder blades back. During the first week or two, the weight of your arms will be enough as you start building up the back muscles. Then you can progress to holding weights, starting with one to two pound weights, even a can of soup in each hand.
Finally, while standing, lift your chest, pull your shoulder blades back, tense your stomach (as though someone just punched you in the stomach). Then walk around for a bit, or practice this while driving. Your posture is a merely a habit that can be broken and re-formed into a new one.
So there you have it – some quick tips to give the semblance of tighter abs and midsection by simply stretching out the chest, working the posterior (rear) back and shoulder blades and tightening up the abs by lifting the chest and tensing the stomach.
Adding these ingredients will help you win the fight against Belly Fat!