Do Sit Ups Help Lose Belly Fat
While there is no single exercise that burns just belly fat, any exercise can help reduce overall body fat when done regularly in combination with a healthy diet. Abdominal exercises such as crunches or sit-ups do not specifically burn belly fat, but they can help the belly appear flatter and more toned.
Be Patient And Stick With It
Achieving a flat stomach takes time. Go in with a long-term outlook. “Going for the immediately perfect result is unrealistic and, when you fail, you will likely quit,” says Quebbemann.
Instead, commit to these lifestyle changes for a period of several weeks or months and enlist the support of a friend who can help hold you accountable.
Add More Cardio To Your Routine
Doing cardio, or aerobic exercise, is an excellent way to burn calories and improve overall health.
Additionally, studies have shown that its very effective at strengthening your midsection and reducing belly fat (
28 ).
For best results, add other nutrient-dense, fiber-rich ingredients to your protein shake, such as spinach, kale, or berries.
Summary
Protein shakes are an easy way to add extra protein to your diet. Increasing your protein intake may help maintain lean body mass, reduce your appetite, and decrease visceral fat.
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I’ve Just Had A Baby Can I Do These Exercises
As we all know, a woman’s body changes a lot in her lifetime, and most significantly during pregnancy. To that end, stomach exercises that worked for you before, might not work now. You’ll likely have lost a lot of core strength, and getting into postnatal exercise is something that requires hyper-attention to the safety of you and your postpartum body. Before you try anything, you must get permission from your doctor. That’s a non-negosh, OK?
Once you’ve got the doctor all-clear, PT and postpartum specialist Charlie Launder suggests keeping the following five things front of mind as you jump back in:
For more of Launder’s expertise as well as a plethora of post-natal workout wisdom, check out our full post-pregnancy workout guide.
Eat Foods Rich In Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
Monounsaturated fatty acids are a type of heart-healthy fat found in a variety of foods.
Interestingly, studies show that diets high in monounsaturated fatty acids may be associated with decreased body weight .
The Mediterranean diet is an example of a diet thats high in monounsaturated fatty acids, and its been linked to many health benefits, including a reduced risk of weight gain and decreased belly fat in children and adults (
Summary
Resistance training may prevent the loss of muscle mass often seen with dieting, which could help maintain your metabolic rate and reduce body fat and visceral fat.
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Tone Every Part Of Your Core With These 7 Exercises
Losing belly fat and toning the stomach is one of the most common goals I hear from my weight-loss clients.
In addition to cardio, ab exercises can help you start getting rid of excess belly fat and flatten and tone the stomach area. Plus, abs are considered your bodys center of gravity and are responsible for aiding in balance and coordination. So theres much more benefit to strengthening your abdominals beyond the aesthetic reasons.
Many peoples first instinct is to drop down and start crunching. While there is a place for crunches in a core routine, they only target one muscle group in the abdominal region. To really see results, its important to incorporate exercises that target all of the muscle groups that make up your core.
Core Stability Exercise: The Mcgill Curl Up
To avoid creating too much flexion in the lumbar spine, Lee recommends the McGill curl up. To complete this movement, lie on your back with one leg straight and one leg bent. Place your forearms and hands under your low back. Lift your head, chest, and shoulders off the floor as much as you can without jutting out your chin. Everything moves in one piece like there is a board under you, from the tailbone to head. You might not lift very far, but that is okay, Lee says. Do two sets of 10, switching legs between sets. These are 5 more exercises that can ease back pain.
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Double Leg Reach 10 Times
The double leg reach is a very effective abdominal exercise, working both the upper and lower abdominals.
Exercise technique:
- Lie on your back with your legs stretched and your arms facing upward.
- Lift your feet back off the ground at a 45-degree angle using your abdominal muscles and pause at the peak.
- Then slowly lie back down keeping your arms and legs stretched.
Perfect Poses Reduce Paunch
Along with abdominal exercises, certain types of yoga poses and stretches can step up your saggy belly reduction workout routine. The plank and boat poses are an intense tummy workout.
For the plank pose, start on your elbows and knees and place your feet out behind you in a plank position so your body is parallel to the floor. Hold this position for as long as you can, breathing normally throughout and try to increase the amount of time each time you do this exercise.
Begin the boat pose by sitting on the floor with your feet stretched out in front of you. Slowly tip your upper body back while you raise your feet and legs off the floor. Stretch your arms toward your legs. Your ultimate aim is to make a V-shape with your torso and legs. You might feel a bit wobbly, but your abdominal muscles will tighten as they help keep you in place. Breathe normally as you stay in boat for up to one minute, and dont worry about falling out of it. Keep trying until you can nail the pose.
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Studies On The Best Stomach Flattening Exercises
The American Council on Exercise is an educational organization for group exercise instructors and personal trainers. Since many fitness participants are interested in flattening their bellies, ACE decided to fund a study that examined the benefits of the various types of abdominal exercises. The following exercises required the maximum number of abdominal fibers.
Eat Foods That Contain Probiotics
Consuming foods that contain probiotics can help reduce belly bloat caused by an overabundance of bad flora in your gut. Eating dairy with probiotics will help to ease digestive woes that can cause bloating, says Lakatos.
Belly Buster: Add foods that are good sources of probiotics to your daily intake. Kefir and yogurt are great, as long as the label says they contain live and active cultures.
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Abs And Legs: Knee Tucks
This move starts with your stomach on a stability ball, hands and feet on the floor. Engage the abs. Now walk your hands forward until you form a rigid plank, ankles resting on the ball. Don’t let the low back sag. Slowly, tuck your knees into your chest. Hold briefly, then slowly return to a plank position. Expect the ball to roll forward and back with your moves.
You Focus Too Much On Spot Training
Regardless of how many ab exercises you do, youll never have a six pack if theres fat covering up your abs. Its very common for people to just work on their abs, thinking it will somehow miraculously burn off the layer of belly fat above them, says Aaptiv master trainer Kenta Seki. Your body doesnt take fat from your belly just because you want a flat stomach when it needs energy, it takes it from all over your body. The best way to get rid of belly fat is to have a full-body workout program with cardio and a healthy diet. Doing ab exercises can definitely help, but dont make them the only priority.
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Limit Your Intake Of Added Sugar
Added sugar has been linked to many chronic conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease .
Its recommended to limit added sugar intake to less than 10% of total daily calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, this translates to about 200 calories, or 12 teaspoons per day .
However, most people exceed this amount, and adults in the United States consume an average of 17 teaspoons of added sugar daily .
Studies have shown a direct link between high intake of added sugar and increased waist size, especially in people who drink sugar-sweetened beverages (
106 ).
Whats more, one review of 13 studies also found that MCTs were more effective at reducing body weight, total body fat, and belly fat compared with long-chain triglycerides .
Keep in mind that MCT oil is still high in calories, much like other types of fat. Therefore, its important not to just add MCT oil to your diet, but rather replace other sources of fat with it.
Summary
Replacing other fats in your diet with MCT oil could boost energy expenditure and increase feelings of fullness. Some studies also show that MCT oil may be more effective at reducing waist circumference and body weight compared with other types of fat.
Am I Engaging My Core Correctly
Many people learn to do sit-ups and crunches in a way that shortens the rectus abdominis muscle, making it pooch out at your middle instead of creating long, flexible muscles. If you do Pilates exercise in the same way, you wont achieve core strength and long, lean ab muscles.
If you think this might be your problem, work on correcting your form and engaging all your abdominal muscles, as well as the lats, paraspinal muscles, hip flexors, and glutes, to keep your spine safe and stable. Hint: Picture zipping up your absbringing your navel up and toward your spine.
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Drink A Glass Of Water Before Eating A Meal
Research has also found that drinking a glass of water before a meal can help to suppress appetite, meaning that youre more likely to indulge in a smaller and healthier sized portion while feeling fuller. One way to remind yourself? With a super chic reusable water bottle.
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Eat More Fiber Especially Soluble Fiber
Soluble fibers absorb large quantities of water and slow down the passing of food through the digestive tract.
This has been shown to delay stomach emptying, causing the stomach to expand and make you feel more full between meals .
Furthermore, soluble fiber may decrease the number of calories your body is able to absorb from food .
Some research also suggests that eating more soluble fiber could be associated with less visceral fat, a type of fat that wraps around your organs especially in the abdominal area and is linked to several chronic health conditions (
- Lactobacillus gasseri
Probiotic foods include fermented ingredients like Kombucha, yogurt, kefir, tempeh, kimchi, and pickles.
Its important to note that probiotics do not directly cause weight loss. They can be a helpful tool when used in conjunction with a nutritious diet and exercise, but they may not have the same effect on everyone. Always talk with your doctor before deciding to add probiotics to your diet.
Summary
Probiotics may help build up beneficial gut flora. Some Lactobacillus strains have been shown to be effective at helping prevent weight gain and reduce belly fat in individuals already living with obesity, but this is typically in conjunction with other lifestyle changes.
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Eating To Flatten Your Stomach
To Perform The Bicycle Crunch:
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You Go For Hot Items At The Salad Bar
Generally speaking, the salad bars spicy hot chicken, Mexican rice, and mashed potatoes may sound like good comfort food, but the sodium levels can be enough to put an entire office to sleep! explains celebrity personal trainer Ashley Borden. You can absolutely get a healthy, low-sodium, high-protein choice at a salad bar: choose hard-boiled eggs, beans, tuna, chicken, lots of colorful veggies, and a little feta cheese to top it off.
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You Dont Get Enough Sleep
When you snooze, you loseand that can be a good thing because not sleeping enough will not only impact your judgment and mood, but it can also be the reason why youre not losing weight. During sleep, the pituitary gland releases growth hormones that can aid in fat loss, muscle building, and cell regeneration, says Seki. Sleep also suppresses your appetite and raises your metabolism, while allowing the body to rest and recover. Not sleeping enough also raises those previously-mentioned cortisol levels, which can slow down your metabolism and lead to excess production of visceral fat, the type of fat that gathers around your waist. Just being in bed isnt enough, though Losing weight requires high-quality sleep, so do your best to relax, keep your room dark, quiet, and cool, and completely silence your phone.
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Tips For Getting A Flat Stomach
1. Do core exercises
Exercises that target your core and strengthen the muscles there can help you get a flat and toned stomach without losing many pounds. These include core workouts and resistance training. Some of the simplest core-strengthening exercises include:
- Get on all floors in a table-top position with your face down. Make sure your hands are directly below your shoulders.
- Start lifting your knees slowly until youre supporting your weight on just your toes and hands.
- Keep your body in a straight line from the top of your head to your heels.
- Keep your core tight and back straight.
2. Try resistance training
3. Mix up your workouts
In addition to core exercises and resistance training, you may need to do cardio, although this will result in overall weight loss.
Modified Side Plank Crunch
Perform 10-12 crunches on one side, then switch sides and repeat.
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How Can I Reduce My Tummy In 15 Days
Day 1: Morning: 1 banana and green tea. Breakfast: Oats with veggies with one bowl of fruits. Day 2: Morning: Handful of nuts and green tea. Breakfast: Banana milkshake and three egg omelette with veggies. Day 3: Morning: 1 apple with green tea. Day 4: Morning: Amla with green tea. Day 5: Morning: 10 almonds with green tea.
To Perform The Hollow Hold:
As with the plank, this movement is done for time and not repetitions. Aim for 3 sets of a 20-30-second hold.
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