You want to lose belly fat. You know you need to exercise, but what should you do?
What exercises target belly fat? Do they work? Are they hard to accomplish?
Help!
The Belly of the Matter
In seeking to lose stomach fat, you are actually wanting to tone and tighten their abdominal and oblique muscles — often called “core” muscles. This process of targeting the core zone produces a firmer and thinner look – a good thing! When you work your core, you’ll also gain a longer and leaner look.
In addition, an ab toning program will boost metabolism, furthering the effectiveness of any weight loss program. (After all, you do want to lose belly fat every way you can, right?)
Into the Core
The core of the body is the muscle area from the hips to right under the breasts. To tone and trim your core, you need to concentrate on these muscles – the rectus abdominus and obliques.
The rectus abdominus muscles are long and flat, extending across the whole front of the abdomen. Commonly referred to as a “6-pack,” this area can further be divided into upper and lowers regions. The obliques muscles are also referred to as love handles.
These muscles run at an angle along the side of the abdomen. They are long and flat and composed dually. The other muscle sets are referred to as the internal and external obliques.
How and Where?
Although a gym membership or expensive workout equipment is not a requirement, this is up to you. If you’re just starting out, a session or two with a personal trainer might be all you need to get motivated.
However, all you really need to get started is an exercise mat and the ability to just do it — crunches, that is.
Need more variety? Adding exercise balls and video guided workouts can provide a low cost path to torso toning too. Additionally, there are inexpensive pieces of equipment that may be purchased for home workouts.
Whatever you choose to do to get rid of the flabby belly, the most important thing is — do it regularly! Three or perhaps four times a week will get you and your abs in tip-top trim before you know it.
Want more information on getting rid of stubborn tummy bulge? Check out:
http://www.losing-weight-over-40.com/exercise-to-lose-belly-fat.html
http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=760121
Is it possible to do so much cardio to lose belly fat that you reach a point of diminishing returns?
Unfortunately, yes it is possible. fitness clubs for any period of time, you’ve withnessed both men and women alike doing hours upon hours of cardio for weeks and even months on end in their quest to burn fat and get 6 pack abs. The point at which the benefits begin decreasing with each additional minute of cardio is a thin line and many variables determine whether you’re making progress or actually expending additional energy with little or no return.
If you feel like you’ve hit a wall in the fat loss department, don’t ramp up your cardio efforts until you’re sure these 5 variables are in check:
1. Sleeping Patterns – Are you getting enough sleep? To ensure your cortisol levels don’t jump sky high and kill your efforts in the gym, make sure you’re getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep at night.
2. Watch Your Alcohol Consumption – It’s true, you can lose fat and still drink alcohol, but it can wreak havoc on your mental state. Alcohol consumption causes dehydration, so you may retain more water than normal the following days after a night of drinking. It usually takes 2-3 days for the effects to subside. So if you’re drinking frequently, try cutting back a bit. If you don’t want to give it up all together, integrate it into your overall nutrition program to minimize its effects
3. Frequency of Weight Training – When you’re attempting to achieve 6 pack abs, weight training is all but essential. Before you adjust your cardio, make sure you’re training with weights at least 3 days per week. If you’re only training 1-2 days per week, you may only need to increase the frequency 1-2 days to kick your fat loss into a higher gear.
4.Check Your Nutrition at the Door – Many people think eating less equals weighing less and looking better. It’s only partly true. Chances are that you will have to eat less to lose weight, but if your goal is a flat sexy belly, then dramatically decreasing your food consumption while simultaneously increasing your energy expenditure is a recipe for disaster.
5. Drink More Water – Water isn’t a fat loss supplement, but if you’re not getting enough, it can “hide” your weight loss progress. Drinking plenty of water will regulate the amount of water your body retains in its muscles, organs, and fat cells. The more water you drink the more it will be flushed out of your system preventing a “smoke screen” leaving you to believe you’re not losing weight.
