Losing the Stubborn Tummy Fat
One of the first things you need to remember in trying to lose tummy fat is that crunches need to go hand in hand with proper nutrition and cardiovascular exercise.
Losing the "spare tire" around your waist is nearly impossible to achieve unless you focus on your diet and nutrition at the same time.
A combination of diet, cardio and strength training exercises will help kick-start your body to lose that belly fat.
Many diets work. It is however important to find one that makes sense for you. It should also be one that will be easy for you to follow.
Avoid excess sugar, sodium and processed foods. These activate the insulin in your body and turn into fat. The fat may end up round your tummy.
On the other hand complex carbohydrates such as yams and brown rice as well as fibre rich foods and fibre rich leafy vegetables help give you energy to do cardiovascular and abdominal exercises. They also have very few calories.
It is vital to cut down on portions and focus on low fat foods, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Water is very important and you should drink it in large quantities. Also try to take five to six light meals a day. That way the body digests food more efficiently. You are also less likely to succumb to sugary snacks.
Tummy Exercises
You have to make a plan of overall weight reduction. There are no "spot reduction" exercises or diets that can "melt away" fat from your tummy or specific parts of your body.
An important measure is to incorporate 30 to 45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise into your workout three to four times a week.
This helps you lose fat and increases your metabolism. At the same time, it improves your cardiovascular health.
A total body workout is very effective in eliminating tummy fat.
Some of the most effective exercises for the stomach include pilate movements, lunges, squats, compound exercises and pushups.
Pushups do not just help build the upper body but also enable you to use your core muscles when supporting your weight. Keep your abdominal muscles tight when lowering your body to the ground. After the pushups, going into the plank position engages your core muscles to help flatten the tummy.
With proper exercises and dieting, expect to lose about 1 inch in waist circumference for each 6 to 8 pounds of body weight loss.
Dieting, exercise and lifting weights leads to even more tummy fat loss per pound. Your actual body weight loss may however be slower because of the extra muscles you add.
Risks of Excess Tummy Fat
Excess abdominal fat is a major cause of heart disease and diabetes. Excess abdominal fat has nearly the same impact on heart disease as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.
A waistline of more than 35 inches for women and more than 40 inches for men is a high risk for heart disease and diabetes. If you have too much fat in your waist area, you are at higher risk for health problems.
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