Looking for ways to lose abdominal fat, then this is the article for you. Below are just some of the tips on how to lose abdominal fat and help you keep the weight off.
1. This is old one but one of the best ones – get into your veggies! Eat at least 5 servings of veggies a day, and you will be on your way to maintaining a healthy weight. Fresh vegetables are high in nutrition, low in calories and loaded with fiber. Look at adding plenty of vegetables to every meal, preferably half a plate filled with veggies like spinach. Not only will it help keep your calories lower, it will help you stay fuller longer. Vegetables can really help curb hunger pains.
2. Time to Huff and puff with the best cardio workout – the interval method. Start out at an easy pace for 90 seconds (about 40% of your maximum effort), then increase your speed to the fastest pace you ca maintain for 30 seconds (about 95% of your maximum)- that’s one interval. Repeat 5 times, for a total 6 intervals. It is short but intense, and the best part is – it will save you time away from home or work. And unlike traditional steady state aerobic exercise, it will keep your body burning fat at a higher rate for hours after you are finished. You can do this on the park or on a treadmill, but if you are packing more than 20 extra pounds, opt for an exercise bike to minimise the stress on your knees.
3. Get into strength training – not only does it strengthen your bones, it controls body fat. Muscle burns more calories than fat at rest, thereby increasing your resting metabolic rate. So the more muscle you build through weight training, the more calories you burn, minimising the amount of fat that is available to deposit. And this message for women – get into it now and avoid those light weights (it ain’t going to jolt your metabolism).
4. Food diaries – keeping a record of what you eat and drink each day does more than just keeping tabs on what you consume. A study found keeping a ‘food diary’ can help you lose weight because it lets you see exactly where those hidden calories are coming from. The study showed that those who didn’t keep a food diary only lost half as much weight compared to those who did.
5. Trim your treats (don’t cut it off completely) – can’t go without a couple of biscuits at morning tea? Then simply swap those custard creams for plain, semi sweet treats (bikkies). You’ll still enjoy a sweet taste, but with less fat and sugar, which still help control your blood glucose and your weight. Switching to healthier snacks is not only better for your waistline it’s better for your overall health to. Doing it this way is more sensible than depriving yourself of the occasional flirt with your favorite food.
At the end of the day, if you are willing to make some changes to your lifestyle, the above tips are a great starting point to lose the weight – and your abdominal fat. Rather than making the changes overnight, look at gradually upgrading the way you live and eat. That is, for the next 7 days, why not follow tip 1 above. The next week, include tip 3 and so on. Losing abdominal fat is a gradual and long term practise. But the key here is be consistent.