Belly fat is a more common problem among all now than ever before. Belly fat or abdominal fat is linked to a high risk of heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Key lifestyle changes can bring about a lot of changes in reducing abdominal fat. Eat a healthy diet packed with lean protein, vegetables and fruit, and legumes, and exercise regularly. Losing weight through diet and exercise will also reduce waist circumference and lose belly fat. Start with the following five fat-burning exercises and chisel down the fat around your body.
Burpees
Burpees are the best fat-burning exercises that help build strong muscles and increase your metabolism throughout the entire day. If performed regularly, they lose belly fat faster than any other exercise or diet. This exercise works your core, as well as your chest, legs, hips, buttocks, shoulders, arms and chest. Besides, they’ll get your heart pumping too.
- To begin burpees, stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart and send your hips back as you lower your body towards the ground in a low squat.
- Jump your feet back as though you’re going into a push-up, landing them in a wide stance to help with stability, and lower your chest to the floor.
- Push your hands against the floor to lift your body into a plank and then jump your feet just outside of your hands.
- With your weight in your heels, jump explosively into the air with your arms overhead. If you want to lose your gut, you need to work as many muscles as possible as in this plyometric exercise.
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers utilise multiple muscle groups in your whole body. It is almost like a moving plank. As a compound exercise, it effectively strengthens your arms, back, shoulders, core and legs. The mountain climber burns out your calorie and gets your heart going.
Mountain climbers are a great workout for runners. And though they’re usually viewed to be a lower-body exercise, mountain climbers actually engage the upper arms and core, making it the perfect exercise to lose that flabby belly fat and reveal your abs.
- To do a mountain climber, get into a standard push-up position with your hands below your shoulders and your body forming a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Lifting your right foot off of the floor, drive your right knee towards your chest.
- Tap the floor with your right foot and then return to the starting position. Alternate legs with each repetition.
Crunches
The crunch is a classic core exercise that specifically trains your abdominal muscles and helps you to reduce belly fat easily. Crunches help you build muscle and are a popular exercise for people trying to get six-pack abs. It can improve your balance and posture too. Crunches, when done regularly and properly, can help in burning fat. You can do 10 to 12 repetitions and three sets of crunches to tone up your belly.
- To begin crunches, lie down on your back. Plant your feet on the floor, hip-width apart.
- Bend your knees and place your arms across your chest. Contract your abs and inhale.
- Exhale and lift your upper body, keeping your head and neck relaxed. Inhale and return to the starting position.
Kettlebell Swing
This kettlebell exercise is ideal to get a ripped physique as it targets the abs, shoulders, pecs, glutes, quads, hips, hamstrings, and lats with a simple motion. Swinging the kettlebell can also improve your grip strength and enhance the ‘power area’ of your body. It targets multiple areas of your body and bolsters your core reducing belly fat. About 100 kettlebell swings are a good start and should be at least 20 minutes long.
- Bend at your hips and hold a kettlebell with both hands at arms’ length down in front of you. Rock back slightly and hike the kettlebell between your legs.
- Then squeeze your glutes, thrust your hips forward forcefully, and swing the weight to shoulder height. Reverse the move between your legs and repeat.
Medicine Ball Slam
Medicine ball slam is a total-body exercise and is great to work out many different muscle groups at once and get your heart rate up. Medicine balls can be of leather, rubber, plastic, or vinyl and can help you work muscles from different angles and help reduce belly fat. Start with a light ball until you get comfortable with the movement. Repeat for three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.
- Stand with your knees slightly bent holding a medicine ball above your head with your arms extended.
- Bend forward at the waist and use your core muscles to slam the ball against the floor about a foot in front of you.
- Let your arms follow through so you don’t fall forward. Catch the ball on its way back up and repeat.
Try and shrink your waistline with these five exercises and cut your flab down. Stay fit and kicking.
