Table of Content
Are you finding it difficult to fit into your little black number? Is belly fat giving you sleepless nights? If your answer is yes, you need to make some lifestyle changes to get the figure of your dreams. Belly fat, hands down, is the most stubborn fat of the body. It is not only aesthetically displeasing but also not easy to get rid of.
Like any other thing, reducing belly fat too requires a lot of hard work and dedication. But before talking about any exercises, it's important to understand that there are three aspects to working towards any fitness goal; that is exercising, sleeping, and eating. Neglecting any of these aspects will surely slow you down from achieving your fitness goal.
To start fighting your belly fat, all you need to do is eat right and exercise regularly as getting rid of the belly fat is a matter of dropping your body fat percentage. Since you can’t spot reduce fat (lose fat in one place), you have to eat in a calorie deficit and lose fat all over your body.
Following are the 7 lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your belly fat.
Consuming low carbohydrate diet is quite essential in order to reduce belly fat. Make sure you do not consume carbohydrates more than half the amount of your body weight (in pounds).
Since you will cut down on carbohydrates, it’s advised to refill your body with proteins. Some of the best sources of proteins are Egg Whites, Chicken Breast, Fish, Black Beans, Chickpeas, Paneer, Soy chunks, Lentils etc.
Remember, good fat cuts bad fat. It is important to include healthy fats like nuts, peanut butter, seeds, and salmon to your diet.
Salt and sugar are the two biggest enemies when it comes to weight loss. Cut down on junk food and sweets. Also, drink water after a minimum of 30 minutes of consumption to reduce water retention in the body.
Include a raw vegetable salad compromising edibles with fiber like Carrots, Cucumbers, Cabbage and other greens at least once a day. It will help you reduce the lower belly fat more than anything else.
It is important to drink a lot of water. Keep a water bottle handy with yourself if you forget to drink water at times. And with the water bottle in your reach, you will automatically drink more water.
This type of training method is considered as one of the most efficient methods for fat loss since it burns a huge amount of calories, yet takes up the least amount of time. A 15 minute HIIT session can burn to an equivalent to 30–45 minutes walk/jog. Hence, if you are looking to burn fat quickly in your belly then HIIT is definitely not to be missed.
Moderate intensity exercises such as jogging, running, swimming etc can help you burn fat if you are to do it within the fat-burning zone. The fat-burning zone is whereby your body is fully depleted of carbohydrates; hence the body changes its source of energy from carbohydrates to the fat that’s already accumulated in the body. This at the end results in burning your bodily fats. The only setback on this exercise is that it requires at least 30–45 minutes for it to be effective.
Resistance Training is best for after-burn effect, where there is an increase in the amount of calories you burned throughout the day even after your workout is over. Usually known as metabolic rate, this increase in amount of calories burned can be attained by doing a little resistance training like weightlifting.
REMEMBER: Getting a flat stomach can be easily done as long as you stay patient and consistent with your diet and workout. Minimal lifestyle changes go a long way in maintaining and being healthy.
