12 Simple Exercises To Reduce Belly Fat

Flab around the belly! This is one thing that can be source of constant embarrassment no matter what your age. Nobody wants their tummy protruding out and making their clothes fit them weird. And it’s the hardest part of the body to lose weight from! Here is how you can get rid of it. 


But before we tell you how, let us tell you why.

Why do you get belly fat?

• There are a number of reasons for belly fat in teenage girls:

  Your genes may be responsible for your tummy pouch.

  Weak metabolism is yet another reason. You must have noticed that some of your friends eat a lot of sugary foods, fried foods or cold drinks and still manage to keep a flat stomach. The reason being these girls have a very good metabolism. If your metabolism is not good, you may have a bloated stomach.

  If the muscles around your abdominal area are saggy, they may lead to fat belly.

  Learn to sit straight from your very childhood. Sitting with a curved back, may result in all the fat to accumulate in your stomach area.

  
  

  Exercise to reduce tummy:

  
• Dieting and exercise go hand in hand. If you had thought that only dieting will burn your belly fat, then you are wrong. Working out can be quite painful so many of you think of giving it a skip. If you want to really lose weight then you need to include an hour of exercise to reduce belly fat in your daily routine. Here are few exercises to reduce tummy for you!
• 1. Crunches:
• 
  
• Crunches take no.1 position when it comes to fat burning exercises. You have read in magazines and seen all over television that crunches are just magical when it comes to cutting down belly fat. Its time you start doing this ab crunching exercise.

i. Lie down flat on a mat with your knees bent and feet on the ground. Alternatively you can also lift your legs off the floor at 90 degrees angle. (See picture).
ii. Now lift your hands and place them behind your head or keep them crossed on your chest. 
iii. Inhale deeply and as you lift your upper torso off the floor, exhale.
iv. Again inhale as you get back down and exhale as you come up. 
v. Do this for 10 times as a beginner.
vi. Repeat another 2-3 sets.
One small tip is as you lift your torso; do not just sit up straight. You should be at 30-40 degrees angle off the ground. You’ll feel pressure on your abdominal muscles.

2. Twist crunches:

Once you get used to the regular crunches, modify the basic crunch to get a even more effect tummy exercise!
i. Lie down on the floor with your hands behind your head.
ii. Now bend your knees as you would do in crunches keeping your feet on the floor.
iii. As in a crunch you would have lifted your upper torso; in side crunches you just have to lift your right shoulder towards left keeping your left torso on the ground.
iv. Again alternatively, lift your left shoulder towards right keeping your right torso on the ground. 
v. Repeat for another 10 times.

3. Side Crunch:

Same as twist crunch, only that you have to tilt your legs to the same side simultaneously with your shoulders.

4. Reverse crunches:

Time to do reverse crunches.
i. Lie flat on the floor with your hands by your side palms facing the ground.
ii. Lift your legs bent at knees and keep them suspended in the air at 90 degrees angle.
iii. Now lift your hips so as to bring your legs close to your chest. (See picture)
iv. You have to lift your hips applying pressure on your abdomen.
v. Loosen your legs and again bring it to your chest.

5. Vertical leg crunch:


• Lie flat on the floor with your legs extended upwards and one knee crossed over the other.
• Now that you have positioned your body perfectly, do the same as you would have done crunches.
• Do 12-16 crunches upto 3 sets together.

6. Bicycle exercise:

No, you don’t need a bicycle for this. Thinking how? We’ll tell you.

i. Lie on the floor and keep your hands either by your side or behind your head as in crunches.
ii. Now lift both your legs off the ground bent at the knees.
iii. Bring your right knee close to your chest keeping your left leg out.
iv. Now take your right leg out and bring your left leg close to your chest.
v. Alternate bending your knees this way as if you are paddling a bicycle.

7. Lunge Twist:

This is a beginner workout for starters who want to reduce belly fat fast.

• Stand with your legs hip width apart. Keep knees slightly bent.
• Lift both your hands in front of you keeping them straight with your shoulders.
• Lunge forward as shown in the picture. Take a big step forward with your right leg and sit yourself down as if on a chair so that your knees are at 90 degrees angle from the floor. The left leg should be backwards supported by the toes.
• The spine should be kept straight. Don’t bend your spine forward. That is a very wrong way of performing lunge.
• First twist your torso to the right and then to the left. Twist just the torso, not your legs.
• Continue repeating this for 16 times.

8. Rolling Plank:


• Position yourself on the floor with your knees and elbows.
• Keep your neck aligned with your spine. Look forwards.
• Lift the knees upwards and support your legs on the toes.
• Contract knees and keep breathing normal. This is the plank pose. Stay in this posture for 30 seconds.
• Now start moving to and fro for the next 30 seconds. This is the rolling plank.

9. Side Plank:


• Lie down on the floor sideways.
• Support yourself on your right elbow and right leg. Your elbow should be perpendicular to the shoulder and the left leg should be above the right leg keeping them together.
• Keep your knees straight and your hips shouldn’t be touching the ground.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds. Once you get comfortable, you may hold this for 1-2 minutes.
• Repeat with your other side too.
While in this position you may also lift the leg placed on top and bring it back again. This makes the exercise more effective. Then it works not only for your abs but also thighs and hips.

10. The Vacuum:

• Come down on the ground to sit on all fours, supporting yourself on hands and knees.
• Now inhaling deeply loosen your abdomen.
• As you exhale the breath, tighten the abdomen muscles.
• Hold the abdomen contraction for 15-30 seconds.
• Repeat again.

11. Captain’s chair:


• Sit on a chair with straight spine.
• Keep both hands beside you with palms by the side of your hips facing downwards.
• Inhale deeply.
• Now as you exhale bring both your legs upwards such that your knees are close to your chest. Hold for 5 seconds. Don’t bend forward and arch your back.
• Bring down your leg and repeat again.

12. Bending side to side:

This is the best workout to slim down your waist.

• Stand erect with your feet together. Raise your hands above your head in a namaste.
• Now keeping your legs grounded, bend your body to the right as much as possible till you feel a strain on your left waist. Stay for 15 seconds.
• Return back to the original position.
• Now bend left. Retain this position for another 15 seconds.
• Slowly you may increase the holding time to 30 seconds.
These are the five simple and effective abs toning exercises. You can do these exercises at home easily without any machinery. You just need a mat and a lot of stamina.

Read more:

Abdominal Obesity: Top 8 Home Remedies to Reduce Belly Flat

Belly fat is a return gift that our haphazard lifestyle and wrong eating habits give us. Belly fat has always been a major concern area. It not only destroys your image but also increases your risk to many health ailments.  Try these ayurveda tips to lose the fat deposits around your belly.

Abdominal Obesity: Top 8 Ayurvedic Tips to Reduce Belly Fat

Start your day with lemon juice

This is one of the best therapies to eliminate belly fat. Pinch some yellow juice into a glass of warm water and add some salt to it. Continue drinking this every morning to boost your metabolism and to get rid of that paunch.

Stay off from white rice

Replace white rice with various wheat products. Include brown rice, brown bread, wholegrains, oats and quinoa in your diet.

Avoid sugary substances

Stay away from sweets, sweetened drinks and foods rich in oil. Consuming these foods can increase body fat around various areas of your body like abdomen and thighs.

Drink plenty of water

If you want to get rid of your belly, then drink sufficient amount of water every day. Drinking water, after regular intervals will help to boost your metabolism and remove toxins from your body.

Eat raw garlic

Chew two to three cloves of garlic every morning, and drink a glass of lemon water after that. This treatment will double up your weight loss process and make your blood circulation smooth in your body.

Avoid Non-Veg food

To eliminate belly fat, it is recommended that one should avoid non-vegetarian food as far as possible.

Load up on fruits and vegetables

Eat a bowl of fruits daily in the morning and evening. This will fill you up with many antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

Spice up your cooking

Use spices like cinnamon, ginger and black pepper in your cooking. These spices are loaded with health benefits. They help to improve your insulin resistance and reduce levels of sugar in your blood.

6 Ways to Burn Your Belly Fat Fast

One of the most common questions I get is how to lose belly fat. Belly fat is actually the most dangerous type of fat – besides aesthetics, large waist lines are indicators of –disease-disease-disease.

It takes more than just crunches! We start to gain weight in our midsection when our cortisol levels spike. Stress is one of the primary culprits for high levels of cortisol secretion. When this happens cortisol breaks downs lean muscle (the type of tissue that burns calories most efficiently) and also holds on to fat storage in the abdominal region. That stress can even get WORSE with bad dieting; studies show that the stress caused by dieting can increase cortisol levels, making no change in belly fat even with calorie restriction. So how do you shape up? Incorporate these 6 things below and you will be on your way to a flatter belly in no time flat!

1. Sleep

If you want to work late at night, think again. When your biorhythms are off, you end up eating more. When you’re tired you produce more ghrelin, which triggers cravings for sugar and other fat-building foods. Losing sleep can also alter your hormone production, affecting your cortisol levels that cause insulin sensitivity, prime reasons for belly fat! Getting about 7 hours of sleep a night is one of the best things you can do for your body shaping goals.

2. Short bursts of exercises

1000 crunches a night may get you strong abdominal muscles, but with a full layer of fat on top, you will not get the results you really want. Instead of all those crunches, do exercises that engage multiple muscle groups and work your cardiovascular system. Try planking, where you hold yourself in a push-up position, resting your forearms on the ground. Try 3 or 4 sets of holding for 30 seconds each. Getting up and moving throughout the day by going for walks will also help.

3. Sugar is your Enemy

Fighting belly fat is 80% healthy diet. Reduce calories by filling yourself up with protein, vegetables, whole grains, and replacing bad habit snacks with good ones. For example, if you have a sugar craving, replace your calorie laden latte with a Muscle Milk lite, one of my favorites, because it has zero sugar and a ton of protein that will satiate while also torching my sugar craving! Another great trick is a sprinkle of cinnamon in your morning coffee or oatmeal- the spice has been shown to help stabilize blood sugar. It also slows the rate at which food exits the stomach, which helps you feel fuller longer.

4. Vitamin C

When you’re under extreme stress, you secret more cortisol hormone. Vitamin C helps balance the cortisol spikes that happen to you under this stress. Besides being a good way to counteract a cold, Vitamin C is also essential for making carnitine, a compound used by the body to turn fat into fuel, making this vitamin your fat burning friend.

If you’re going through an emotional crisis, stress from work, or a bad eating splurge, increase your vitamin C – it’ll help counteract the negative side effects. Try bell peppers, kale or kiwi fruits. These have even more Vitamin C than the famous Orange!

5. Eat Fat

Yup, you heard me! It takes fat to burn fat. Like I said above, it’s sugar that gets you fat, not fat. Good fats include foods rich in Omega 3′s, like salmon, avocados & walnuts. These foods are full of nutrients that help keep you satiated throughout the day.

6. Slowing down your breath

This is a very simple method that you can use even when you’re in the midst of doing something else. Whenever you notice you’re feeling tense and uptight check and see how you’re breathing. Most people under stress either alternate holding their breath with short breaths, or take rapid shallow breaths. After you become aware of your own breathing, consciously relax your belly and slow down the breathing. This works best if you focus on slowing down the exhalation rather than your inhalation. With each exhalation you can say to yourself “slow down”. That is all there is to it- Simple but surprisingly effective!!!

How to Lose Belly Fat

There are many dangerous and inneffective gimmicks about how to lose belly fat. While there's no "magic bullet" that will target abdominal fat in particular, this article will explain what causes an expanding waistline and how you can make that spare tire go away.

Part One: Jump-Starting Your Metabolism

1. 1
   Eat breakfast. It might seem counterproductive to eat if you're trying to lose weight, but studies show that eating breakfast within an hour of waking up keeps your insulin levels steadier and your LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) levels lower.[1]
   
   
   • Eat breakfast around the same time each day. If you tend to sleep in on weekends, eat as soon as you wake up.
   • Consider including protein and high-fiber foods (eggs, peanut butter, fresh fruit and vegetables) for breakfast — they take longer to process than refined sugars and complex carbs so you'll feel full throughout the morning. Try #*Avoid making sugary cereals, waffles, pancakes, French toast, breakfast pastries or instant oatmeal the sole focus of your breakfast. If you must splurge and eat something with refined sugars, balance it with protein or fiber.
2. 2
   Decompress. Research indicates that the secretion of cortisol (a hormone your body produces during times of stress) is correlated with an increase in belly fat.[2] Some strategies for combating everyday stress:
   • Enough sleep. Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep every night to function properly.[3]
   • Set aside time to relax. Even if it's only 15 minutes on your lunch break, find time to simply close your eyes, breathe deeply, and forget your worries.
   • Keep your stressors away from your sleeping area. If possible, don't work or do anything stressful in the bedroom. That the area should be reserved for rest/relaxation, and resolve to leave your worries behind as soon as you step into that room.
3. 3
   Aim to take 10,000 steps a day. In one study where men reduced their daily steps from about 10,000 to less than 1,500 (without changing their diet), their visceral (belly) fat increased by 7% after just 2 weeks.[4]
   • Get a pedometer and try to increase the number of daily steps you take.
   • Take stairs instead of elevators; walk instead of driving.
   • Stand up and walk for 30 steps every 30 minutes. If you have a sedentary job, consider getting a treadmill desk.
4. 4
   Switch out refined grains for whole grains. In a scientific study, people who ate all whole grains (in addition to five servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of low-fat dairy, and two servings of lean meat, fish, or poultry) lost more belly fat than another group that ate the same diet, but with all refined grains.[5]
   
   
   • Grains melt fat. A diet rich in whole grains changes the glucose and insulin response in your body to hasten the melting of fat, and visceral fat, that deep layer of fat, is easier for your body to burn than the subcutaneous fat under your skin (the fat that can be seen and grabbed).
   • Avoid white grains. For instance, eat brown wheat bread instead of over-processed white bread, and favor wild brown rice over white rice.
5. 5
   Drink plenty of water. Studies suggest that consistently drinking water throughout the day can lead to a more active metabolism, regardless of dieting.[6] Drinking more water also helps your body flush out waste/toxins and improves your overall health.
   • Aim to drink an 8-oz. glass of water 8 times per day, or 64 ounces total.
   • Carry a water bottle so that you can drink whenever you feel thirsty.
   • Know how to tell when you're sufficiently hydrated. You'll know you're drinking enough water when your urine runs almost clear. If it's still yellow, drink up.

Part Two: Exercising for Fat Loss

1. 1
   Exercise in small bursts. Research shows that interval training, or alternating short bursts of energy with brief resting periods, can improve muscle and build endurance more quickly than traditional exercise.[7]
   
   
   • Sprint. Run as fast and as far as you can for 20 seconds, then slow to a walk until you catch your breath. Repeat for 10 minutes.
   • Set a treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike for interval training. Most modern exercise equipment can be set to an interval training mode, which significantly increases the difficulty of the exercise for short periods of time.
   • Take quick walks. Fit some exercise into your work day and take 5-minute power walks. Take long strides and keep a brisk pace, or try going up and down stairs.
2. 2
   Skip the crunches — for now. Abdominal crunches and sit-ups should build strong muscles, but you might not see them under belly fat. In fact, crunches might actually make your stomach look bigger as you build up thicker abs. Try these exercises to focus on your core muscles instead:
   • Do the bridge. Get into the position for doing a push up/press up. Rest on your elbows and always keep your eyes to the floor. Pull your stomach muscles in tight, imagining them going to your backbone. As you do this, your bottom should be down and your back straight. Hold this position for as long as it feels comfortable. During the holding period, don't arch your back but keep it as straight as possible. If it feels too hard at first, allow your knees to form a resting platform. Aim to hold the position for 30 seconds and repeat this exercise 3 to 5 times.
   • Do squats. Stand with your feet 8-9 inches apart, extend your arms in front of you and squat your hips backward. Do four sets of 15 to 20 squats, working several minutes at a time.
   • Stretch the sides of your waist. Stand up straight, with your feet hip-width apart. Put your right hand on your right hip, and lift your left arm straight up, so that your palm faces to the right. Keeping your legs centered, lean to the right and "reach" over with your left arm, stretching your left side. Do 3 to 5 times on each side.
3. 3
   Ramp up the cardio. Aerobic exercises, which get your heart pumping, burn calories quickly and facilitates fat loss all over, including your belly. You can't "spot-burn" belly fat, but it's usually the first to burn off when you exercise, regardless of body shape or size.[8]
   • Time your miles. Track your progress by timing how long it takes to run a mile. As cardiovascular stamina improves, you'll notice the time going down.
   • Correct shin splints. If you get painful shin splints whenever you run, you're probably over-pronating (that is, putting the majority of your weight on the outer side of your foot when it comes down). There are shoes designed specifically to help alleviate this.
   • Don't overdo it. When first getting into cardio, aim to workout 3 days a week, then build up to 4 when you're able. Pushing yourself hard every day doesn't allow your body enough time to recover and build up muscle, and could lead to injury.
4. 4
   Add resistance training. A 2006 study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism suggests that combining cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise with resistance training is more effective than cardiovascular training alone in getting rid of abdominal fat[9] You can do resistance training with free weights, exercise machines or resistance bands.
   
   

Part Three: Dieting for Fat Loss

1. 1
   Reduce calorie consumption. Unless you restrict calorie intake, you won't lose belly fat. Try these tips:
   • Remember that it takes a 3700-calorie deficit to lose one pound of fat. That is, you have to either burn off 3700 calories through exercise or eat 3700 calories less than you burn in a week.
   • Aim to lose a maximum of two pounds per week. Losing any more than that can be unhealthy and leads to a cycle of "crash" dieting, in which you rapidly gain back any lost weight.
   • Keep a food diary. Most people tend to underestimate how much they eat. Get an honest assessment of your eating habits by writing down everything you consume for a week. Utilize an online calorie calculator, and figure out roughly how many calories you're consuming in a day. From there, see what you can afford to cut.
   • Try a diet in which you consume 2200 calories (men) or 2000 calories (women) per day. This should cause a deficit sufficient for you to lose one or two pounds per week, depending on your activity level.
2. 2
   Eat good fats. Studies suggest that a diet with a higher ratio of monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) — such as avocados, nuts, seeds, soybeans, and chocolate — can prevent the accumulation of belly fat.[10]
   
   
   • Trans fats (in margarines, crackers, cookies, or anything made with partially hydrogenated oils) seem to result in more fat being deposited in the abdomen. Avoid these as much as possible.[11]
3. 3
   Get more fiber in your diet. Soluble fiber (such as that found in apples, oats, and cherries) lowers insulin levels which can speed up the burning of visceral belly fat.[12]
   • Add fiber to your diet slowly. If you are currently getting 10 grams of fiber a day, don't jump to 35 grams of fiber the next day. The natural bacteria in your digestive system requires time to adapt to your new fiber intake.
   • Eat the skin on your fruits and vegetables. Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet adds fiber, but only if you eat the skin, as that's where all the fiber is. Don't peel those apples before you eat them. With potatoes, leave the skin on (with baked or mashed potatoes) or if you peel them, make snacks of them, such as baked garlic Parmesan peels. Keeping the skin on potatoes when cooking them helps keep more vitamins/minerals in the flesh. (Just don't eat any parts of skin that are green.)
   • Eat more split pea soup. Split peas are a fiber "power food". Just one cup of them contains 16.3 grams of protein.

Part Four: Measuring Progress

1. 1
   Calculate your waist-to-hip ratio. Your waist-to-hip ratio — or the circumference of your waist divided by the circumference of your hips — can be a good indicator of whether you need to lose belly fat. Here's how to get it:
   • Wrap a soft tape measure around the thinnest part of your waist at the level of your navel. Note the measurement.
   • Wrap the tape measure around the widest part of your hips, where you can feel a bony protrusion about 1/3 of the way from the top of the hipbone. Note the measurement.
   • Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement.
   • Know what's healthy. Women should have a ratio of 0.8 or below; men should be at 0.9 or lower.[13]
2. 2
   Continue taking your measurements as you progress. After incorporating some of the above strategies, keep measuring so you can see your progress.
   
   
3. 3
   Weigh yourself at the same time each day. Because body weight fluctuates depending on the time of day, when you last ate or when you last had a bowel movement, standardize the process by weighing yourself at the same time each day. Many people choose to do this the first thing in the morning, before breakfast.

Credit: www.wikihow.com

5 Steps to a flat tummy in 7 days

You've been missing your routine at the gym very often thanks to your busy schedule (or plain laziness) and suddenly you realize that in one week you have to attend a wedding.

You want to wear your favourite saree or figure-hugging dress but are worried about your flabby stomach bulging out. Well, you still have a last option. While you cannot reduce fat, you can lose belly fat by decreasing your total body fat percentage. And you don't have to completely alter your daily habits to get a flat stomach within 7 days!

Step one:

If you want to build muscle and burn fat at the same time, you have to perform circuit training, three days per week. How can you achieve this? Indulge in full body exercises like lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups, for one set of 15 repetitions. Don't forget to follow every exercise with one minute of jumping rope. You should be able to burn around 500 to 600 calories per workout.

Step two:

You have to work on your abdominal muscles three times in the week. Crunches and leg raises for three sets of 20 repetitions should be done. Also, do planks by holding your body in a push-up position on your elbows for 30 to 60 seconds for four sets.

Step three:

The kind of food you will eat in this period is vital in bringing about any change. Natural foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and pastas, chicken, beef, fish and low fat dairy should replace processed foods full of sugar.

Step four:

To minimize water retention, lower your sodium intake. This means you need to avoid salt. You can flavour your food with other herbs and spices instead.

Step five:

Stressing and anxiety can cause the over-production of a certain hormone called cortisol, which encourages weight gain about the belly area. So try to keep your cool!