I began looking for the best exercises to lose belly fat a few years ago when I realized that I could not wear my favorite leather belt anymore because there weren’t enough holes in it. I was using the last hole to fasten it for awhile, and then one day, I couldn’t even do that. Wow, talk about a few alarm bells going off in my head! It seems age comes with a lot of great things, but belly fat is not one of them. As I get older, those few pounds hanging around the middle are becoming harder and harder to get rid of. In college, finding ways to lose belly fat was not hard at all – I could make it go away with an extra mile of running. Years of sitting at a desk all day and the lower metabolism that comes with age seem to have created the perfect habitat for a growing belly. With a busy family and work life, time for a regular gym session is hard to find.
Before I share my easy exercises to lose belly fat, there is one thing you should know. Many people believe that abdominal crunches and the like are great ways to burn belly fat fast. The truth is, getting rid of belly fat is best done through aerobic activity, and unless you are going fast and furious at those sit-ups, done alone, they are not the best way to lose belly fat. Crunches, sit-ups and other abdominal strengthening muscles are important for toning the belly and building those six-pack abs the ladies love so much. Before you can show off those muscles, however, you need to remove the fat that covers them up.
The best exercises to lose belly fat are the same exercises for losing fat throughout the body. Running, walking, swimming, biking and cardio routines are all great for dropping flab in the middle. During a hectic workweek, there is often no time for running a couple miles every morning. However, no matter what your schedule looks like or where your fitness level is, you can fit some aerobic exercise into your day.
Climb the Stairs to Trim Belly Fat
Fitness experts everywhere have been telling people to choose stairs over elevators for decades. Climbing stairs elevates heart rate and puts your legs through a decent workout. The guys who can get the most out of stairs are those that work in multi-storied office complexes. If you are one of those guys, take a 10 minute break in the morning and walk up and down the stairs. You do not have take them running, as if completing stadiums from the high school gym days. No one wants to sit next to a sweaty coworker in the upcoming meeting. A brisk pace will get your heart pumping enough to burn a few calories and help jumpstart your belly fat loss. Do the same thing in the afternoon.
Park in the Far, Far Away
No matter where you are, consider taking the unwanted parking spot that is only ever visited by runaway shopping carts. Walking a few hundred yards into a grocery store, office or school may seem small. However, if you want to lose belly fat fast, you have to realize that the way to do that is to begin with small, consistent steps. It all adds up!
Stop and Give Me 50!
Remember that gruff coach who was always demanding 50 of something? Carry that guy around in your inner ear. Anytime you are standing still, give yourself 50 jumping jacks or time yourself for one minute while jogging in place. If you know you will be alone in your office for the next 10 minutes, do those jumping jacks or 50 pushups. Get your heart pumping! Sure, you might look ridiculous jogging in line while waiting for theater tickets. Console yourself with the idea of how great you will look when you start noticing belly fat loss…and think of how great it will be when suddenly one day you can get your favorite belt buckled again!
Run on Energizers
Like the famous bunny, you can spend most of your day in motion. Even when sitting at a desk or brushing your teeth, you can be toning muscles. I know I said the best exercises for belly fat were aerobic in nature, and that is true. However, muscles burn a lot of calories, so ensuring you still have some will help remove fat more quickly. As you integrate more aerobic exercises for belly fat into your day, you will also want to increase toning exercises. As fat melts off, you want chiseled stone abs to take their place!
The best thing about abdominal strengthening exercises is that you can literally slip them in on top of your regular activities. They may not be a quick way to lose belly fat, but they will help to strengthen your core, and when that excess tummy fat is gone, your abs will already be looking fit and toned.
Can You Do Spot Exercises to Get Rid of Belly Fat?
The answer to that question is very simply, no. Again, it is aerobic exercise that burns fat in the body. When you do anything aerobic, you will be burning fat all over, including your target area, the belly. What you can do is tone the muscles in your target area which makes them look nice and trim, giving you the overall effect of losing belly fat.
Here are a few simple, quick exercises you can do to help tone and tighten your core:
1. While brushing your teeth or standing in line at the market, you can perform the vacuum pose exercise. To do this exercise, stand straight up and pull in your belly, pushing all the air from your stomach. Keep your arms and shoulders back so you are standing up as straight as possible.
Hold the pose a few seconds, and then release. Repeat the entire time you are brushing your teeth, working to keep a rhythmic pace. This may not seem like much, but 3 to 6 minutes a day will make a difference.
2. You can perform many abdominal exercises while watching your favorite television show or movie. Simply lie on the floor instead of the couch to work through a few repetitions of crunches or sit-ups.
Make the workout count by varying the type of crunch you do. You can make the exercise more fun by only completing reps during commercials and attempting to do more each time they break for advertisements.
3. If crunches and sit-ups bore you to death, try completing Russian twists.
Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Lift your knees to a 90 degree angle so your shins are parallel with the floor. Keeping your head and shoulders in place, slowly rotate your legs to the side of your body. Pull them slowly back up to the parallel position, and then repeat the maneuver to the other side. Once you complete several reps of this great abdominal exercise, you will definitely feel the burn in your belly!
Remember, good exercises to lose belly fat are always aerobic in nature. They do not have to be intense or take you an hour to complete. By being creative and giving your daily activities a critical eye, you are sure to find some places for getting a few minutes of heart-pumping action. Once you build aerobic activity into your daily life, you will want to add a few minutes of abdominal strengthening. Those rock-hard abs will not come without work, but once you get rid of the belly fat, it will all seem worthwhile.
