This is the part where all the action lies. We suggest you some simple yet effective ways to lose considerable amount of belly fat in a small time interval.
You may also rope in your friends or relatives to help you stick to the positive changes in your lifestyle and even accompany you in your journey to fitness.
Proper Exercise
“Find an activity that you find enjoyable. It needs to be an activity you can do on a regular basis, where you will burn calories. If it’s not enjoyable, you won’t maintain it. And unless you persist at it, it won’t help you lose weight.”
Short bursts of regular exercise: Exercising in bursts won’t be too tedious and will also keep you active throughout. Try exercises that workout a group of muscles such as Yoga – Kapalbhati, Bhujangasana or Surya Namaskar.
However, you must be regular with your exercise regime – 30-60 minutes most day of the week.
Resistance Training: Resistance training is any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in strength, tone, mass, and/or endurance. You can train with external resistance such as dumbbells, rubber exercise tubing, your own body weight, bricks, bottles of water: any object that causes the muscles to contract.
Resistance exercise can raise metabolic rate, an important factor in maintaining body weight. It has innumerable other benefits too, such as building body strength (even in the elderly), regenerating muscles and preventing falls in old age.
Avoid Crunches for now: Crunches or spot exercising, such as doing sit-ups may tighten your abdominal muscles but they are pretty much ineffective when it comes to belly fat. And all your efforts won’t be visible under all that flab.
Go for cardio (aerobic). But don’t overdo it. Initially aim for 3 days per week. Your muscles need to recover after the hard work and that happens when you are not working out. If you push too hard daily, you may sustain injury.
Healthy Diet
Reduced Calorie Consumption: A high calorie-intake is directly proportional to the widening of your tummy.
- Satiate your cravings for sugar with fresh fruits
- Replace soda with freshly prepared fruit juice or smoothies
- Don’t go for a “crash” diet – Starving yourself is never a solution. As a matter of fact, it will give you cravings and you will rapidly gain back any lost weight along with problems like slow metabolism and acidity.
- Avoid junk food – Try home-made recipes that are nutritious and tasty as well. Thus, you will inculcate good habits among your kids by making them realize that healthy can be yummy too.
Whole Grains are your new friends: Try avoiding polished or white grains. Prefer brown rice over the shining white one and brown bread over the processed white bread. Do the same for pulses, whenever possible.
Including whole grains in your diet facilitates faster burning of fat, and provides you fiber keeping your digestive system fitter and healthier.
Switch to Good Fats: Monounsaturated fats (MUFA) and Polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) are GOOD fats as they are good for your heart, lower your cholesterol and good for your overall health.
While Unsaturated and Trans fats are called BAD fats as they increase the risk of heart diseases and spike your cholesterol levels.
Healthy Lifestyle
Stairs vs. elevator: Choose to walk whenever you can and if it’s safe for you (not in deserted areas or if you have suffered falls). Take stairs instead of elevator: begin with 1 flight of stairs and increase the number gradually when you feel you are ready.
Go slow if you breathe heavily after a few steps. Never be discouraged! Always bear in mind that even the healthiest of people have to catch their breath if they have been away from walking for a while. Our bodies resist any change initially, but all you have to do is be regular to put them into a good habit.
Don’t Skip your Breakfast: The time, type and consumption of your breakfast are big players in weight control and good health. Your mother was right when she said that breakfast is the most important meal; studies prove that.
Studies show that eating a healthy breakfast (not doughnuts or waffles or pancakes) can give you a sharp mind, active body and lower cholesterol levels.
Regularly DeStress: Stress comes free with today’s lifestyle and it is a fact that it can’t be completely avoided. However, worrying is dangerous if carried on to unhealthy levels.
Take 15 minutes off daily from your schedule to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.