For most people, especially women, the problem area might be the belly zone – muffin top, the fat that spills out over the top of your jeans, being the most annoying and difficult fat to get rid of. For men too, it’s difficult to get rid of the ‘beer belly’. In my personal weight loss journey too, the toughest battle has been the one with belly flab.
Even as I steadily lost weight, it was difficult for me to get rid of the fat from the abdominal area. I was regularly doing crunches but to no effect. My dream of a toned, flat tummy seemed harder to achieve with every passing day. And belly flab is the ugliest of all fat. Especially for those who like to wear saris and body hugging blouses, belly flab can be quite distressing. I know because I have been there.
However, getting rid of your belly bulge is important for more than just vanity’s sake. Research suggests that individuals with central obesity, which is the accumulation of fat around your abdominal area, have a higher risk of diabetes, lipid disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and even some types of cancers than those with less fat accumulation in that zone.
If you are doing all that you can and are still unable to banish stubborn belly fat, then you have to crack up your workouts. Research shows that high-intensity interval training can be more effective than traditional cardio at getting rid of stubborn abdominal body fat. In a study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, people who completed a high-intensity workout regimen lost more belly fat than those who followed a low-intensity plan. In fact, those who performed low-intensity workouts experienced no significant changes at all.
When I didn’t lose flab from the abdominal zone even when I was shedding kilos fast from the rest of the parts of my body, I consulted a dietician friend who told me that while aerobics and walking were great for the heart, cardio workouts alone wouldn’t do much for the waistline. “What you need is a combination of weights and cardiovascular training,” she told me. Strengthening your core muscles can help create flatter, more drawn-in abs and improve your posture, contributing to a slimmer, sexier waistline as well as reducing the risk of grave health problems.
According to her, strength training increases muscle mass which gets your body to burn more fat. With that in mind, I took to strengthening my core muscles. Crunches might be a good way to start but with a full layer of fat on top, you’ll not be able to see the results anytime soon. I would suggest you get an experts’ recommendation and begin strength training. Start with at least twice a week and take it up to four times a week.
If you want to start right away, I suggest you try planking, where you hold yourself in a push-up position, resting your forearms on the ground. Try three to four sets of holding for 30 seconds each. It’s perhaps the simplest form of all exercises – you need no guidance or equipment. But don’t fooled, it’s definitely not easy. While you are doing it, you should be able to feel some pain in your abdominal area. It means the muscles are at work.
Planks not only activate just your core muscles but also your arm, leg, and butt muscle so this is one exercise you should definitely incorporate in your workout. A sculpted core and trim tummy can also be attained by incorporating small changes into your day, like holding in your abs while you walk and adding the right healthy fats to your diet. Spot reducing certain areas of the body is not possible through eating or not eating specific foods so don’t try dieting. It’s wasted effort. I speak from experience.
Also, stress is a crucial factor in determining how you lose weight. The hormone cortisol is released when you are stressed. Cortisol breaks down lean muscle that burns calories more efficiently, and holds on to fat storage, especially in the abdominal region. Stress can be the result of many things in life but it can also be triggered by bad dieting which in turn increases cortisol levels. And then even if you restrict your calorie intake, there will be no change in belly fat.
There’s one more thing that I guarantee you’ll like. A simple way to whittle your waistline is simply to sleep more. A 16-year study of almost 70,000 women found that those who slept five hours or less a night were 30% more likely to gain 15 or more kilos than those who slept for seven hours. The right amount of sleep for adults is seven to eight hours.
The simplest and most effective way to reduce your belly bulge is to follow a healthy exercise and diet routine to reduce overall fat, stay stress free, sleep right, and then target the abdominal area with strength training. This will ensure you get rid of that pesky pooch and be able to flaunt a flab-less fabulous tummy in no time.
The writer weighed 74 kilos and has now dropped down to 50 kilos. If you have any questions regarding her experience, write to her at sharmaditi374@gmail.com and she will try her best to guide you in your weight loss journey.
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