Ideas to Lose Belly Fat

Ideas to Lose Belly Fat

Something that is always asked by those looking to lose weight is how to lose belly fat. It’s a question that ends up being asked a lot. We ask it every January 1st as it comes time to set the New Year’s Resolution for the coming year. We ask it in April or May when the weather starts to heat up and we can’t hide in a sweatshirt anymore. And we ask it of ourselves when we have our birthdays.

But before I begin to go over the steps to lose belly fat, and how I lost mine, you have to forget spot reduction. That hasn’t worked and will never work. You cannot do sit-up after sit-up and expect to all of a sudden get a six pack.

The only way to get a six pack is for you to burn the fat that is over your abs…and to do that you need to lose belly fat.

Step 1:

Proper hydration. Not only is proper hydration the foundation of health, if you drink enough water throughout the day you keep your stomach full and not be hungry. This comes into play in several ways…

First, by drinking 16 ounces of water right after waking up you ignite your metabolism and start yourself burning calories immediately. In addition, by drinking the same amount of water before a meal, you consume 15% fewer calories at that meal.
And finally, if you were to quit drinking alcohol and sugary beverages for water, you could easily save 200-300 calories a day. This can translate into about 30 pounds of fat a year that you can lose.

Step 2:

Strength training. I list strength training before I list cardiovascular exercises for a specific reason. They are typically neglected by people who are overweight. This is especially true of women who are looking to lose weight. The thinking is that you can lose all the weight you need to by just doing cardiovascular exercises.
Not going to happen. Here’s why.

By adding muscle, you actually turn your body into a more effective fat burning machine. You will burn more fat between your workouts, when you are sitting down, even when you are sleeping, by working out with weights or resistance bands. This is why strength training is an integral part of losing belly fat.

Step 3:

Aerobic exercises. Now it is time for the cardio. And there are plenty of cardio exercises for you to choose from, whether it be walking, running, the stepper, elliptical, treadmill or rowing machine. But the key is how you use them.
And by this I am talking about interval training. Intervals are short bursts where you go at maximum effort followed by longer periods where you work at lower levels of effort.

For example, on the elliptical machine you may increase the resistance and work at maximum effort for 30 or 60 seconds and then work at about 50-60% effort for 60 seconds as a recovery period before you begin the next interval.

Every study I have seen has shown that intervals burn more calories, and more importantly more calories from fat, than steady aerobics where you work at the same level of intensity through the length of time that you are on the cardio machine.

Step 4:

Eat right. You need to start eating foods that are considered ‘negative calorie foods’. These are nutrient dense yet calorie poor foods that will fill your stomach but at the same time not add a large number of calories to your system. It doesn’t matter how much exercise you do if you insist on eating high calorie foods you will never lose belly fat.

And the final step to losing belly is to…

Dump the scale. That’s right. I said get rid of it. Throw it out. Here’s why.

Your scale measures your combination of muscle, fat, bone and water weight. And if you are following my recommendations to lose belly fat, like drink plenty of water and strength train, you will be adding muscle and water to your system. That means that your weight is going to go up. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are gaining fat.

You will be losing fat if you follow these steps. But the scale will not agree. That is why it is much better for you to get a tape measure and measure your waistline which will show your progress in reducing your belly fat.

OATMEAL AND BANANA PANCAKES

OATMEAL AND BANANA PANCAKES

1 1/3 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup quick cook oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp canola oil
1 large banana, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup sugar-free strawberry preserves

In a large mixing bowl combine the milk and oats; allow to set for 10 minutes.

Sift the flours and baking powder together. Add the flour mixture, egg, and canola oil to the oats; stir together until moistened but do not beat. Stir in the banana.

Spray griddle with nonstick cooking spray and heat up over medium heat. Drop the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the hot griddle. Cook about 3 minutes until bubbles form on on the tops and bottoms are browned. Turn and cook another minute or two until second side is browned.

Microwave the preserves on high until syrupy, about a minute or so. Serve this syrup with the pancakes.

Yield: 6 servings of 3 pancakes and 2 tablespoons of the syrup.
176 calories, 3 g (1 sat) fat, 35 g carbs, 6 g protein, 36 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 198 mg sodium

To improve carb to protein ratio, I always recommend a couple slices of bacon or sausage (turkey or protein products are okay) with a serving of pancakes.

Losing Belly Fat with a 10 Minute Workout

Are you looking to change the shape of your body or trying to lose belly fat without joining a high priced gym? If so, try this high energized cardiovascular fitness routine that that was developed by Keli Roberts.

With this 10 minute exercise routine you can burn up to 150 calories every single day.

The first two minutes of this fat burning routine is: Jump Rope – Begin by performing two jumps for each turn of the rope. Safety: Use the correct size jump rope and always land softly on the balls of your feet (that is the upper part of the bottom of your foot). Keep thinking I am losing weight.

Minutes two to three: Squat Thrust into a Push Up. The proper technique for this exercise is to stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms strait down next to your sides. Slowly squat down with your head forward and bring your hands to the floor just outside of your feet. Your hands should be pointing forward as well. Then in one movement, push your legs back and out behind you (into a pushup position). Perform one strict pushup and then jump back into your squat position and then stand back up. Keep thinking, the fat is vanishing.

Minutes three to four: Jump Rope with only one jump per turn. Keep thinking, The fat is melting away.

Minutes four to five: Back to the Squat Thrust and Push Up only this time you are going to add the Side Plank. After completing your squat thrust and push up, you are going to lift and rotate your left arm off of the ground and over your head. Your left foot will rotate and rest on top of you right foot. And you will rotate your neck so you are looking up at your ceiling. Rotate back to the center and repeat on the other side. When finished, hop back into your squat position, stand up and start again. Keep thinking, no more belly.

Minutes five and six: Jump Rope. Same as minutes three and four. keep thinking, I am losing body fat.

Minutes six and seven: Back to the Squat Thrust and Push Up only this time you are going to add the Leg Lift. This is the same as minutes two and three only this time you will lift the toes of one foot about twelve inches off of the ground only after you have performed your push up. Lower your foot and repeat on the other side. Hop back up to your squat position, stand up, and start again. Keep thinking, goodbye belly.

Minutes seven and eight: Jump Rope. Same as minutes three and four. Keep thinking, my belly is getting smaller.

Minutes eight and nine: Back to the Squat Thrust and Push Up only this time you are going to add Mountain Climbers. Repeat everything as in minutes two and three only this time after your push up, you will quickly jog in place from your push up position. Make sure you bring your knees up to your chest on each rotation. Perform 5 jogs and repeat this entire process. Keep thinking, I am going to lose weight.

Minutes nine and ten: Jump Rope. Same as you first two minutes. Keep thinking. If I do this everyday, I will lose belly fat. Good luck to everyone.

We recommend using a soft padding such as a yoga mat when performing this exercise. This will cut down on any injury and save some of those knee joints for you.
How to Do Squat Thrust Exercises —powered by eHow.com