Without a doubt, the question I get asked the most is, "How do I get rid of this belly fat?" And without skipping a beat, the person asking the question always adds, "I know, I have to do my sit-ups!"
I find it amusing when people ask questions they already know the answer to (or they think they know). I guess it's just human nature and they are simply looking for some positive reinforcement. Apparently, they will feel better about themselves if an expert agrees with them. Or maybe not. Perhaps, they are hoping that I hold the key to the magic secret of no-hassle belly fat loss and that I am ready to graciously share it with them.
Actually, I am glad that people ask me this question because it gives me the opportunity to dispel the myth that sit-ups, crunches or any other abdominal exercise will rid you of belly fat!
Countless training programs and fitness gadgets have been marketed over time with the seductive promise that you can burn the fat from a specific area of your body by using their product or technique. Many women are targeted by ads that guarantee the loss of fat from their glutes (butt), hips or thighs while men are attracted by the lure of losing fat around their abdomen to reveal a sweet six-pack. But don't believe it when someone tells you that you can burn fat from a specific part of your body by exercising that area! You can not spot reduce body fat!
That's right. You could do sit-ups everyday and still never lose your belly fat. It is important to understand that no matter what part of your body you are exercising, you are using energy that is being metabolized from fat in every part of your body. Therefore, when you are doing sit-ups, you are not just burning belly fat but fat from every other area of your body as well.
Now don't take this as a license to quit doing your abdominal training! A strong core is absolutely essential for good health. All I am saying is that core training does not specifically target abdominal fat. Core training will burn some abdominal fat but, like all exercise, it burns fat evenly from your entire body...as long as you are training in the fat burning zone.
However, sit-ups and other core exercises will help you to lose inches in your waist. Even though you may not be losing fat in that area, constant core training will strengthen and firm up the muscles in that area and your waist size will decrease. It is very possible to lose inches while continuing to carry the same amount of belly fat.
So, if sit-ups aren't the answer to losing belly fat, what is?
Proper diet and exercise. You were afraid I was going to say that, weren't you? But it is the only way to rid yourself of unwanted fat stores. So here are a few suggestions to start you on your way. Remember, though, that you are going to lose fat at an even rate throughout your body and not just from your tummy.
1. Drink plenty of water. Try to drink eight-8oz glasses of water (64 oz) each day. Drinking this much water can help to boost your metabolism which will help you to burn more calories. Also, drinking this much water helps to rid your body of wastes and toxins which will improve your health overall.
2. Eat enough calories. Make sure you are consuming enough calories to lose weight and try to spread your calories out by eating 5 small meals throughout the day.
3. Eat Fat. That's right! In order to lose fat you must consume fat because it takes fat to burn fat. But you need to eat the right fats. Stay away from trans fat! Trans fat tends to deposit itself in the abdominal region. Otherwise, you should eat a balance of saturated fats (animal fats from meat, eggs, dairy), monounsaturated fats (nuts, olive oil, avocados) and polyunsaturated fats (omega-3 such as fish, nuts, flax seed).
4. Sugar is the enemy! Loosing belly fat is 80-90% about diet. You need to absolutely cut down on your sugar intake. I would suggest eliminating all sugary drinks (soda, sweet teas, juices and even diet drinks) and limiting your alcohol intake. Also, cut out all artificial sweeteners (but that's a whole other article!) It is amazing how quickly your palate will adapt to this. If you do have a sugar craving, a little bit will not hurt once in a while.
5. Short bouts of exercise. You only need to exercise about 30 minutes a day to stimulate fat loss. When exercising, try to alternate short all out bursts of energy with brief rest periods in between. For example, you can run all out for thirty seconds, walk until you catch your breath and repeat for a period of about ten minutes. Be sure to do a combination of both cardio and resistance training throughout the week.
6. Make sure to get plenty of sleep. Lack of proper sleep will throw off your hormonal balance and production. When this happens, our body signals that it needs stimulation and it creates a craving in us for sugar and foods that produce more body fat. Without proper rest, exercise becomes more difficult and we find ourselves becoming lethargic instead of energized.
7. Limit stress. This is a tough one but it is extremely important. When we become stressed, our bodies produce an abundance of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormonal steroid known as the "stress hormone". It is this hormone that gives us the energy for fight or flight during a stressful situation. But high levels of cortisol in our system are responsible for increased amounts of abdominal fat. So it is important to keep your stress level down. This can be done by prescribing to all of the above suggestions. You can also help bring cortisol levels down by taking vitamin C.
This is a lifetime investment. It is about your health and well being. If you take the time to make a few simple changes in your life, the rewards will follow. Just remember...if you want to lose that belly fat, then you need to be working on your entire body!
If you have any questions or would like to know more about any of the particular suggestions in this post, then feel free to contact me or leave a comment at the end of this article. I will be glad to help!
You can do it!
Mark
I find it amusing when people ask questions they already know the answer to (or they think they know). I guess it's just human nature and they are simply looking for some positive reinforcement. Apparently, they will feel better about themselves if an expert agrees with them. Or maybe not. Perhaps, they are hoping that I hold the key to the magic secret of no-hassle belly fat loss and that I am ready to graciously share it with them.
Actually, I am glad that people ask me this question because it gives me the opportunity to dispel the myth that sit-ups, crunches or any other abdominal exercise will rid you of belly fat!
Countless training programs and fitness gadgets have been marketed over time with the seductive promise that you can burn the fat from a specific area of your body by using their product or technique. Many women are targeted by ads that guarantee the loss of fat from their glutes (butt), hips or thighs while men are attracted by the lure of losing fat around their abdomen to reveal a sweet six-pack. But don't believe it when someone tells you that you can burn fat from a specific part of your body by exercising that area! You can not spot reduce body fat!
That's right. You could do sit-ups everyday and still never lose your belly fat. It is important to understand that no matter what part of your body you are exercising, you are using energy that is being metabolized from fat in every part of your body. Therefore, when you are doing sit-ups, you are not just burning belly fat but fat from every other area of your body as well.
Now don't take this as a license to quit doing your abdominal training! A strong core is absolutely essential for good health. All I am saying is that core training does not specifically target abdominal fat. Core training will burn some abdominal fat but, like all exercise, it burns fat evenly from your entire body...as long as you are training in the fat burning zone.
However, sit-ups and other core exercises will help you to lose inches in your waist. Even though you may not be losing fat in that area, constant core training will strengthen and firm up the muscles in that area and your waist size will decrease. It is very possible to lose inches while continuing to carry the same amount of belly fat.
So, if sit-ups aren't the answer to losing belly fat, what is?
Proper diet and exercise. You were afraid I was going to say that, weren't you? But it is the only way to rid yourself of unwanted fat stores. So here are a few suggestions to start you on your way. Remember, though, that you are going to lose fat at an even rate throughout your body and not just from your tummy.
1. Drink plenty of water. Try to drink eight-8oz glasses of water (64 oz) each day. Drinking this much water can help to boost your metabolism which will help you to burn more calories. Also, drinking this much water helps to rid your body of wastes and toxins which will improve your health overall.
2. Eat enough calories. Make sure you are consuming enough calories to lose weight and try to spread your calories out by eating 5 small meals throughout the day.
3. Eat Fat. That's right! In order to lose fat you must consume fat because it takes fat to burn fat. But you need to eat the right fats. Stay away from trans fat! Trans fat tends to deposit itself in the abdominal region. Otherwise, you should eat a balance of saturated fats (animal fats from meat, eggs, dairy), monounsaturated fats (nuts, olive oil, avocados) and polyunsaturated fats (omega-3 such as fish, nuts, flax seed).
4. Sugar is the enemy! Loosing belly fat is 80-90% about diet. You need to absolutely cut down on your sugar intake. I would suggest eliminating all sugary drinks (soda, sweet teas, juices and even diet drinks) and limiting your alcohol intake. Also, cut out all artificial sweeteners (but that's a whole other article!) It is amazing how quickly your palate will adapt to this. If you do have a sugar craving, a little bit will not hurt once in a while.
5. Short bouts of exercise. You only need to exercise about 30 minutes a day to stimulate fat loss. When exercising, try to alternate short all out bursts of energy with brief rest periods in between. For example, you can run all out for thirty seconds, walk until you catch your breath and repeat for a period of about ten minutes. Be sure to do a combination of both cardio and resistance training throughout the week.
6. Make sure to get plenty of sleep. Lack of proper sleep will throw off your hormonal balance and production. When this happens, our body signals that it needs stimulation and it creates a craving in us for sugar and foods that produce more body fat. Without proper rest, exercise becomes more difficult and we find ourselves becoming lethargic instead of energized.
7. Limit stress. This is a tough one but it is extremely important. When we become stressed, our bodies produce an abundance of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormonal steroid known as the "stress hormone". It is this hormone that gives us the energy for fight or flight during a stressful situation. But high levels of cortisol in our system are responsible for increased amounts of abdominal fat. So it is important to keep your stress level down. This can be done by prescribing to all of the above suggestions. You can also help bring cortisol levels down by taking vitamin C.
This is a lifetime investment. It is about your health and well being. If you take the time to make a few simple changes in your life, the rewards will follow. Just remember...if you want to lose that belly fat, then you need to be working on your entire body!
If you have any questions or would like to know more about any of the particular suggestions in this post, then feel free to contact me or leave a comment at the end of this article. I will be glad to help!
You can do it!
Mark