How to Reduce Tummy Fat
How to Reduce Tummy Fat
It’s been a dieter’s quandary for ages: How can you reduce tummy fat without starving yourself or working out non-stop? Can you shrink your stomach without getting skinny all over?
In the past, dieters believed that doing endless sit-ups and crunches would target the fat in their abdominal region. Sadly, spot reduction is a myth which has been put to rest. It’s not possible to reduce tummy fat without reducing your overall body fat percentage. But it is definitely possible to lose fat and make your tummy look flatter with the right combination of food and motion.
Foods that Reduce Tummy Fat
Some foods promote extra baggage around the middle, and others reduce tummy fat. It’s not just a matter of how much you eat; the types of foods you eat can also have a drastic effect on your waistline.
For example, some foods and chemicals put stress on our bodies. Caffeine and nicotine are two popular substances that act as stimulants. They increase our heart rate and blood pressure. When these vital signs go up, our bodies take it as a sign of danger. They automatically go into self-preservation mode, hanging on to extra calories by storing them as abdominal fat.
That’s because our bodies produce a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is responsible for extra fat storage, particularly around the waist. This type of fat is especially dangerous, and has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
Insulin production can make the problem worse. Our bodies produce insulin in order to utilize glucose. Sweet flavors can trigger a release of insulin even when our blood glucose levels are low or normal, which is one reason why people report feeling hungrier after eating foods containing artificial sweeteners. The insulin drives down the blood glucose level, making us very hungry. This leads to excessive eating, and accumulation of belly fat.
The best foods to help you reduce tummy fat are those which don’t trigger a flood of insulin, and don’t throw the body into preservation mode. These include nutritious, slowly-digestible foods like whole grain breads and pastas, lean meat or tofu, whole nuts, fibrous fruits and vegetables, olive oil and avocados.
If you cannot bring yourself to give up caffeine, switch to green tea instead of coffee. The tea contains enough caffeine to perk you up, plus phytonutrients that provide a host of other health benefits, including a faster metabolism!
Exercises that Reduce Tummy Fat
Of course, diet is just one side of the weight loss equation. The other is exercise. While it’s not possible to target only your abdominal fat, cardio and strength training will help you reduce your overall body fat percentage. You can also do exercises that isolate your abdominal muscles, giving you a shapely six-pack that will emerge as soon as the extra fat is gone.
It doesn’t matter what kind of cardio exercise you do; you can walk briskly, go for a swim, jog around your neighborhood, take up martial arts, or spend time working in the garden. Find an activity you enjoy, and participate in it at least three to five hours each week. Your heart health will improve, and the pounds will start to vanish – even around your middle.
Strength training is important for fat-burning, too. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories your body burns, and the less fat it stores. Find a strength training regimen you can do for half an hour, three times a week. An ideal routine targets different muscle groups on different days. For example, you might work your arms and shoulders on Monday, your abs and core on Wednesday, and your legs and lower body on Friday.
Take time in between sessions to rest, and always stay hydrated! Your body won’t burn fat as efficiently if you don’t drink enough fluids. Aim for 64 ounces of pure water daily, or as much as 1 ounce per pound of body weight.