I’m a PT and here is 7 simple ways to say goodbye to your belly pooch for good
Losing belly fat can be frustrating, even with a healthy diet and regular exercise. This stubborn pocket of fat lies at the bottom of the stomach, where the waistband of pants typically sits. For some, it may not look like fat but more like a lump. There are ways to flatten things out and finally lose that belly fat.
It's essential to try to ease any bloat that could be making your stomach project. One of the suggestions is taking fibre tablets to help improve digestion and to get rid of any stored food that could cause bulging, especially red meat and food with high lactose levels. Will also recommends these tips to kick your belly fat to the curb:
Try Interval Training
Instead of just spending hours on the treadmill, save time and increase your chances of lower body fat burn by incorporating interval training into your routine. Interval training is known to increase growth hormone levels, which lead to lower body fat. Will suggests running as fast as possible for 200m, then resting for a 100m walk. Repeat this five times.
Train Your Core, Not Just Your Abs
You need to develop the lower abdominal muscles by doing core exercises, not just abs exercises. Working the core muscles helps build muscles in that lower stomach area, which also helps to burn fat. Will says that leg raises, planks, and bear crawls are great exercises to include.
Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor
This connects to core exercises, as your deep core muscles are connected to your pelvic floor muscles. Strengthening these muscles helps with posture and can also help flatten your stomach. The Dead Bug is a good exercise to include.
Work on Your Posture
If your hips are shifted forward, you're likely to feel bloated more often. Will suggests a back extension exercise to help with this. While walking, think about engaging your glutes, walking upright, not walking on your toes, and pushing through your heels.
Cut out Artificial Sugar
Sugar can be the lower stomach's most dreaded enemy. Will suggests removing refined sugars from your diet, or at least limiting them. Replace sugar with natural sweeteners like honey, but keep portions in control.
Avoid Late-Night Carbs
To try to reduce belly fat, you should try to avoid refined carbs (like white pasta and rice) after around 8pm. Instead, opt for a high-protein and high-vegetable meal for dinner.
Manage Stress
The stress hormone cortisol can have a massive impact on belly fat, especially for women. If you're constantly stressed, it's hard to get a flat stomach as your cortisol levels will always be high, and cortisol contributes to belly fat storage. Doing too much in general, relationship stress, too little sleep, and even over-exercising can also lead to high cortisol levels.
