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Do you have a little too much belly fat? Changing that may be easy and tough at the same time. Everyone has belly fat, even athletes with 6-pack abs albeit much less than an average sedentary person. Yes, you heard that right.

Fat can be of two types – deep belly fat and fat on the upper part of the belly. The second kind of fat is the one that shows. The first type of fat that is deep belly fat is also called visceral fat and it is essential for your body. It covers all your organs and cushions them from any injuries.

How to measure your belly fat? Do you have too much?

Get a measuring tape, wrap it around your waist just at your belly button, and measure. Measure while you’re standing up, and make sure the tape is parallel to the ground.

For a woman, you want your waist size to be less than 35 inches and for a man it should be less than 40 inches in girth.

If you are exceeding these measurements, then unfortunately you have too much belly fat and are in the danger zone. You should think about reducing overall body fat for your health’s sake.

Secret to losing Belly Fat!!

All types of fat are lost from the body by a combination of diet and exercise. We hate to break it to you but losing belly fat is a long term game and you need to be patient to see results. There is no shortcut to losing belly fat in a healthy manner. Crash diets and starvation may get you there for sometime. But if you need a permanent way to keep the belly fat off then read on.

We have broken down the secret to losing belly fat into the following components:

1. Abs are made in the Kitchen!!!

Abs really are “made” in the Kitchen and not the gym. Even though exercise plays a good part in getting abs but the truth is your diet matters even more. It is 80% diet and only 20% exercise. Exercise helps in the extra calorie burn and getting rid of the fats. But what you put in your tummy will dramatically change the results. Eat less, move more. Also more importantly watch what you eat religiously. High protein low carb diet with plenty of veggies and water intake is a surefire way to get those abs.

2. Strength Training

“Strength Training” is normally not your go-to to lose weight. But trust me. A little strength training can help you a lot in building some muscle. More muscles means more fat burn. The more you train with weights the more calories your body will burn. However, one must be cautious not to overcompensate with more calories. According to a study, only 2 days of strength training a week will reduce your body fat percentage by 2% without altering your diet. Imagine how much you can gain by 2 days of weight training and a proper diet.

3. Cardio! Cardio! Cardio!

Cardiovascular training, popularly known as “Cardio” is essential for fat loss. Remember one thing – You will not lose fat around your abs by only doing crunches. You need to target the overall fat percentage in your body. Low to medium intensity cardio for a longer time period is very effective in losing body fat. So, after your weight session grab your favourite cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical, bike etc.) and go at it until fatigued. If you don’t want to do it on a machine, then go for a run or an aerobics class. Anything that tickles your fancy. Doing this will surely melt away all the fat you have been storing in your body including your tummy.

Getting real abs will take you months or maybe even a year. So do not get discouraged. Measure your progress not just in weight terms but in terms of inches and fitting in old clothes, being able to sleep better and improved mood. The process is slow but you will get there if you follow these rules diligently. Also,if you are at your ideal bodyweight and you really aren’t into 6 packs, then it is absolutely fine. Your goal may only be to stay healthy or become healthy. So go ahead with that. 🙂

Also read: Benefits of Meditation