How to Lose Belly Fat
Happy Tuesday Squadies! Losing weight can be difficult no matter what area you are looking to target on your body, but one thing is for sure - Belly fat is definitely one of the MOST common problem areas! Though it can be difficult to lose fat in this area, it is NOT impossible! Today I will be sharing my top tips on how to lose belly fat! When it comes to losing belly fat ( or fat anywhere in your body) it all comes down to 2 main factors: Diet and exercise! You have probably heard this before! A good diet and exercise routine can make the difference between losing or gaining weight and of course is super important to your overall health. Let’s break these 2 categories down and see what you can do in each area to start losing belly fat!
losing tummy fat: Diet
When looking to lose belly fat, there are certain foods that can have major effects on your belly area, some that contribute to GAINING weight, and some that help with losing. Let’s take a look at some of these foods:
Eat LESS refined Carbs and sugars, eat MORE Protein and Fibre
Starting off with one of the biggest culperates for weight gain… SUGAR! Sugar is something that is almost always bad news. Of course you can enjoy a sugary whoopsie or 2 once in a while, but overconsumption can cause our health to go down hill and you guess it - weight gain! Like sugar, refined carbs are no good for us and are a huge continuation factor to belly fat gain. Both refined carbs and sugar do not actually keep us satiated, instead, they cause us to feel more hungry causing us to overeat. Instead of having those refined carbs and sugars, eat MORE protein and fibre to help lose belly fat! Protein has leanmazing benefits for our body. First and foremost, it keeps us satiated for LONGER! This means that after we eat a meal high in protein, we are NOT going to want to reach for a snack an hour later! Having a high protein diet greatly reduced the risk of overeating! Like protein, fibre is another super important thing to incorporate into our diets! Opposite refined carbs and sugars, fibre takes longer to digest - this is a good thing! Due to the slower digestion process, we feel fuller for LONGER, meaning we are less likely to overeat!
Less Trans Fats, more Healthy Fats!
As most of you already know, trans fats are very bad for you! They have been linked to many health issues such as inflammation, insulin resistance and you guessed it - weight gain, especially in the abdominal area. If you want to lose belly fat, try having some healthy fats instead of trans fats! What’s the difference?! Healthy fats are something I commonly talk about because of the leanmazing benefits they have for your body! Healthy fats such as omega-3’s help keep us satiated for longer and help our bodies absorb vitamins and nutrients into the body! To start losing belly fat, make sure you are eating a diet high in protein, fibre rich veggies and healthy fats! Avoid eating refined carbs, sugars and trans fats.
LESS Juice, sugary drinks and Alcohol MORE water and tea.
As mentioned above, sugar plays a huge role in gaining belly fat, and should be avoided - especially when you're trying to lose fat! Juice is typically packed with sugar! Since we are consuming so much sugar in liquid form, sometimes it feels like we are not consuming a ton of calories when in reality, a few glasses later, you could have consumed the same amount of calories you consume in a meal! Alcohol is similar in the sense that tons of alcoholic beverages contain other elements such as juices and syrups that up the sugar intake! Excess amounts of alcohol can cause you to gain weight, especially in the abdominal area!Water is the BEST beverage you can drink! It keeps you hydrated without and added sugars or substances that can have a counter or negative effect! You can choose to add lemon to your water or you can drink carbonated water to change things up! Green tea has leanmazing benefits! It contains natural ingredients which help boost your metabolism and therefore, help you lose fat!
How to lose belly fat: exercise
Unfortunately, no matter what exercises you do, you CANNOT choose which area of your body will lose fat. Completing the forms of exercise I will mention below will help you lose fat all around your body and get more toned!
HIIT workouts
HIIT workouts are SUPER effective to help lose belly fat! How?! With HIIT workouts, we are getting our body going by speeding up the heart rate and completing fast, high intensity movements. Studies have shown that HIIT workouts can be one of the most effective types of workouts when targeting belly fat!
Strength training
Along with HIIT cardio, doing some strength training is also important when trying ot lose belly fat. Strength training helps build lean muscle. When we are working and growing our muscles, our bodies generally are burning more energy throughout that process, therefore, growing muscle can also in turn, help you lose fat!
Ready to try it yourself?!
Check out one of my leanmazing workouts, perfect to help get rid of that pesky belly fat!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1yWLYBxSYE