The Belly zone is probably where we put on weight first, and it is one of the most difficult spot areas to lose fat from!
To truly tame your trouble spots, you need combine cardio with strength training. Ideally, you should do at least 30 minutes of cardio 4 to 5 days per week. Cardio activities can take form of whichever form of aerobic exercise you’re doing—aerobics, dancing, walking, running, biking, swimming, hiking. The key is to be consistent with your exercise regime and to do the exercises with intensity. Indulging in being active all day, would also help you in burning fat as opposed to shunning any physical activity, which would slow down your system instead! For e.g. walking around to do the chores, cleaning up a little, working a little in the garden, so as to increase your activities of daily living.
Here are 3 excellent spot training exercises to do to burn that Belly Fat!
The ‘AB’ Crunch: This is your typical abdominal crunch exercise and it if done right, it really make your abs work and are super effective to burn the fat off the belly area.
Lie on your exercise mat on your back. Bend your knees. Place your hands behind your head, keeping your elbows wide open. Press the small of your back into the mat by pulling your belly button towards your spine. Contract your abdominal muscles and slowly bring your shoulder blades about 2-3 inches off the floor. Exhale from your mouth as you contract and come up, and inhale from your nose as you come back down. Make sure to keep your neck straight and your chin up. Once you raise up to your maximum, hold the Ab crunch for a few seconds and then slowly lower back down to start position. However, do ensure that you never completely relax back on the mat once you lower back. Do 4 sets of 16 repetitions and increase the sets as your Abs get strength to do more shoulder lifts.
Bicycle Crunch: This is a particularly effective exercise as it works to strengthen three different Ab muscles at the same time: the Upper Abdominal muscle, the lower Abdominal muscle and the external Oblique Abdominal muscles. Lie flat on your exercise mat on your back, pressing your back into the ground, as well as reducing the curve in your lower back. Contract your core Ab muscles. Position your hands gently behind your head. Lift your knees up to about a 45 degree angle. Turn your right elbow to your left knee and twist to try to reach that knee and go to your maximum, so as to contract your side Oblique abdominal muscle. Now change your elbow and knee, and alternate to the opposite side, with your left elbow aiming for your right knee. Put in your maximum effort and intensity into each ‘pedal’ move. Do 4 sets of 10-15 repetitions to each side.
Ball Crunch: The Ball crunch is excellent for strengthening your core abdominal muscle — the rectus abdominus. Position yourself such that the ball is under your lower back. Take your arms and place them either behind your head, keeping your elbows wide open. Inhale through your nose as you contract your abdominal muscles, pulling them in tight, and using them to lift your upper body or torso off the ball, straight up towards the ceiling, with the ball stationary and firm on the floor. Each time try and lift higher, contracting in your Abdominal muscle, and hence increasing the intensity of each Ab Ball Crunch. Now, gently lower back into starting position and do 4 sets of 12 repetitions.
The more resistance and intensity you put in to the above Abdominal crunches, will help you strengthen your Abs further and get the flat belly look faster!