Top exercises to lose belly fat – Part 1
We’d all agree that there is something unique about belly fat. It’s not-so-good-looking, it too-stubborn-to-go-away and it’s unhealthy but it also motivates you. It shows up so prominently in the mirror that it induces the required guilt to start doing something about it. However, the enthusiasm dies off quickly when the efforts don’t yield results. Belly fat is stubborn but if you follow the right path it is possible to take care of it. Here’s are the top exercises to lose belly fat for you to follow.
How’s Belly Fat different than other fat?
There are primarily 2 kinds of fat that accumulate in our body. The first is the Subcutaneous Fat that accumulates under our skin. This is the Fat that you can grasp with your hand and it isn’t just limited to your tummy. You can feel and grasp the subcutaneous fat in your hands, legs, thighs, or even neck. The other kind of fat, and the more concerning one is the abdominal fat, medically knows as Visceral fat. Unlike subcutaneous fat, you can’t feel Visceral fat with your hands as it lies deep within the abdominal cavity. This Visceral fat is what we know as belly fat too.
Why is it important to lose Abdominal or Belly Fat
Well, for most people the primary reason is that it doesn’t look good. The common perception is that you don’t look fit and it isn’t great aesthetically so it hinders the beauty perception. However, the belly or visceral fat not only makes you look unfit, but it can also make you very sick. It is called visceral or abdominal fat because it lies in the abdominal cavity, padding the spaces between different organs in the abdomen.
Our body releases Cytokines due to excess Visceral Fat accumulation. The cytokines, in turn, not only affect insulin production but also increase inflammation in our bodies. Such inflammation in the body can further lead to complications like heart disease and type 2 diabetes, among other diseases. A fatty liver may affect cholesterol production and insulin resistance, for example.
Researchers have linked Visceral fat to increased risk for cardiovascular disease and other metabolic problems as well as a precursor for type 2 diabetes. Women need to be more cautious about accumulating belly fat as their body has a tendency to gain more fat in their bellies than in their hips or thighs. It can lead to additional issues like breast cancer and gallbladder issues specifically in women.
How to Lose Belly Fat with simple exercises?
As you must have gathered by now, losing belly fat isn’t important just for maintaining good shape but it is also critical for your body’s overall health. At the same time, since the belly fat or visceral fat is very stubborn it takes a lot of discipline to reduce the fat levels. Most importantly, not every exercise will help you lose belly fat so you must choose your workout carefully if you want to get rid of it.
Here are a few of the exercises that will help you
1. Walking / Running
The simplest of all the cardio exercises and yet very effective in the battle against belly fat. All that you need to take care of is your diet. If you are relying on walking/running to lose your belly fat then you must maintain a very healthy and balanced diet that controls the carbohydrate intake effectively. The best part about walking/running is that you don’t need any equipment or trainer to start walking or running. Although, you would definitely need a place to walk/run.
2. Cycling
Don’t get disappointed by such simple suggestions, the truth is that the most simple activities are the most effective ones to counter visceral fat. If you haven’t tried cycling then you must do this before trying anything else. There are not too many activities that exercise your whole body as much as cycling does. It makes your heart work harder and burn a lot of calories eventually burning fat to replace the spent energy.
3. Zumba
If you don’t like serious workouts then you can try Zumba. These energetic and fun routines can help you lose a lot of fat without you realizing how hard did you move your body. Zumba is a high-intensity workout but with the foot-tapping music and the overall ambiance, people tend to stretch beyond their limits without feeling so much pain. It is believed that one loses more calories than those burned in advanced Pilates classes, aerobics, power yoga and cardio kickboxing, in the same workout duration.
Most importantly, like our previous suggestions, Zumba is easy to try and easier to continue. The more complex exercises need more infrastructure and equipment, training and money to be spent and that increases the inertia to start the workout. Hence, in this part of the article, we are focusing on simple activities that can help you lose belly fat quickly.
4. Yoga
Yoga has made inroads in many households in India in the last decade. While most people do breathing exercises and basic yoga there are specific asanas that can help you reduce belly fat. Following 5 asanas are known to be apt for the same.
- Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
- Bhujangasana or Cobra pose
- Naukasana or the Boat pose
- Kumbhakasana or the plank pose
- Ustrasana or the Camel Pose
5. Aerobics
Just like Zumba aerobics is another fun way to lose belly fat. The rhythmic exercises lead to a full-body workout. In most routines, the abdominal muscles are stretched and exercised, making it a very effective and light way to burn belly fat. Like Yoga, you can do aerobic exercises at home without the need for any equipment or a large space. This takes away the inertia of starting the workout. It isn’t as effective as Zumba but it is still a simple and great way for those who don’t want to do high-intensity (HIIT) workouts.
Bonus: Swimming
Swimming doesn’t occur to most people as a means to lose belly fat, however, just like cycling, swimming exercises your entire body and thus burning loads of calories. This in turn means your body will have to burn the fat to meet the energy needs. Swimming also puts strain on abdominal muscles thereby tightening them and giving your abdomen a firm shape.
The reason why Swimming is the last on our list (in this article) is that not everyone has access to a swimming pool and at the same time during this pandemic, it isn’t advised to use a public pool. However, once the pandemic is over and the pools open you must make good use of it to get rid of your belly fat.
And that’s a wrap for Part 1 of “Top exercises to lose belly fat”. As you observed, we started with exercises that are easy to start and easy to maintain in long run. However, we’ll soon be coming up with Part 2 of this article where we will cover exercises that are more complex and need equipment or training or both. Till then you might want to read Weight loss Myths you must stop believing right now!
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