As we age, it seems the first place we gain fat is our bellies. And it also seems impossible to loose that fat. Doing 100’s of sit-ups, crash diets, hours of cardio – nothing seems to help. Well, here’s some proven ways to aid in loosing body fat quickly.
Forget Endless Crunches – Crunches are an incredible way to build and strengthen your stomach muscles. And, if you’re looking go gain those “six-pack abs” – as well as build a strong core, keeping crunches should be part of your workout plan. Here’s the thing. As much as crunches are great for building up your abs and core, they don’t burn fat. If you stripped the fat off your abs right now, you probably have a pretty decent mid-section! But doing all those extra crunches can cause lower back pain, slouching shoulders, and force your head to be forward in front of your neck. You need crunches – just not for burning belly fat.
Add Strength Training to your workouts – The rule here never changes. The faster your metabolism, the faster you burn fat. More muscle means a faster metabolism. So, incorporating strength training for building muscle into your workout plan is a great way to burn fat. The best exercises for this – deadlifts and squats.
Clean Up Your Diet – Fast food binges won’t help you. Nor will those beers on the weekend. Abs are built as much in the kitchen as they are in the gym. So, change up your diet to whole, unprocessed foods – especially these:
- Proteins like Meat, poultry, fish, whey, eggs, cottage cheese
- Veggies including Spinach, broccoli, salad, kale, cabbage
- Fruits including Banana, orange, apple, pineapple, pears
- Fats like Olive oil, fish oil, real butter, nuts, flax seeds
- Carbs like Brown rice, oats, whole grain pasta, quinoa
Cut Back on Alcohol – An occasional glass of wine or beer isn’t that big a deal. But if you’re drinking something daily, that’s a load of empty calories. Cutting back so it’s only Friday and Saturday nights, for example, and in limited quantities is key here. The rest of the time – drink water.
Replace Carbs with Protein – You need some carbs for energy, and having carbs before a workout can help you keep from loosing energy during your workout. But, we eat too many carbs, and your body will store what it doesn’t need as fat. Protein takes longer to digest – and takes more energy for digestion, which can help keep your metabolism up. Eat healthy veggies and fruits, but cut back on starches like potatoes, rice and pasta, as well as breads. And if you do eat these foods, save them for after your workout for a bit of extra post-workout energy.
Don’t Cut Back On Food – This may sound counter productive. But your body requires fuel for energy. If it can’t get it from food, it will take required protein it needs from your muscles. If you’re hungry, you need food. Period. Eating the right foods can help you burn fat. So don’t starve yourself. There are online calculators that can help you understand what your daily caloric needs are – work your diet for that amount.
And, if you’re looking for the perfect home gym for building muscle for loosing body fat, stop into any of Fitness 4 Home Superstore’s 3 Phoenix area stores – we can help you find the perfect home gym that will fit both your home and your fitness goals!
