Learn how to shed belly fat quickly and safely
Summer is just a few short weeks away. Are you ready to show off your body? If not now is the time to get in shape so you can show off your toned arms and flat belly. What . . . you don’t know how to get in shape?
There is a secret formula that you can use to melt up to 15 pounds in the next six weeks. I call it my ‘get ready for the wedding plan’. Imagine you are going to be married in June or you will be attending your friend’s wedding and you need to look good for the event. That winter fat hanging around your waist has to go. Now is the time to start working on it.
The secret to shedding those love handles has not change for the last two hundred years and will always be the same . . . eat a healthy diet and increase your daily activity. Don’t expect to lose it by next week.
And if you were able to target the belly fat with sit-ups or crunches or some other method we would all have a narrow waist with six pack abs. Unfortunately we can’t spot reduce but we can lose weight over our entire body including getting rid of the spare tire around our mid-section.
Consistent workout habits is what will burn off excess fat from your entire body even when you periodically backslide with your diet. (Check out my healthy eating guide here.)
The best way to exercise for weight loss
The best way to exercise for weight loss is to do cardio and resistance type workouts. As a personal trainer I would put more emphasis on doing high intensity resistance training and doing what I call high energy cardio. Using these two methods will definitely reduce belly fat in a much shorter time and improve your overall health and fitness in the process.
High energy cardio, or HIIT (high intensity interval training), causes the body to burn up excess sugar and and targets fat as a source of energy . . . resulting in less body fat. The goal with doing high energy cardio is to be consistent with it. Don’t do for just a few weeks and consider it job done. Make it a life time practice. I do high energy cardio at least three days per week and I have been able to stay within my target weight range for years.
The second portion of exercising for weight loss, and possibly the most effective way to burn calories, is doing resistance training. This type of training builds muscles which not only torch fat long after you finish training but also strengthens joints, tones your body, improves your balance and posture and increases your stamina.
Combine cardio and resistance exercises
By combining high energy cardio with weight lifting (resistance) you will lose weight. Use the following formula:
- Do a warm up exercise before starting your routine. 7 minutes on a treadmill or stationary bike or jump rope are some options.
- After raising your core temperature it’s time to get busy. Have a workout plan for each day so you will know exactly what you will be doing and not waste time trying to figure out what to do next.
- Do your exercises with as little rest between each set as possible. For example, if you plan to work your shoulders, do four sets of shoulder presses with twenty to thirty seconds of rest between each set before moving on to the next shoulder routine.
I like to do my cardio after lifting weights. I find that doing it before tires me out and I don’t get an effective lifting session. After I am warmed up I get right into my workout routine. I have a set of specific exercises to do each day of the week. For example I pump up my chest on Sundays, target my shoulders on Wednesdays and work legs on Fridays. Periodically I change the schedule and also the types of exercises targeting those muscles groups.
There numerous books written on dieting and I’ll discuss some of their pros and cons in future posts. One addition I include in my daily consumption is a detoxing tea that’s help countless dieters speed up the weight loss process. I believe it’s help me maintain a consistent weight and gives me additional energy. I drink at least two cups every day. I recommend you giving it a try. Get more information here.