Exercising will build lean muscle and help you burn fat. If you are implementing both a good nutrition and exercise plan you may have noticed you have lost inches and your clothes fit better, even when the number on the scale has not changed.
If you were only dieting and not exercising, you would be losing fat AND muscle... not a good solution for flat abs.
When you do lose inches but not pounds, it means you are losing fat and building lean muscle at the same time. This is the best of all circumstances. A pound of muscle takes up much less space than a pound of fat and it looks better too!
But why does that fat around the belly seem to take forever to lose?
Frustrated, many people spend way too much effort on abs specific exercises like crunches, but that is not how you will lose belly fat. You will only get more frustration.
Here are 5 tips that will help you get rid of belly fat:
1-Focus on high intensity combinations of full body exercises.
This will more effectively increase your metabolism, burn more calories, and work your abs and overall core strength at the same time.
You will definitely feel your abdominal muscles working doing exercises such as crunches or leg raises, but if you are looking for the best exercise to lose belly fat, you'd be better off spending your time doing full body exercises like squats, dead-lifts, lunges, push-ups/pull-ups or other push/pull exercises. This should be the primary focus of your workout... you really don't need more than 5-10 minutes working on abs specific exercises.
2-As for your cardio training, if your goal is to lose fat, your best choice is high intensity interval training (HIIT) rather than long steady paced cardio.
When you do the HIIT, your muscles are getting the benefit of building more strength than they would in steady cardio. This causes you to continue to burn calories long after you finish the workout.
Your cardio training does not have to be done on a cardio machine such as a treadmill, elliptical, or bicycle, unless that's what you enjoy. Alternatively, you could do more high intensity bodyweight or resistance training for fat loss. This kind of training gives you more fat burning results in a shorter period of time by comparison. You are still benefiting your heart... perhaps even more so, because you are training at a much higher intensity level.
Other "cardio" examples using high intensity would be jump rope, hill sprints, stair runs, or kettlebell training. Choose whatever works for you, as long as you are ramping up the intensity of your workouts and taking shorter breaks. Have fun and challenge yourself to beat your own record each time.
3-Get strong as you focus on building lean muscle.
Don't be afraid of lifting heavier weights as long as you are not sacrificing your form. As you create a greater demand on your muscles, you will increase your metabolism ... or burn fat. If you are a woman this will not cause you to bulk up, just get stronger.
4-Go to the gym with focused intention and change your exercises every 4-6 weeks.
Stay consistent... week after week, month after month. Don't repeat the same workout each time you go to the gym. If your workout isn't changing, and you are simply showing up at the gym, stop why you haven't seen any results... why would you think your body would change if you haven't ever changed what you do?
5-Review your exercise often by keeping a workout log.
You can do this right in your daily planner, calendar or wherever you keep track of your schedule. You can even list the exercises you are scheduled to do that day.
Make an appointment with yourself and keep it. Each time you complete a workout highlight that you did it or give yourself a gold star. You will be aware of how consistent you are and be able to acknowledge your efforts by looking back over the week or month. Like the food rule be at least 90% compliant. We are all aware of what it feels like to miss a few workouts... a big step backwards. Don't let that happen to you, be consistent and you will move forward.
Tracking, measuring, and consistency are important whether you are an athlete or a beginner.
Lauren Miller is a Professional Life Coach and Certified Personal trainer who specializes in coaching for weight-loss. Her company is Your Partner For Change.
She over-delivers with helpful tips and strategies to improve your wellness... it is truly her passion for everyone to move with ease and be comfortable from the inside out.
When Lauren made the shift from personal trainer to wellness coach, her clients were more successful with just a simple regularly scheduled coaching phone call. Why? It's not the exercise or nutrition plan you follow... there are different ways to get your desired result. What is most important is what keeps you motivated to stay on your plan. That's what coaching with Lauren will do for you.
You can get her FREE e-book, "Stretching Exercises" when you click on this link: [http://bestbodymakeover.com/stretching/].
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