Some interesting things I read about burning belly fat.
Firstly, you will need to exercise. And a feeble 30 or 40 minutes of cardio in your so-called "fat-burning zone" two or three times a week isn't going to be enough. As you've learned, a full-body training program that includes both cardiovascular and resistance exercise will deliver better, faster results.
Forget about doing hundreds of crunches, sit-ups, or any of the various "drawing in the belly button" exercises. They're virtually useless for most people when it comes to losing belly fat.
As Mike Geary, author of The Truth about Six Pack Abs, points out: "Let's get this straight right now. Abdominal exercises do NOT burn fat away from your abs! This can only be accomplished through a much more effective full-body training routine that maximizes both your metabolic response and your hormonal response to your workouts."
Remember, belly fat is stored energy. To get rid of it, you need to burn more energy (calories) than you eat. And these exercises don't burn enough calories to make much of a difference to the appearance of your waist and stomach.
So thats what I need to do lots of cardio(aka treadmill at face pace or aerobic) and weight training which I have to do some research on.
While focusing on crunches will definitely strengthen your core, it unfortunately won't dissolve the tire or muffin top around your waist. To get rid of ab flab, you've got to include gut-wrenching, calorie-burning cardio regularly in your routine. And not just any kind of cardio — you need interval training. Alternating between moderate and speedy bursts is the key. How do I know?
A recent study in the International Journal of Obesity revealed that "women who alternated cycling as fast as possible for 8 seconds with 12-second rest periods repeated for 20 minutes dropped 9.5 percent of their mushy middles, whereas those who cycled steadily for 40 minutes gained."
If you need some interval training ideas to beat the bulge read more.
You can do intervals with virtually any type of activity. Here are some ways to do it:
Use visual goals. Run or bike at a moderate pace, and then look ahead and sprint to the mailbox that's 50 feet away, or up the hill, or to the end of the street. Once you reach your goal, reduce back to your moderate speed. After your breathing returns to normal, choose another goal to race to.
Use time. Watch the clock and move moderately for five minutes and then zoom as fast as you can for one minute. Repeat this pattern for at least 30 minutes.
Use music. Make an interval playlist, alternating between fast-paced peppy tunes, and slower, chill tunes. Walk, run, or dance to the beat. Here are some of my playlists for intervals.
Use a FitSugar interval workout. I always find it is easier to follow a cardio routine and intervals are no exception. I have made many interval workouts, from treadmill to swimming, from stationary bike to elliptical.
