Posts Tagged ‘belly fat’

We’ve spent this week discussing belly fat and how to get rid of it.  But you also want to strengthen your abs muscles so that your belly will be firm and flat.  Here’s a good article explaining some ways to do that.

Women Ab Workouts – Three Things You Need To Know  

by Marshall Crum

A good looking, trim body with a flat stomach and well defined abdominal muscles is one of the best confidence builders in life. When we feel good about the way we look, our confidence soars and all our goals seem easier to reach. It is no wonder that diet and exercise programs are among the most sought in our quest to look better.

At some point, ladies, you may have considered what kind of effective womens ab workouts you need to permanently lose the belly fat that causes you want to hide your body under oversized clothes? You may wonder what the best abdominal exercises for women really are.

A question I have had is the whether ab workouts used by men will work for women. I have looked into programs offered by some of the most internationally well known fitness trainers and haave learned that while the workouts are similar, but there are still some significant differences in the results. And, there are three things I think you need to permanently get the figure you will be proud of

The first thing is to forget the gizmos and diet supplements that are supposed to work wonders with your body with little personal effort. You will not drink your way to a slim, well defined stomach or get one sitting on the couch. Great looking abs comes with exercise and a reasonable diet that addresses the whole body. Your abs are an important part of looking good and ab exercises should be vigorous and only a part of your overall weight loss and fitness program.

The second thing you should do is to eat smaller meals, more often. Eating several smaller meals during the day will keep your metabolism at a higher rate which will burn more calories and prevent a feeling of hunger. Your total caloric intake is less and you will have more energy because your metabolism is higher. Snack on baby carrots, sweet potato slices or similar crunchy veggies.

The last thing is to find and use an exercise program that includes ab workouts and cardio exercise as part of the overall package of exercises to strengthen and tone your whole body. Target the large muscles, work consistently and you will notice a significant weight loss and better looking abs.

A concern that I have heard many times over the years by many women is the fear of becoming muscle-bound. Believe me, you will not build up a lot of muscles or become muscle bound unless you want to. The reason that you appear to be building muscles is that the layer of fat that covered your body is reducing and the muscle definition is more apparent. Exercise will strengthen and define your muscle groups, not make them bigger.

Most of us need some help, guidance and support to stay motivated and get the results we want. If you are into losing belly fat, get those three things and good results are almost guaranteed.
Everyone wants to feel good about the way they look to other people. It is a concern that has been around since the first reflection was seen in a pool of water. Getting a good looking body with great abs is not as hard as it seems. Find out how at women ab workouts.

A great, easy-to-use, overall workout program that I recommend is Fat Loss Quickie. Check it out!

In the last post we talked about the dangers of having too much belly fat inside your abdominal wall, the visceral fat.  So the two questions we need to answer are:

1. How do I know if I have visceral fat?
2. What can I do about it?

How to tell if you have it

If you want to be absolutely sure and you have lots of money to spend, you can have a CT scan or MRI.  But the easiest way to tell is by using a tape measure.

Place the tape around your abdomen at the level of your belly button.  Do not measure where your waist curves in, do not suck in your tummy, and do not pull the tape tight to smash down your gut!  If you’re just going to try and “trick” yourself, don’t bother doing it at all!

What does the tape say?  If the diameter of your belly is 35 inches or more, you probably have excess visceral fat.

If you don’t want to measure but you notice that your pants are getting tight around the waist but not elsewhere, you probably have excess visceral fat.

Why me?!

Part of why you tend to gain weight in certain places is determined by your genes and your age.  Women tend to add a lot of visceral fat when they go through menopause.  If you have had children, you will be more likely to add visceral fat than women who haven’t had children.  And, oddly enough, if you were born a low birth weight baby, you are more likely to develop this unhealthy belly fat.

How can I prevent or get rid of it?

Guess what?  Getting rid of belly fat is easier than getting rid of thigh or hip fat! Follow these tips for reducing visceral fat in your belly:

• Don’t smoke. Smokers tend to store more fat in their abdomens than any place else.
• Take care of your emotional health. Women who are stressed or depressed accumulate more visceral fat.
• Get the right amount of sleep. Regularly sleeping less than 6 or more than 8 hours per night is linked to gaining belly fat.
• Get plenty of calcium. Women who have more calcium in their diets tend to put on less visceral fat.
• Exercise. Get at least 30 minutes a day of exercise.
• Eat healthy. Follow a balanced diet that keeps you at a healthy weight.

What doesn’t work?

• Crunches Although crunches help tighten your muscles, they don’t reduce belly fat.
• Liposuction This procedure removes subcutaneous fat, not visceral fat.

Please be sure to retweet and share this information with your friends and followers.  Thanks!

Do you have a higher percentage of belly fat than fat in other locations such as the thighs or hips?

If so, you could be at risk for multiple health problems.  Even if belly fat isn’t a problem for you right now, it could become a problem as you age.

Before the middle of the 1990s, doctors and researchers considered fat cells to be nothing more than places the body stored fat for future use as an energy source.  But since that time they have discovered that fat cells are actually quite active.

It turns out that fat cells function a lot like glands that produce hormones and other molecules which can affect other parts of the body, leading to chronic health conditions.

There are two kinds of fat.

Subcutaneous fat, which makes up around 90% of all body fat, is a layer of fat stored just below the skin.  In some people, this is a thin layer; in others it is quite thick.  This type of fat can feel soft and squishy when you pinch or poke it.

Visceral fat is the second type of fat.  It occurs inside the abdominal wall,  filling up the spaces surrounding your internal organs.  You can’t feel it from the outside because the abdominal wall surrounding it is tough and firm.

Both of these fat types produce hormones but the visceral fat cells are more active and have a much more negative effect.

So what type of health problems are we talking about?

The hormones produced by visceral fat have been linked to these health conditions:

• high blood pressure
• type 2 diabetes
• higher triglycerides
• lower HDL (good cholesterol)
• colon cancer
• asthma
• dementia
• breast cancer
• rectal cancer

In the next post we’ll talk about how to know if you have visceral fat and what you can do about it.

Here are 3 exercises you can use to develop a flat tummy!

Crunches Lie flat on the floor with your arms crossed over your chest.  Don’t lace your fingers behind your head or neck – that causes you to pull yourself up with your arms rather than your abs!  Lift your upper body slowly off the floor, hold, then lower slowly.    Hold again before touching the floor, then crunch back up without ever actually touching down.  You can keep your feet on the floor with your knees bent but I prefer to cross my ankles and hold my feet up off the floor.  This decreases the stress on your back while working your upper and lower abs.

Side Crunches Same as above but, rather than crunching straight up, twist to the left, then right, on alternate crunches.  These will help whittle down your waist.

Chair Crunches Sit near the edge of your chair and lean slightly back while supporting yourself with your hands.  Lift your feet off the floor and extend your legs, keeping your knees slightly bent.  Pull your knees slowly up toward your chest, then slowly extend them to the previous position.  Repeat without letting your feet touch the floor.

Although exercising can firm muscles, it can’t firm fat! If you have a layer of belly fat covering your abs, all the crunches in the world won’t give you a flat tummy!  Make your abs exercises part of your overall fat burning plan. Then, once you’ve gotten rid of the fat, your beautiful, firm abs will be display ready!