The best exercise to bust belly fat

Belly fat. You hate it, who doesn’t? It just sits in rolls. Often it gets out of control and it  wraps around your body so that the belly fat rolls are as visible on your sides and back as they are in front.

Ugh

Creeping belly fat that goes onto your sides and back is extra ugh.

 

Some men try to pretend they don’t have belly fat by refusing to buy bigger pants, As the belly bulge gets bigger, these guys just button and zip their jeans lower. As the belly bulge grows the pants go lower and lower. They think they’re fooling everybody. The truth is the only person who’s fooled by the 34″ waist jeans being worn by the guy with the 48″ waist, is himself.

As the belly gets bigger, the pants go lower until they eventually are down around the knees somewhere.

Women go for the longer, looser fitting tops to camouflage their belly fit. It works a little better than the masculine solution, but most women would rather get rid of their belly fat than hide it.

So what exercises reduces, or better yet, removes belly fat?

Crunches are good for strengthening and toning abs, but they won’t remove any belly fat that’s sits on top of them. You need to lose weight to reduce belly fat.

The most reliable exercise to reduce belly fat is to exercise your brain.

Don’t fall for the quick fixes. Belly fat won’t go away because you avoid bananas, or 5 other foods that cause belly fat. It’s not wheat, it’s not gluten, it’s not even highly refined carbs. It’s all the food you eat and the extra calories you don’t need.

If you really want to make progress losing belly fat, exercise your brain. Use it to understand the reason and the function of body fat as well as how to reduce it and why you may never have the flat, toned tummy you see on TV and in the magazines.

Exercising your brain is a combination of rejecting attractive quick fixes and accepting that removing belly fat takes a three-pronged approach.
  1. Changes to thinking, feeling, and doing (exercising your brain)
  2. Attention to food
    • Eating a balanced diet that is slightly fewer calories than your body burns    on a regular basis
    • Understanding what is a balanced diet and that it’s okay to maintain balance over the course of a few days – not every meal or even daily
    • Reducing consumption of foods with added sugars and fat (eating them sparingly but not taking them off the menu altogether)
  3. Effective exercise
    • Aerobic exercise to burn calories to help create the deficit necessary for weight loss and in order to eat enough food to be satisfied and meet nutrition requirements
    • Muscle building exercise to firm and tone and to preserve muscle mass while losing weight which helps to maintain a higher metabolism
    • Stretching exercise to stay flexible and help prevent injuries

There it is, the best exercise to bust belly fat is engaging your brain to become realistic about your belly fat removal process and results.

Jackie Conn

About Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. She is a Weight Watchers success story. She's a weight loss expert with 25 years of experience guiding women and men to their weight-related goals. Her articles on weight management have been published in health, family and women's magazines. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news, FOX network morning program Good Day Maine and 207 on WCSH.