Many different factors cause belly fat. Poor diet and lifestyle choices, lack of exercise, general weight increase, genetic factors, stress, and sleep deprivation can all contribute to the storage of fat around the midsection.
Belly fat is also known as visceral fat. It can damage your self-image and your health. Belly fat accumulates around your internal organs and increases your risk of chronic diseases, for example, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. This article will discuss the best way to lose belly fat and share some exercises to burn belly fat.
How to Get a Flatter Stomach
1: Exercise
Most people under-exercise. If you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight. So to burn excess calories and body fat, including belly fat, you need to ramp up your exercise regime. If you already work out regularly, you may need to increase the intensity of your workouts.
The most convenient and effective way to exercise is at home using a fitness app. 30 Day Fitness is one of the top fitness apps on the market today. It is used daily by millions of people smashing their goals thanks to its innovative and intuitive design.
The 30 Day Fitness app is especially great for beginners because it tailors the program to your specific goals and fitness level.
Exercising with the app requires no equipment, minimal space, and you can get gym-quality results in as little as 15 minutes a day.
Each routine is made by professional personal trainers meaning that the workouts are effective and safe. The exercises are explained in detail by expert fitness instructors using video and detailed written instructions.
The 30-day challenges are a particular highlight of the 30 Day Fitness app. There are plenty to choose from, including many that target belly fat and provide an excellent flat tummy workout, such as Belly Fat Blast, Hourglass Waist, Flat Belly, and Bikini Body.
Each challenge is tracked on a calendar, with each day's workout you complete being ticked off. This helps with motivation because you can see your progress and gain a sense of satisfaction when each day gets ticked off.
2: Control Your Diet
Ramping up your exercise will help burn belly fat, but you also need to control your diet. If you don't watch what you are putting in, you won't get the results you want. Here are the top dietary considerations for reducing belly fat:
- Reduce your intake of saturated animal fats. Plant-based fats such as avocadoes, olives, nuts, and seeds are fine.
- Reduce your carb intake and completely cut sugar and refined carbs. You would also benefit from cutting gluten out.
- Fill up on fresh vegetables with a small amount of low-sugar fruits such as berries.
- Only eat whole grains and products made from whole grains, such as brown rice pasta.
- Eat plenty of lean, mostly plant-based protein.
3: Boost Your Metabolism
We all have different metabolic rates, also known as the speed at which the body burns calories. The faster this is, the easier it is to maintain and lose weight. Boost your metabolic rate by:
- Drinking more liquids, including water and green tea.
- Increasing your (lean/plant-based) protein intake
- Adding spices to your meals
4: Destress
To reduce belly fat, you must reduce stress. Stress hormones such as cortisol trigger appetite increase and visceral fat accumulation. Try these techniques to help you lower your stress hormone levels:
- Deep breathing
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Yoga or Pilates
- Coloring or painting
- Getting a massage
- Avoiding conflict
- Letting go of perfectionism
Five Flat Belly Exercises to Get You Started
Here are our top five flat belly exercises from the app. Perform three sets for a complete flat tummy workout.
1: Sit-ups
Lay on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor and hip-width apart. Place your hands by your ears and open your elbows wide. Firm your core as you raise your upper body to a sitting position, keeping your feet on the floor. Lower to the starting position with control. Repeat 15 times.
2: Russian twists
Sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lean back slightly and grasp a ball/dumbbell with both hands or just interlace your fingers. Lift your feet off the floor and twist to the right, aiming to touch the object or your hands on the floor. Then, twist to the left, moving the object or your hands to the left side of your body. Repeat 30 times.
3: Low plank
Come into a high plank position, either on your toes or your knees. Lower onto your elbows and clasp your hands. Tuck your elbows in and draw your shoulder blades together and down. Straighten your neck and firm your core. Hold for 15-30 seconds.
4: Side plank
Lay on your side with your forearm on the floor underneath you. Lift your hips so that you are balancing on your forearm and the outside edge of your foot. Either hold this position for 15-30 seconds or lift your hips up and down 15 times on each side.
5: Bicycle crunches
Lay on your back with your hands behind your ears, your knees bent, and your feet on the floor. Lift your feet and bring your knees into your chest while lifting your upper body off the floor. Twist your body and touch your left elbow and right knee, then right elbow to left knee. Repeat 30 times.
Conclusion
There are no shortcuts when it comes to creating vibrant health and fitness, and being healthy should always be your number one priority. The very best way to reduce your waistline is to boost your metabolism, control your diet and stress levels, and perform regular exercises to burn belly fat.
To supercharge your results, take on one of our challenges specifically designed to target the tummy. If you incorporate the tips from this article, you will achieve a beautiful flat tummy in as little as 30 days. Download the 30 Day Fitness app and get started today. You have nothing to lose (except your belly fat) and so much to gain.
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