by: Ken Hunt
Ok so you really over did it during the 4th of July weekend. You looked in the mirror and its not a pretty sight. You are—how shall we say—slightly swollen around the middle. Or in other words, it’s the return of the “Love Handles.” GASP!
(AKA known as the oblique region of the torso.) If you have them, you certainly don’t love them. But Don’t Panic! Here are some quick guidelines to get you back on track.
As with any abdominal fat loss goal, concentrate on nutrition and exercise to help firm your mid-section: These are the main ingredients to achieving any fitness goal and the most important factor in loosing your love handles.
First, some quick diet tips—
:
Drink at least three liters of water per day (100 oz.).
Eliminate all soda and carbonated beverages—even diet soda!
Don’t drink from a straw. It will trap gas (air) in your stomach and bloat you.
And eat slowly. Gulping food traps air
Same is true of chewing gum—No kidding
Eat five servings of vegetables and fruits per day
Limit fried foods and cheese. Same goes for salty foods
Limit processed sugar (sodas, cookies, candy, etc.)
Eat only lean red meats (1-2 times weekly).
No snacking after 8:00pm no matter how hungry you are!
Now for some work-out tips–
1. Cardio-vascular and resistance training (to burn fat and build muscle). Ramp up your treadmill time—(Pun intended!) Mix up your routine so that you really have to work harder. Choose a program that you don’t usually do. Change up the incline and the speed. Keep adding time to your treadmill work out so that it becomes more of a challenge.
2. Targeted abdominal exercises (to help firm muscles under the fatty area). Regardless of what you’ve heard, you cannot target fat loss. Fat will be used as energy for your workouts and will reduce over time performing cardio, resistance training and by eating healthy.
3. Add more core and resistance focused exercises to your workout routine. Even one or two more will make a big difference and help you tighten up. Here is a quick and easy one to follow and you can do it anywhere and all you need is a tennis ball. Lay on your back, put your hands under your hips, bend your knees and put the tennis ball between them. Then, squeeze the ball tight to lower your feet to the floor; inhale to bring knees back to your hip level. This will tone your inner thighs and lower abs. Use a larger ball for more resistance and effect.
4. The stored fat around your mid-section is typically the last to go, even after months of exercise. Try 20-45 minutes of activities such as walking, running, biking or swimming 4-5 times per week, also mixing in basic calisthenics like pushups, bench dips, squat and lunges 2-3 times a week.
Give these suggestions a try and you will see those love handles shrink away. Remember, a slip is not a fall. You can make these pesky problems disappear. Its just takes a little will-power and a focus effort.
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