Easy and Effective Exercises to Burn Belly Fat

Fitness goes beyond appearance. Things like having your clothes fit, wearing bikinis and flouting six-packs shouldn’t be the only reason you work out.

Beyond looking good, you need to lose excess body fat because of your health as well.  

Belly fat is the most difficult fat to burn and the belly is the most dangerous part of the body to store fat.

Belly fat doesn’t just make people look like expectant mothers and out of shape, but it is also detrimental to our health. Belly fat increases the risk of heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer.

To achieve the desired shape and weight, you need to include exercise in your daily routine. When exercise is mentioned, most people’s minds go to the ‘gym’.

At this point, you might be saying, “no I can’t do it. I don’t have the time, or I can’t afford it”. But, hey, calm down and believe that you can do it. Luckily, there are a lot of simple but effective exercises you can do at home without necessarily going to the gym to get rid of the fat rolls.

What is belly fat?

Belly fat is that excess fat surrounding the internal organs and a significant part of the body. Belly fat gives a potbelly shape.

There are two types of belly fat – subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is the extra padding of tissue right beneath the skin. It is that layer of fat you touch when you pinch your stomach. Subcutaneous fat plays some roles in the body such as:

●    It is a way that your body stores energy

●    It serves as padding to protect your body from the impacts of falls and hits

●    It functions as a passageway for nerves and blood vessels between the skin and muscle

●    It helps to regulate the body temperature by serving as an insulator

●    It serves as a special connective tissue that attaches the dermis to the muscles and bones.

Although the body needs healthy fat for the above reasons, too much of it in the belly can be bad for the health.

Visceral fat is the dangerous type of belly fat that calls for concern. It is located deep within the abdominal cavity, where it fills the space between the abdominal cavity surrounding the internal organs, intestines and liver.

Visceral fat has been linked to serious health issues such as: 

●    Heart disease

●    Type 2 diabetes

●    High blood pressure

●    Stroke

To get rid of belly fat and achieve that desired flat tummy, you need to get rid of both types of fat.

Easy and Effective Exercises to Burn Belly Fat Fast

One of the best ways to get rid of belly fat aside from eating healthy is exercising. Figuring out the best exercise to burn belly fat can be frustrating as spot reduction doesn’t work well, especially when it comes to getting rid of abdominal fat.

The best workouts you can perform to lose belly fat are the ones that will increase your heart rate, use many muscle groups in your body, and are very intense. Try to perform about 30 minutes of vigorous exercise at least four times a week. 

Here is a list of some of the easy-to-do exercises you can perform at your convenience —no gym, no equipment needed, only patience and diligence. 

So what are you waiting for? Get up from that couch, move, sweat it out. It is time to get rid of that fat roll!

1.    Planks:

This endurance exercise works on all muscle groups and is one of the best exercises for burning belly fat. 

How to perform a plank

●    Lie face down on your yoga mat (if you do not have one, it is fine), lift your body by supporting your body weight using only your forearms and toes 

●    With a relaxed neck and a straight back, slightly raise your hip to be in line with your back

●    Hold on to this position for 15 to 20 seconds before resting, do three sets of this exercise.

2.    Mountain climbing:

This is also known as mountaineering. This moving plank exercise does not only engage your core muscle, but it is a full-body exercise. Just as plank exercise, this exercise works your core muscles and other muscles like your upper arms and your thigh muscles.

How to perform mountain climbers:

●    Get into a high-plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders. 

●    Tighten your core by drawing your belly button in toward your spine. 

●    Bend your right knee and move it toward your chest and then bring it back to plank position. Do the same with the left knee.

●     Continue to alternate the knees and increase your pace until it feels as if you are running in a plank position

Do this for at least 60 seconds.

READ Starting a New Exercise: Factors to Consider.

3.    Crunches:

This is one exercise that is highly recommended that easily and rapidly burns belly fat. They help to tone your abdominal muscles and, with time, strengthen your core which makes it easier to perform other exercises that can tone and further slim your belly.

How to perform this exercise

●    Lie on your back 

●    With your knees bent and your hands behind your head forming a “V” shape 

●    Gently curl your spine and lift your shoulders off the floor simultaneously. Slowly, return to the starting position.

●    Repeat this as many times as you can.

4.    Cycling:

Bicycles will help activate the upper abdominal muscles and tone your thighs. And if you don’t have a bicycle, no problem.

How to perform ab bicycles exercise:

●    Lie on your back and keep your hands behind your head or at your sides

●    Lift both legs off the floor and bend them at the knees. Pull your right knee closer to your chest, stretch and extend the left leg.

●     Alternate the leg by pulling in and bending the left knee and stretching out the right leg, keeping your left leg away. As you continue alternating the legs, the movements should correspond to the movement of riding a bicycle. 

5.     Walking, jogging or running:

Performing a simple cardio exercise like walking, jogging, or running will increase your metabolism and heart rate. It will help you burn not only belly fat but overall body fat. A brisk walk for at least thirty minutes daily can help you to burn some calories and stay fit. 

6.    Jumping Jacks:

Jumping jacks are or just warm-up exercises that you need to perform to prepare your body for work out, but you can burn more calories and get fit doing jumping jacks. 

How To Do Jumping Jacks

●    Stand with your feet together, then position your hands down by your side.

●    Slightly bending your knees, jump up and raise your arms above your head, return to the starting position and repeat.

7.    Burpees

You can burn about 10 calories for every minute you perform burpees exercise. Burpees increase your heart rate and are great calorie-burning and weight loss exercises. It engages the core, arms and leg muscles.

How to perform a burpee: 

●    Stand with your feet spread apart.

●    Lower your body into a squat position with your knees bent while keeping your torso straight. 

●    Place your hands on the mat or floor in front of you, in between your feet

●    Move your body weight into your hands and kick your feet back into a basic plank position

●    Then do a frog kick, returning to the squatting position

●    Then jump up back to the starting position.

Repeat the above steps as many times as you can

Conclusion

You must have gotten the point now – abdominal fat is not just unflattering, but belly fat equals health issues. So, you need a daily workout routine, especially if you are obese in the central region. Do it not only for the sake of your physical appearance but also for your well being. Also if you are new to exercising, you can start gradually from these simple exercises and then increase your intensity.

Should you think your belly fat or weight concerns requires a higher professional advice, Consult a Doctor on KompleteCare today!

Medical Disclaimer: KompleteCare aims to improve the quality of life for everyone with fact-based content about the nature of diseases, preventive care, behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.