We all want to get rid of the belly fat, extra tire, beer belly or whatever else you may want to call it. It is easier said than done. What can you do other than being on a restrictive diet? The good news is there are many easy exercises that you can do to lose that belly fat and get a flatter tummy.
Contrary to popular belief, doing crunches won’t eliminate belly fat completely. You need to burn fat and then do crunches to tone your abs. Doing crunches after getting rid of that belly fat will work a lot better than doing them beforehand.
Before wasting your time doing a million crunches that won’t provide any results, do fat burning exercises such as jogging or swimming to burn the fat in your belly and use crunches and sit-ups in order to give you some definition in your abs.
The best fat busting exercise to do in order to help you slim down is belly dancing. It is not only useful for burning fat but also extremely fun to do. In one belly dancing workout session, you can burn up to 500 calories. Make sure to keep yourself well hydrated through the workout.
Another great belly fat busting workout is swimming. Swimming is great during the summer months – especially because it not only keeps you hydrated, but also lets you do many exercises without having the weight of your body keeping you down.
Swimming also works out many other parts of your body while working your midsection. Swimming helps your lungs build endurance so that you’re able to hold your breath longer. It also works your legs and arms at the same time.
Jogging is one of the belly fat exercises that also helps you slim down while keeping your heart rate up and giving your lungs a good work out. For most people, jogging takes them away from the hassle of everyday life, giving them much needed stress relief.
Doing Zumba classes once or twice a week can also greatly decrease the amount of belly fat your body is storing. Zumba is a Latin-based dance workout that’s really fun and easy to follow.
In one single Zumba class, you can burn up to 900-1000 calories alone! That’s almost all but 400 calories of your daily diet if you are a woman and all but 700 if you are a man.
Riding your bike is also a great way to slim your belly fat. Riding your bike gives your body a lot of variety. Biking up a hill gives you a hard workout and really makes you push yourself.
Biking down a hill gives you the little bit of rest that you need. Biking not only works your abs, but your legs and arms as well. When biking, always be safe; bring a water bottle, wear reflective clothing, and check the weather before you head out so that you can prepare yourself for whichever of Mother Nature’s miracles may be hurled at you.
Belly fat exercises to help you slim down come in many forms. Don’t expect to do them all in one day. Also remember that losing weight and getting a trimmer tummy takes time and you have to implement the proper diet and exercise regimen as well.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Core Exercises While Sitting at Your Desk
You may be a busy executive or a business owner who just can’t seem to find the time to get out from behind the desk and exercise. For some, balance issues and other physical limitations may prevent them from performing exercises that require you to stand up. Regular exercises may not be possible for people who are morbidly obese.
Don’t quit! There are many sit down exercises that you can do and still derive the health benefits. Here are some exercises that you can do while sitting at your desk:
Ab exercise - Sit on the edge of your chair as straight as you can with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Raise your arms out straight in front of you and slowly lean back toward the back of the chair. When you get as far back as you can, slowly raise yourself back to a normal sitting position. Keep your abdominal muscles pulled in while you do these exercises.
Bicep curls - You can use the same drinking water bottle and raise your arm out to your side so that it’s shoulder level. Slowly bend your elbow in, bringing the water bottle towards you as if you were doing bicep curls in a gym. Do a few repetitions with that arm and then switch to the other arm.
Chair pull and chair stretches – Watch these videos…
Front raise for arms - Sit as straight as you can in a chair. Hold a water bottle in one hand for a little extra added weight if you choose. With that arm straight out in front of you, raise it up shoulder level. Hold it there a little bit and release. If you choose, you can raise the arm higher as if you were raising your hand in the classroom. Repeat with the other arm.
Hip flexion - Sit in a chair with your feet planted firmly on the floor (or on the footrests of a wheelchair, if you’re wheelchair-bound). Raise one leg up – keeping your knee bent and foot down. Raise the leg up a couple of inches and hold it there for a few seconds. This is good for your hip muscles.
Inner thigh adduction exercise - Place a small object like a drinking water bottle between your inner thighs. Bring your inner thighs in to gently squeeze the bottle. These are good for your inner and outer thigh muscles.
Leg extensions - Keep your feet flat on the floor. Raise one leg up until you get it as straight as you can and hold it there for a few seconds. If you can, flex your foot up while you raise the leg. These are good for your thigh and calf muscles. Repeat with the other leg. Do this exercise in a slow and controlled motion. Don’t rush it.
These are just some of the many sit down exercises for you to try. Not everyone will be able to do all of these exercises, so know what your limits are and talk to your physician first to make sure they are okay for you to do. Remember that just because you have some limitations, it doesn’t mean that an exercise program isn’t available for you.
Don’t quit! There are many sit down exercises that you can do and still derive the health benefits. Here are some exercises that you can do while sitting at your desk:
Ab exercise - Sit on the edge of your chair as straight as you can with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Raise your arms out straight in front of you and slowly lean back toward the back of the chair. When you get as far back as you can, slowly raise yourself back to a normal sitting position. Keep your abdominal muscles pulled in while you do these exercises.
Bicep curls - You can use the same drinking water bottle and raise your arm out to your side so that it’s shoulder level. Slowly bend your elbow in, bringing the water bottle towards you as if you were doing bicep curls in a gym. Do a few repetitions with that arm and then switch to the other arm.
Chair pull and chair stretches – Watch these videos…
Front raise for arms - Sit as straight as you can in a chair. Hold a water bottle in one hand for a little extra added weight if you choose. With that arm straight out in front of you, raise it up shoulder level. Hold it there a little bit and release. If you choose, you can raise the arm higher as if you were raising your hand in the classroom. Repeat with the other arm.
Hip flexion - Sit in a chair with your feet planted firmly on the floor (or on the footrests of a wheelchair, if you’re wheelchair-bound). Raise one leg up – keeping your knee bent and foot down. Raise the leg up a couple of inches and hold it there for a few seconds. This is good for your hip muscles.
Inner thigh adduction exercise - Place a small object like a drinking water bottle between your inner thighs. Bring your inner thighs in to gently squeeze the bottle. These are good for your inner and outer thigh muscles.
Leg extensions - Keep your feet flat on the floor. Raise one leg up until you get it as straight as you can and hold it there for a few seconds. If you can, flex your foot up while you raise the leg. These are good for your thigh and calf muscles. Repeat with the other leg. Do this exercise in a slow and controlled motion. Don’t rush it.
These are just some of the many sit down exercises for you to try. Not everyone will be able to do all of these exercises, so know what your limits are and talk to your physician first to make sure they are okay for you to do. Remember that just because you have some limitations, it doesn’t mean that an exercise program isn’t available for you.
5 Muscle Toning Exercises You Can Do Anywhere, Anytime
Exercising regularly and maintaining an active lifestyle are important for permanent weight loss. Toning your muscles and staying in shape are easy ways to increase your life expectancy and improve your overall health and wellness. Weight-bearing exercises are important, especially for girls and women who want to build bone strength and prevent osteoporosis later in life.
Learning to do easy muscle toning exercises is not the problem, the challenge is finding the time to do them.
Here are five easy toning exercises that you can do anywhere and whenever you have time. At home, at the office, or on vacation, you can do these easy yet extremely effective exercises for general fitness.
1. Squats: This is probably the most common toning exercise known to everyone. They work the butt, the hamstring muscles and the quadriceps. If you not sure of the proper form, you can use a chair to assist you.
Step 1: Stand with feet shoulder width apart and feet firmly planted.
Step 2: Push your butt back as if you were preparing to sit in a chair. Keep your abs tight and your upper body straight.
Step 3: Once you reach chair level stop and hold the position for a count of two to five and release.
Step 4: At the lowest point, place all of your weight on your heels for balance and maximum toning.
2. Lunges: Lunges work the quadriceps muscles. They can be hard for people with knee problems.
Step 1: Stand with feet together and arms at your sides.
Step 2: Take one leg and move it forwards until you are in lunge position: back leg bent at a 90-degree angle and front leg extended until you are on the ball of your foot.
Step 3: From this position lower yourself down until the back knee almost touches the floor.
Step 4: Hold for a count of two and return to starting position.
3. Bridge Butt Lift: No, I’m not talking about a complicated cosmetic surgery here, instead it is an easy way to tone your buttocks.
Step 1: Lay down with feet flat on the floor, legs shoulder width apart.
Step 2: Place your hands, palm side down, on either side of your body.
Step 3: Pushing with your feet, squeeze your gluteal muscles and lift your butt off the floor.
Step 4: Hold the position for a count of five to ten and release down to the floor.
4. Push-ups: This is an evergreen toning exercise that works every part of your arms and your chest muscles.
Step 1: If you aren’t comfortable or strong enough to perform a push-up on your toes, lower your body to your knees.
Step 2: Be sure your arms are tucked into the body and your back straight as you lower and lift your body.
5. Crunches: Abdominal muscles can be worked every day to build strength and muscle tone.
Step 1: Lying on the floor in sit up position, lace your fingers behind your head.
Step 2: Squeezing your abdominal muscles, lift your upper body until your lower back is about to come off the floor.
Step 3: Hold for two to five counts and return to starting position.
These five toning exercise can be done whenever you have the time. The best part is that the effects are cumulative, even if you have only five or ten minutes to do toning exercises.
Learning to do easy muscle toning exercises is not the problem, the challenge is finding the time to do them.
Here are five easy toning exercises that you can do anywhere and whenever you have time. At home, at the office, or on vacation, you can do these easy yet extremely effective exercises for general fitness.
1. Squats: This is probably the most common toning exercise known to everyone. They work the butt, the hamstring muscles and the quadriceps. If you not sure of the proper form, you can use a chair to assist you.
Step 1: Stand with feet shoulder width apart and feet firmly planted.
Step 2: Push your butt back as if you were preparing to sit in a chair. Keep your abs tight and your upper body straight.
Step 3: Once you reach chair level stop and hold the position for a count of two to five and release.
Step 4: At the lowest point, place all of your weight on your heels for balance and maximum toning.
2. Lunges: Lunges work the quadriceps muscles. They can be hard for people with knee problems.
Step 1: Stand with feet together and arms at your sides.
Step 2: Take one leg and move it forwards until you are in lunge position: back leg bent at a 90-degree angle and front leg extended until you are on the ball of your foot.
Step 3: From this position lower yourself down until the back knee almost touches the floor.
Step 4: Hold for a count of two and return to starting position.
3. Bridge Butt Lift: No, I’m not talking about a complicated cosmetic surgery here, instead it is an easy way to tone your buttocks.
Step 1: Lay down with feet flat on the floor, legs shoulder width apart.
Step 2: Place your hands, palm side down, on either side of your body.
Step 3: Pushing with your feet, squeeze your gluteal muscles and lift your butt off the floor.
Step 4: Hold the position for a count of five to ten and release down to the floor.
4. Push-ups: This is an evergreen toning exercise that works every part of your arms and your chest muscles.
Step 1: If you aren’t comfortable or strong enough to perform a push-up on your toes, lower your body to your knees.
Step 2: Be sure your arms are tucked into the body and your back straight as you lower and lift your body.
5. Crunches: Abdominal muscles can be worked every day to build strength and muscle tone.
Step 1: Lying on the floor in sit up position, lace your fingers behind your head.
Step 2: Squeezing your abdominal muscles, lift your upper body until your lower back is about to come off the floor.
Step 3: Hold for two to five counts and return to starting position.
These five toning exercise can be done whenever you have the time. The best part is that the effects are cumulative, even if you have only five or ten minutes to do toning exercises.
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