Ultimate Flat Belly At Home Training Guide

When it comes to losing weight, many of us have tried more than once to shed those extra pounds only to be unsuccessful. Many of us have spent most of our lives being unhappy about our bodies, wishing we had a flat stomach or a stronger core, but not knowing how to get started.

So, the question is: how can you come up with a plan that is realistic and that you can stick to so you can finally lose that stubborn belly fat at home?

In this guide, we are going to go over many ways of achieving a flatter stomach at home. We will explore the top fat-burning foods that aim to destroy stubborn fat that is usually difficult to lose. We will give you some powerful exercise tips that will keep you on the right track while turbo-charging your fat-burning progress.

Losing weight and toning up your body will require consistency and determination. Your goal should be to make a lifestyle change that will eliminate and keep off the fat once for the rest of your life. A few minutes each day is all it takes but you need to be persistent in your goals and stay focused.  Reward yourself for the milestones you reach and then set new goals.  That’s the key to a flatter, toned stomach.

Are you ready to get started?

Let’s begin.

Chapter 01 – An Overview – Taking Aim At Belly Fat

Unlike fat parked on the hips and thighs, fat around the middle produces substances that can create serious health risks.

No matter what your body shape, excess fat isn’t good for your health. But saddlebags and ballooning bellies are not equivalent. When it comes to body fat, location counts, and each year brings new evidence that the fat lying deep within the abdomen is more perilous than the fat you can pinch with your fingers.

In most people, about 90% of body fat is subcutaneous, the kind that lies in a layer just beneath the skin. If you poke your belly, the fat that feels soft is subcutaneous. The remaining 10% — called visceral or intra-abdominal fat — lies out of reach, beneath the firm abdominal wall. It’s found in the spaces surrounding the liver, intestines, and other organs. It’s also stored in the omentum, an apron-like flap of tissue that lies under the belly muscles and blankets the intestines. The omentum gets harder and thicker as it fills with fat.

Although visceral fat makes up only a small proportion of body fat, it’s a key player in a variety of health problems.

As women go through their middle years, their proportion of fat to body weight tends to increase — more than it does in men — and fat storage begins favoring the upper body over the hips and thighs. Even if you don’t gain weight, your waistline can grow by inches as visceral fat pushes out against the abdominal wall.

Where’s the fat?

Visceral fat lies in the spaces between the abdominal organs and in an apron of tissue called the omentum. Subcutaneous fat is located between the skin and the outer abdominal wall.

The trouble with visceral fat

Body fat, or adipose tissue, was once regarded as little more than a storage depot for fat blobs waiting passively to be used for energy. But research has shown that fat cells — particularly visceral fat cells — are biologically active. One of the most important developments [since the mid-1990s] is the realization that the fat cell is an endocrine organ, secreting hormones and other molecules that have far-reaching effects on other tissues.

Before researchers recognized that fat acts as an endocrine gland, they thought that the main risk of visceral fat was influencing the production of cholesterol by releasing free fatty acids into the bloodstream and liver. We now know that there’s far more to the story. Researchers have identified a host of chemicals that link visceral fat to a surprisingly wide variety of diseases.

Subcutaneous fat produces a higher proportion of beneficial molecules, and visceral fat a higher proportion of molecules with potentially deleterious health effects. Visceral fat makes more of the proteins called cytokines, which can trigger low-level inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease and other chronic conditions. It also produces a precursor to angiotensin, a protein that causes blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to rise.

Gut check

A tape measure is your best home option for keeping tabs on visceral fat. Measure your waistline at the level of the navel — not at the narrowest part of the torso — and always measure in the same place. (According to official guidelines, the bottom of the tape measure should be level with the top of the right hip bone, or ilium — see the illustration — at the point where the ilium intersects a line dropped vertically from the center of the armpit.) Don’t suck in your gut or pull the tape tight enough to compress the area. In women, a waist circumference of 35 inches or larger is generally considered a sign of excess visceral fat, but that may not apply if your overall body size is large. Rather than focus on a single reading or absolute cut-off, keep an eye on whether your waist is growing (are your pants getting snug at the waist?). That should give you a good idea of whether you’re gaining unhealthy visceral fat.

From fat to disease

Visceral fat can be measured in a variety of ways. CT scans and full-body MRIs are the most precise, but they are expensive and rarely available, so investigators often use estimates based on waist circumference or waist size in proportion to height (see “Gut check”). To ensure that they’re not just measuring overall obesity, researchers also check whether a person’s waist circumference is higher than average for her or his body mass index (BMI).

Visceral fat is implicated in several chronic conditions, including these:

Cardiovascular disease –  Several studies have documented this effect. For example, a large study of European women ages 45 to 79 concluded that those with the biggest waists (and those with the largest waists in relation to their hip size) had more than double the risk of developing heart disease. The risk was still nearly double even after adjustment for several other risk factors, including blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, and BMI. Even in healthy, nonsmoking women, every 2 inches of additional waist size raised the risk for cardiovascular disease by 10%.

The higher visceral-fat volume also has a deleterious impact on several other heart disease risk factors. It’s associated with higher blood pressure, blood sugar levels and triglyceride levels, and lower levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Taken together, these changes, known as metabolic syndrome, create a serious risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Dementia – Researchers at Kaiser Permanente found that people in their early 40s with the highest levels of abdominal fat, compared with those who had the least abdominal fat at that age, were nearly three times more likely to develop dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) by their mid-70s to early 80s. Dementia was not associated with increased thigh size.

Asthma – In a large study of California teachers, women with high levels of visceral fat (a waist circumference of more than 35 inches) were 37% more likely to develop asthma than women with smaller waists — even if their weight was normal. The risks were highest for women who were both large-waisted and overweight or obese. The investigators believe that belly fat raises the risk of asthma more than other poundage because it has inflammatory effects throughout the body, including in the airways.

Breast cancer – A combined analysis of several studies found that premenopausal women with abdominal obesity (the largest waist size in proportion to their height) were at greater risk for breast cancer. Large waists were also linked to breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women, but that effect was not significant once BMI was taken into account.

Colorectal cancer – People with the most visceral fat have three times the risk of developing colorectal adenomas (precancerous polyps) than those with the least visceral fat. The relationship was found after many other risks were accounted for. The researchers also confirmed that adenomatous polyps in the colon are associated with insulin resistance, which may be the mechanism that increases the cancer risk.

How to lose (and prevent) visceral belly fat

Where you tend to gain fat depends on your genes, your hormones, your age, your birth weight (smaller babies more readily add belly fat later in life), and whether you’ve had children (women who have given birth tend to develop more visceral fat than women who haven’t).

As young adults, women on average have less visceral fat than men, but that changes with menopause. You can’t change your birth weight or your genes, and you can’t hold off menopause. But there are several ways you can minimize the accumulation of visceral fat. The good news is that because it’s more readily metabolized into fatty acids, it responds more efficiently to diet and exercise than fat on the hips and thighs. Here are some approaches that may help:

Keep moving. Exercise can help reduce your waist circumference. Even if you don’t lose weight, you lose visceral belly fat and gain muscle mass. Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days, such as brisk walking or bicycling at a casual pace. Also, create opportunities to add motion to routine tasks. For example, park farther from your destination and walk the rest of the way, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and stand while you talk on the phone.

Studies have shown that you can help trim visceral fat or prevent its growth with both aerobic activity (such as brisk walking) and strength training (exercising with weights). Spot exercises, such as sit-ups, can tighten abdominal muscles but won’t get at visceral fat. Exercise can also help keep fat from coming back.

Eat right. Choose a balanced diet that helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Avoid products that seem to encourage belly fat deposition, especially simple sugars like fructose-sweetened foods and beverages.

Don’t smoke. The more you smoke, the more likely you are to store fat in your abdomen rather than on your hips and thighs.

Get your sleep. Too little is bad. A five-year study found that adults under age 40 who slept five hours or less a night accumulated significantly more visceral fat. But too much isn’t good, either — young adults who slept more than eight hours also added visceral fat. (This relationship wasn’t found in people over age 40.)

Mind your mood. Middle-aged women who show more hostility and had more depressive symptoms tend to have more visceral fat — but not more subcutaneous fat.

Forget the quick fix. Liposuction for cosmetic fat removal doesn’t reach inside the abdominal wall.

Chapter 02 – Ways To Lose Belly Fat At Home And Live A Healthier Life

Losing abdominal fat, or belly fat is a common weight loss goal.

Abdominal fat is a particularly harmful type. Research suggests strong links with diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

For this reason, losing this fat can have significant benefits for your health and well-being.

You can measure your abdominal fat by measuring the circumference around your waist with a tape measure. Measures of above 40 inches (102 cm) in men and 35 inches (88 cm) in women are known as abdominal obesity.

Certain weight-loss strategies can target the fat in the belly area more than other areas of the body.

Here are evidence-based ways to lose belly fat.

1. Avoid sugar and sugar-sweetened drinks

Foods with added sugars are bad for your health. Eating a lot of these types of food can cause weight gain.

Studies show that added sugar has uniquely harmful effects on metabolic health.

Numerous studies have indicated that excess sugar, mostly due to the large amounts of fructose, can lead to fat building up around your abdomen and liver.

Sugar is half glucose and half fructose. When you eat a lot of added sugar, the liver gets overloaded with fructose and is forced to turn it into fat.

Some believe that this is the main process behind sugar’s harmful effects on health. It increases abdominal fat and liver fat, which leads to insulin resistance and various metabolic problems.

Liquid sugar is worse in this regard. The brain doesn’t seem to register liquid calories in the same way as solid calories, so when you drink sugar-sweetened beverages, you end up eating more total calories.

A study observed that children were 60% more likely to develop obesity with each additional daily serving of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Try minimizing the amount of sugar in your diet and consider eliminating sugary drinks. This includes sugar-sweetened beverages, sugary sodas, fruit juices, and various high sugar sports drinks.

Read the labels to make sure products do not contain refined sugars. Even foods marketed as healthy foods can contain significant amounts of sugar.

Keep in mind that none of this applies to whole fruit, which is extremely healthy and has plenty of fiber that mitigates the negative effects of fructose.

2. Eat more protein

Protein may be the most important macronutrient for weight loss.

Research shows it can reduce cravings by 60%, boost metabolism by 80–100 calories per day, and help you eat up to 441 fewer calories per day.

If weight loss is your goal, adding protein may be the single most effective change you can make to your diet.

Not only can protein help you to lose weight, but it may also help you to avoid regaining weight.

Protein may be particularly effective in reducing abdominal fat. One study showed that people who ate more and better protein had much less abdominal fat.

Another study indicated that protein was linked to a significantly reduced chance of abdominal fat gain over 5 years in women.

This study also linked refined carbs and oils to more abdominal fat and linked fruit and vegetables to reduced fat.

Many of the studies observing that protein helps with weight loss had people getting 25–30% of their calories from protein. Therefore, this may be a good range to try.

Try increasing your intake of high protein foods such as whole eggs, fish, legumes, nuts, meat, and dairy products. These are the best protein sources for your diet.

When following a vegetarian or vegan diet, check out this article on how to increase your protein intake.

If you struggle with getting enough protein in your diet, a quality protein supplement – like whey protein — is a healthy and convenient way to boost your total intake. You can find plenty of protein powder options online.

3. Eat fewer carbohydrates

Eating fewer carbs is a very effective way to lose fat.

This is supported by numerous studies. When people cut carbs, their appetite goes down and they lose weight.

More than 20 randomized controlled studies have now shown that low-carb diets sometimes lead to 2–3 times more weight loss than low-fat diets.

This is true even when those in the low carb groups are allowed to eat as much as they want, while those in the low-fat groups are calorie restricted.

Low carb diets also lead to quick reductions in water weight, which gives people fast results. People often see a difference on the scale within 1–2 days.

Studies comparing low-carb and low-fat diets indicate that low-carb eating specifically reduces fat in the abdomen and around the organs and liver.

This means that some of the fat lost on a low-carb diet is harmful abdominal fat.

Just avoiding the refined carbs — like sugar, candy, and white bread — should be sufficient, especially if you keep your protein intake high.

If the goal is to lose weight fast, some people reduce their carb intake to 50 grams per day. This puts your body into ketosis, a state in which your body starts burning fats as its main fuel, and appetite is reduced.

Low carb diets have many other health benefits besides just weight loss. For example, they can significantly improve health in people with type 2 diabetics.

4. Eat fiber-rich foods

Dietary fiber is mostly indigestible plant matter.

Eating plenty of fiber can help with weight loss. However, the type of fiber is important.

It appears that mostly the soluble and viscous fibers affect your weight. These are fibers that bind water and form a thick gel that “sits” in your gut.

This gel can dramatically slow the movement of food through your digestive system. It can also slow down the digestion and absorption of nutrients. The result is a prolonged feeling of fullness and reduced appetite.

One review study found that an additional 14 grams of fiber per day were linked to a 10% decrease in calorie intake and weight loss of around 4.5 pounds (2 kg) over 4 months.

One 5-year study reported that eating 10 grams of soluble fiber per day was linked to a 3.7% reduction in the amount of fat in the abdominal cavity.

This implies that soluble fiber may be particularly effective at reducing harmful belly fat.

The best way to get more fiber is to eat a lot of plant foods, including vegetables and fruit. Legumes are also a good source, as well as some cereals, such as whole oats.

You can also try taking a fiber supplement like glucomannan. This is one of the most viscous dietary fibers, and studies suggest it can help with weight loss.

It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider before introducing this or any supplement to your dietary regimen.

5. Exercise regularly

Exercise is among the best things you can do to increase your chances of living a long, healthy life and avoiding disease.

Helping to reduce abdominal fat is among the amazing health benefits of exercise.

This doesn’t mean doing abdominal exercises, as spot reduction — losing fat in one spot — is not possible. In one study, 6 weeks of training just the abdominal muscles had no measurable effect on waist circumference or the amount of fat in the abdominal cavity.

Weight training and cardiovascular exercise will reduce fat across the body.

Aerobic exercise — like walking, running, and swimming — can allow major reductions in abdominal fat.

Another study found that exercise completely prevented people from regaining abdominal fat after weight loss, implying that exercise is particularly important during weight maintenance.

Exercise also leads to reduced inflammation, lower blood sugar levels, and improvements in other metabolic problems associated with excess abdominal fat.

6. Track your food intake

Most people know that what you eat is important, but many don’t know specifically what they’re eating.

A person might think they’re eating a high protein or low carb diet, but without keeping track, it’s easy to overestimate or underestimate food intake.

Tracking food intake doesn’t mean you need to weigh and measure everything you eat. Tracking intake now and then for a few days in a row can help you realize the most important areas for change.

Planning can help you achieve specific goals, such as boosting your protein intake to 25–30% of calories or cutting down on unhealthy carbs.

7. Try curbing carbs instead of fats.

When researchers compared the effects on the heart of losing weight through a low-carbohydrate diet versus a low-fat diet for six months—each containing the same amount of calories—those on a low-carb diet lost an average of 10 pounds more than those on a low-fat diet—28.9 pounds versus 18.7 pounds. An extra benefit of the low-carb diet is that it produced a higher quality of weight loss, Stewart says. With weight loss, fat is reduced, but there is also often a loss of lean tissue (muscle), which is not desirable. On both diets, there was a loss of about 2 to 3 pounds of good lean tissue along with the fat, which means that the fat loss percentage was much higher on the low-carb diet.

8. Think eating plan, not a diet.

Ultimately, you need to pick a healthy eating plan you can stick to, Stewart says. The benefit of a low-carb approach is that it simply involves learning better food choices—no calorie-counting is necessary. In general, a low-carb way of eating shifts your intake away from problem foods—those high in carbs and sugar and without much fiber, like bread, bagels, and sodas—and toward high-fiber or high-protein choices, like vegetables, beans, and healthy meats.

9. Keep moving.

Physical activity helps burn abdominal fat. “One of the biggest benefits of exercise is that you get a lot of bang for your buck on body composition,” Stewart says. Exercise seems to work off belly fat in particular because it reduces circulating levels of insulin —which would otherwise signal the body to hang on to fat—and causes the liver to use up fatty acids, especially those nearby visceral fat deposits, he says.

The amount of exercise you need for weight loss depends on your goals. For most people, this can mean 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise nearly every day.

10. Lift weights.

Adding even moderate strength training to aerobic exercise helps build lean muscle mass, which causes you to burn more calories throughout the entire day, both at rest and during exercise.

11. Become a label reader.

Compare and contrast brands. Some yogurts, for example, boast that they’re low in fat, but they’re higher in carbs and added sugars than others, Stewart says. Foods like gravy, mayonnaise, sauces, and salad dressings often contain high amounts of fat and lots of calories.

12. Move away from processed foods.

The ingredients in packaged goods and snack foods are often heavy on trans fats, added sugar, and added salt or sodium—three things that make it difficult to lose weight.

13. Focus on the way your clothes fit more than reading a scale.

As you add muscle mass and lose fat, the reading on your bathroom scale may not change much, but your pants will be looser. That’s a better mark of progress. Measured around, your waistline should be less than 35 inches if you’re a woman or less than 40 inches if you’re a man to reduce heart and diabetes risks.

14. Hang out with health-focused friends.

Research shows that you’re more apt to eat better and exercise more if your friends and family are doing the same.

The bottom line

Abdominal fat, or belly fat, is linked to an increased risk of certain diseases.

Most people can reduce their abdominal fat by taking on key lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet packed with lean protein, vegetables and fruit, and legumes, and exercising regularly.

Chapter 03 – What Is The Flat Belly Home Diet?

What Can You Eat?

The Flat Belly Diet is often compared to the Mediterranean diet and follows many of the same eating guidelines. On the Flat Belly Diet, however, there is a particular focus on monounsaturated fats, also known as MUFAs.

You’ll eat MUFAs at every meal while you’re on the program, so you’ll need to learn about the foods that contain these fatty acids. Foods high in MUFAs include avocados, nuts and seeds, soybeans, some fruits and vegetables, and dark chocolate.

What You Need to Know

The Flat Belly diet lasts 32 days. It includes a four-day jumpstart during which you consume a low-calorie diet of 1,200 calories per day. The jumpstart is designed to reduce bloating, according to the diet’s creators. You will also eat four meals each day, which is a departure for those who are accustomed to eating three meals a day. You should also never go more than four hours without eating.

After the four days, you follow an eating plan that requires you to adhere to three rules.

• Consume 1,600 calories per day by eating four 400-calorie meals
• Include monounsaturated fats at every meal
• Continue to eat every four hours

According to the program, you can lose up to 15 pounds if you follow these rules for the duration of the 32-day diet. To reduce bloating, especially during the initial phase, people who follow the program are encouraged to consume cooked rather than raw vegetables and to reduce their intake of sodium-rich foods.

The advice to eat regularly throughout the day is consistent with nutritional guidance. Many nutrition experts recommended a “grazing” approach to weight loss or weight maintenance because of the idea that if you avoid severe hunger you would avoid overeating at mealtime. But of course, this rule does not apply to everyone.

There are no required foods or products that you need to buy to follow the Flat Belly Diet.

Avocados, Olives, Plant-Based Oils

Foods like avocados and olives are high in monounsaturated fats. One avocado, for example, provides over 13 grams of monounsaturated fat. A small serving of olives provides about three grams of MUFAs. These savory foods are satiating, which may help you avoid less healthy salty or fatty foods.

Plant-based oils are another good source of healthy fat. One tablespoon of olive oil provides ten grams of monounsaturated fat. Other oils high in monounsaturated fats include canola oil, sunflower oil, and sesame oil.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are good sources of MUFAs that are quick and easy to consume. They contain antioxidants to help repair cell damage in the body, may help prevent diabetes, and may even have anti-inflammatory properties.2

Soybeans

Soybeans like edamame can be a healthy addition to a meal or a snack on their own. The legume provides both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat.

Fruits and Vegetables

While the program encourages the consumption of fruits and vegetables, some caveats are unique to the diet. For example, since the goal of the diet (especially the first four days) is to reduce belly bloat, people are encouraged to consume less gassy vegetables and to cook them before eating them. Additionally, citrus fruits are to be avoided because they cause gas.

Dark Chocolate

People who are on the diet and need a sweet treat are encouraged to consume dark chocolate. One ounce of the treat provides about 3.6 grams of monounsaturated fat.

Refined Grains and Other Processed Foods

Foods like white bread, cookies, and commercially produced muffins often contain saturated fat and very little or no monounsaturated fat. Refined grains provide less nutrition than whole grains and are likely to be higher in sugar and salt.

Salty Foods

Your sodium intake will have a big impact on bloating and water retention throughout the body. For that reason, (and because high sodium intake is not healthy) consumption of salty foods is not advised on the Flat Belly Diet.

Pros and Cons

Pros

People on the Flat Belly Diet are encouraged to eat plant-based foods, whole foods (such as fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds), and foods that are known to be high in nutrition. There are no products or subscriptions to purchase on the plan, and the book is inexpensive. Depending on your shopping habits, some of the foods can be inexpensive to purchase.

The prescribed caloric intake (1,200 in the first phase and 1,600 in the next phase) is in line with calorie goals for many weight loss plans.

For many people, eating regularly helps them to avoid overeating at mealtime or bingeing on junk food. And, for some, a regular meal schedule makes the diet easier to maintain.

Monounsaturated fats not only help develop and maintain your cells, but they also can help lower your LDL cholesterol levels, according to the National Institutes of Health. Keeping your LDL level low reduces your risk for heart disease and stroke.

Cons

Since the diet is no longer actively promoted online, consumers who wish to follow the plan will have to buy the book to learn the tenets. For some, reading the book and keeping it on hand may not be convenient.

Some foods like nuts and olive oil can be pricey, and not everyone has regular access to all of the recommended foods on the plan. Busy people or those with structured jobs may not be able to find the time to adhere to a four-meal-per-day schedule.

Additionally, the weight-loss claims associated with this program are substantial. Rapid weight loss is usually water weight. In general, losing 1-2 pounds of weight per week is considered reasonable and sustainable.

Is the Flat Belly Diet a Healthy Choice for You?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming nutrient-dense foods and beverages while staying within the recommended limit of 2,000 calories a day for weight management. The USDA also advises limiting foods and beverages with higher amounts of added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, and also limiting the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

During the first, more restrictive, phase of the Flat Belly Diet, your intake of vegetables and whole grains is limited if you follow the plan closely, which does not adhere to federal dietary guidelines. But for the duration of the diet, all of the main food groups are accounted for, despite that some foods are excluded.

The Flat Belly Diet is also comparable to other eating programs and weight loss plans that focus on healthy fats, such as the Mediterranean diet. On the Mediterranean diet, you consume foods such as olives, olive oil, whole grains, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and legumes. You typically avoid red meat, processed foods, and other sources of saturated fats.

The main difference between the two diets is that on the Flat Belly diet you avoid legumes and starchy vegetables because they can cause gas and bloat. Also, the Mediterranean diet does not require any specific eating schedule or calorie intake.

While the 1,200 and 1,600 calorie goals are likely to produce weight loss for most people, this range can vary based on your age, sex, and activity level. Some very active people may need more calories. Use this calculator to determine the right number of calories to meet your goal.

Health Benefits

Belly fat is a concern for both men and women, not just for aesthetic purposes but also for health reasons. Technically known as visceral fat, this type of belly fat surrounds the organs and can put you at risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers if it is too high.

Visceral fat is also known to increase with age. Research indicates that visceral fat may increase as much as 200% in men and 400% in women between their 30s and 70s. Since many people consume about 2,000 calories per day or more, a 400–600 calorie deficit on the Flat Belly Diet is likely to result in weight loss.

The diet also encourages the consumption of plant-based monounsaturated fats which have been linked to a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease. And in general, eating more plant-based foods can improve overall health. Studies show that plant-based eating is associated with a reduced risk of chronic disease and obesity.

Health Risks

While there are no known health risks associated with the Flat Belly Diet, some research has suggested that an increase in the frequency of meals can also increase total daily caloric intake, which could lead to weight gain or a lack of weight loss results.

Additionally, the promise of a 15-pound weight loss in 32 days is unrealistic. A healthy rate of weight loss is typically 1–2 pounds per week. Losing more than that would mostly come from water loss, not fat loss, which is not sustainable and not a healthy plan to support long-term weight management.

Chapter 04 – Effective Tips To Lose Belly Fat At Home

Belly fat is more than a nuisance that makes your clothes feel tight.

It’s seriously harmful.

One type of belly fat — referred to as visceral fat — is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions.

Many health organizations use body mass index (BMI) to classify weight and predict the risk of metabolic disease.

However, this is misleading, as people with excess belly fat are at an increased risk even if they look thin.

Though losing fat from this area can be difficult, there are several things you can do to reduce excess abdominal fat.

Here are 20 effective tips to lose belly fat, backed by scientific studies.

1. Eat plenty of soluble fiber

Soluble fiber absorbs water and forms a gel that helps slow down food as it passes through your digestive system.

Studies show that this type of fiber promotes weight loss by helping you feel full, so you naturally eat less. It may also decrease the number of calories your body absorbs from food.

What’s more, soluble fiber may help fight belly fat.

An observational study in over 1,100 adults found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber intake, belly fat gain decreased by 3.7% over 5 years.

Make an effort to consume high-fiber foods every day. Excellent sources of soluble fiber include:

• flax seeds
• shirataki noodles
• Brussels sprouts
• avocados
• legumes
• blackberries

2. Avoid foods that contain trans fats

Trans fats are created by pumping hydrogen into unsaturated fats, such as soybean oil.

They’re found in some portions of margarine and spreads and are also often added to packaged foods, but many food producers have stopped using them.

These fats have been linked to inflammation, heart disease, insulin resistance, and abdominal fat gain in observational and animal studies.

A 6-year study found that monkeys who ate a high trans-fat diet gained 33% more abdominal fat than those eating a diet high in monounsaturated fat.

To help reduce belly fat and protect your health, read ingredient labels carefully and stay away from products that contain trans fats. These are often listed as partially hydrogenated fats.

3. Don’t drink too much alcohol

Alcohol can have health benefits in small amounts, but it’s seriously harmful if you drink too much.

Research suggests that too much alcohol can also make you gain belly fat.

Observational studies link heavy alcohol consumption to a significantly increased risk of developing central obesity — that is, excess fat storage around the waist.

Cutting back on alcohol may help reduce your waist size. You don’t need to give it up altogether, but limiting the amount you drink in a single day can help.

One study on alcohol use involved more than 2,000 people.

Results showed those who drank alcohol daily but averaged less than one drink per day had less belly fat than those who drank less frequently but consumed more alcohol on the days they drank.

4. Eat a high protein diet

Protein is an extremely important nutrient for weight management.

High protein intake increases the release of the fullness hormone PYY, which decreases appetite and promotes fullness.

Protein also raises your metabolic rate and helps you to retain muscle mass during weight loss.

Many observational studies show that people who eat more protein tend to have less abdominal fat than those who eat a lower protein diet.

Be sure to include a good protein source at every meal, such as:

• meat
• fish
• eggs
• dairy
• whey protein
• beans

5. Reduce your stress levels

Stress can make you gain belly fat by triggering the adrenal glands to produce cortisol, which is also known as the stress hormone.

Research shows that high cortisol levels increase appetite and drive abdominal fat storage.

What’s more, women who already have a large waist tend to produce more cortisol in response to stress. Increased cortisol further adds to fat gain around the middle.

To help reduce belly fat, engage in pleasurable activities that relieve stress. Practicing yoga or meditation can be effective methods.

6. Don’t eat a lot of sugary foods

Sugar contains fructose, which has been linked to several chronic diseases when consumed in excess.

These include heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and fatty liver disease.

Observational studies show a relationship between high sugar intake and increased abdominal fat.

It’s important to realize that more than just refined sugar can lead to belly fat gain. Even healthier sugars, such as real honey, should be used sparingly.

7. Do aerobic exercise (cardio)

Aerobic exercise (cardio) is an effective way to improve your health and burn calories.

Studies also show that it’s one of the most effective forms of exercise for reducing belly fat. However, results are mixed as to whether moderate or high-intensity exercise is more beneficial.

In any case, the frequency and duration of your exercise program are more important than its intensity.

One study found that postmenopausal women lost more fat from all areas when they did aerobic exercise for 300 minutes per week, compared with those who exercised 150 minutes per week.

8. Cut back on carbs — especially refined carbs

Reducing your carb intake can be very beneficial for losing fat, including abdominal fat.

Diets with under 50 grams of carbs per day cause belly fat loss in people who are overweight, those at risk for type 2 diabetes, and women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

You don’t have to follow a strict low-carb diet. Some research suggests that simply replacing refined carbs with unprocessed starchy carbs may improve metabolic health and reduce belly fat.

In the famous Framingham Heart Study, people with the highest consumption of whole grains were 17% less likely to have excess abdominal fat than those who consumed diets high in refined grains.

9. Replace some of your cooking fats with coconut oil

Coconut oil is one of the healthiest fats you can eat.

Studies show that the medium-chain fats in coconut oil may boost metabolism and decrease the amount of fat you store in response to high-calorie intake.

Controlled studies suggest it may also lead to abdominal fat loss.

In one study, men with obesity who took coconut oil daily for 12 weeks lost an average of 1.1 inches (2.86 cm) from their waists without intentionally changing their diets or exercise routines.

However, evidence for the benefits of coconut oil for abdominal fat loss is weak and controversial.

Also, keep in mind that coconut oil is high in calories. Instead of adding extra fat to your diet, replace some of the fats you’re already eating with coconut oil.

10. Perform resistance training (lift weights)

Resistance training, also known as weight lifting or strength training, is important for preserving and gaining muscle mass.

Based on studies involving people with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease, resistance training may also be beneficial for belly fat loss.

One study involving teenagers with overweight showed that a combination of strength training and aerobic exercise led to the greatest decrease in visceral fat.

If you decide to start lifting weights, it’s a good idea to get advice from a certified personal trainer.

11. Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages

Sugar-sweetened beverages are loaded with liquid fructose, which can make you gain belly fat.

Studies show that sugary drinks lead to increased fat in the liver. One 10-week study found significant abdominal fat gain in people who consumed high fructose beverages.

Sugary beverages appear to be even worse than high sugar foods.

Since your brain doesn’t process liquid calories the same way it does solid ones, you’re likely to end up consuming too many calories later on and storing them as fat.

To lose belly fat, it’s best to completely avoid sugar-sweetened beverages such as:

• soda
• punch
• sweet tea
• alcoholic mixers containing sugar

12. Get plenty of restful sleep

Sleep is important for many aspects of your health, including weight. Studies show that people who don’t get enough sleep tend to gain more weight, which may include belly fat.

A 16-year study involving more than 68,000 women found that those who slept less than 5 hours per night were significantly more likely to gain weight than those who slept 7 hours or more per night.

The condition known as sleep apnea, where breathing stops intermittently during the night, has also been linked to excess visceral fat.

In addition to sleeping at least 7 hours per night, make sure you’re getting sufficient quality sleep.

If you suspect you may have sleep apnea or another sleep disorder, speak to a doctor and get treated.

13. Track your food intake and exercise

Many things can help you lose weight and belly fat, but consuming fewer calories than your body needs for weight maintenance is key.

Keeping a food diary or using an online food tracker or app can help you monitor your calorie intake. This strategy is beneficial for weight loss.

In addition, food-tracking tools help you to see your intake of protein, carbs, fiber, and micronutrients. Many also allow you to record your exercise and physical activity.

You can find five free apps/websites to track nutrient and calorie intake on this page.

14. Eat fatty fish every week

Fatty fish are incredibly healthy.

They’re rich in high-quality protein and omega-3 fats that protect you from disease.

Some evidence suggests that these omega-3 fats may also help reduce visceral fat.

Studies in adults and children with fatty liver disease show that fish oil supplements can significantly reduce liver and abdominal fat.

Aim to get 2–3 servings of fatty fish per week. Good choices include:

• salmon
• herring
• sardines
• mackerel
• anchovies

15. Stop drinking fruit juice

Although fruit juice provides vitamins and minerals, it’s just as high in sugar as soda and other sweetened beverages.

Drinking large amounts may carry the same risk for abdominal fat gain.

An 8-ounce (240-mL) serving of unsweetened apple juice contains 24 grams of sugar, half of which is fructose.

To help reduce excess belly fat, replace fruit juice with water, unsweetened iced tea, or sparkling water with a wedge of lemon or lime.

16. Add apple cider vinegar to your diet

Drinking apple cider vinegar has impressive health benefits, including lowering blood sugar levels.

It contains acetic acid, which has been shown to reduce abdominal fat storage in several animal studies.

In a 12-week controlled study in men diagnosed with obesity, those who took 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of apple cider vinegar per day lost half an inch (1.4 cm) from their waists.

Taking 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 mL) of apple cider vinegar per day is safe for most people and may lead to modest fat loss.

However, be sure to dilute it with water, as undiluted vinegar can erode the enamel on your teeth.

If you want to try apple cider vinegar, there’s a good selection to choose from online.

17. Eat probiotic foods or take a probiotic supplement

Probiotics are bacteria found in some foods and supplements. They have many health benefits, including helping improve gut health and enhancing immune function.

Researchers have found that different types of bacteria play a role in weight regulation and that having the right balance can help with weight loss, including loss of belly fat.

Those shown to reduce belly fat include members of the Lactobacillus family, such as Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus amylovorus, and especially Lactobacillus gasseri.

Probiotic supplements typically contain several types of bacteria, so make sure you purchase one that provides one or more of these bacterial strains.

18. Try intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting has recently become very popular as a weight-loss method.

It’s an eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating and periods of fasting.

One popular method involves 24-hour fasts once or twice a week. Another consists of fasting every day for 16 hours and eating all your food within 8 hours.

In a review of studies on intermittent fasting and alternate-day fasting, people experienced a 4–7% decrease in abdominal fat within 6–24 weeks.

There’s some evidence that intermittent fasting, and fasting in general, may not be as beneficial for women as for men.

Although certain modified intermittent fasting methods appear to be better options, stop fasting immediately if you experience any negative effects.

19. Drink green tea

Green tea is an exceptionally healthy beverage.

It contains caffeine and the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), both of which appear to boost metabolism.

EGCG is a catechin, which several studies suggest may help you lose belly fat. The effect may be strengthened when green tea consumption is combined with exercise.

20. Change your lifestyle and combine different methods

Just doing one of the items on this list won’t have a big effect on its own.

If you want good results, you need to combine different effective methods.

Interestingly, many of these methods are things generally associated with healthy eating and an overall healthy lifestyle.

Therefore, changing your lifestyle for the long term is the key to losing your belly fat and keeping it off.

When you have healthy habits and eat real food, fat loss tends to follow as a natural side effect.

The bottom line

There are no magic solutions to losing belly fat. Weight loss always requires some effort, commitment, and perseverance on your behalf.  Successfully adopting some or all of the strategies and lifestyle goals discussed in this article will help you lose the extra pounds around your waist.

An expanding waistline is sometimes considered the price of getting older. For women, this can be especially true after menopause, when body fat tends to shift to the abdomen.

Yet an increase in belly fat does more than making it hard to zip up your jeans. Research shows that belly fat also carries serious health risks. The good news? The threats posed by belly fat can be reduced.

What’s behind belly fat

Your weight is largely determined by three main factors:

• How many calories you consume during the day
• How many calories you burn off through daily exercise
• Your age

If you eat too much and exercise too little, you’re likely to carry excess weight — including belly fat.

Also, your muscle mass might diminish slightly with age, while fat increases. Loss of muscle mass also decreases the rate at which your body uses calories, which can make it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight.

Many women also notice an increase in belly fat as they get older — even if they aren’t gaining weight. This is likely due to a decreasing level of estrogen, which appears to influence where fat is distributed in the body.

The tendency to gain or carry weight around the waist — and have an “apple” rather than a “pear” shape — might have a genetic component as well.

Why belly fat is more than skin deep

The trouble with belly fat is that it’s not limited to the extra layer of padding located just below the skin (subcutaneous fat). It also includes visceral fat — which lies deep inside your abdomen, surrounding your internal organs.

Although subcutaneous fat poses cosmetic concerns, visceral fat is linked with far more dangerous health problems, including:

• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Abnormal cholesterol
• Breathing problems

Research also associates belly fat with an increased risk of premature death — regardless of overall weight. Some studies have found that even when women were considered a normal weight based on standard body mass index (BMI) measurements, a large waistline increased the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease.

Measuring your middle

So how do you know if you have too much belly fat? Measure your waist:

• Stand and place a tape measure around your bare stomach, just above your hipbone.
• Pull the tape measure until it fits snugly around you, but doesn’t push into your skin. Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around.
• Relax, exhale and measure your waist, resisting the urge to suck in your stomach.

For women, a waist measurement of more than 35 inches (89 centimeters) indicates an unhealthy concentration of belly fat and a greater risk of health problems.

Trimming the fat

You can tone abdominal muscles with crunches or other targeted abdominal exercises, but just doing these exercises won’t get rid of belly fat. However, visceral fat responds to the same diet and exercise strategies that help you shed excess pounds and lower your total body fat. To battle belly fat:

• Eat a healthy diet. Focus on plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and choose lean sources of protein and low-fat dairy products. Limit added sugar and saturated fat, which is found in meat and high-fat dairy products, such as cheese and butter. Choose moderate amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — found in fish, nuts, and certain vegetable oils — instead.
• Replace sugary beverages. Drink water or beverages with artificial sweeteners instead.
• Keep portion sizes in check. Even when you’re making healthy choices, calories add up. At home, slim down your portion sizes. In restaurants, share meals — or eat half your meal and take the rest home.
• Include physical activity in your daily routine. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, for at least 150 minutes a week or vigorous aerobic activity, such as running, for at least 75 minutes a week.

If you use a step counter, remember that it takes an average of 10,000 steps a day to prevent weight gain. Some studies indicate it might take 15,000 steps a day to prevent the regain of weight after significant weight loss.

Strength training exercises also are recommended at least twice a week. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you might need to exercise more.

To lose excess fat and keep it from coming back, aim for slow and steady weight loss. Consult your doctor for help getting started and staying on track.

Chapter 05 – A Word On Belly Fat In Women: Taking And Keeping It Off

An expanding waistline is sometimes considered the price of getting older. For women, this can be especially true after menopause, when body fat tends to shift to the abdomen.

Yet an increase in belly fat does more than making it hard to zip up your jeans. Research shows that belly fat also carries serious health risks. The good news? The threats posed by belly fat can be reduced.

What’s behind belly fat?

Your weight is largely determined by three main factors:

•           How many calories you consume during the day

•           How many calories you burn off through daily exercise

•           Your age

If you eat too much and exercise too little, you’re likely to carry excess weight — including belly fat.

Also, your muscle mass might diminish slightly with age, while fat increases. Loss of muscle mass also decreases the rate at which your body uses calories, which can make it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight.

Many women also notice an increase in belly fat as they get older — even if they aren’t gaining weight. This is likely due to a decreasing level of estrogen, which appears to influence where fat is distributed in the body.

The tendency to gain or carry weight around the waist — and have an “apple” rather than a “pear” shape — might have a genetic component as well.

Why belly fat is more than skin deep?

 The trouble with belly fat is that it’s not limited to the extra layer of padding located just below the skin (subcutaneous fat). It also includes visceral fat — which lies deep inside your abdomen, surrounding your internal organs.

Although subcutaneous fat poses cosmetic concerns, visceral fat is linked with far more dangerous health problems, including:

•           Heart disease

•           Type 2 diabetes

•           High blood pressure

•           Abnormal cholesterol

•           Breathing problems

Research also associates belly fat with an increased risk of premature death — regardless of overall weight. Some studies have found that even when women were considered a normal weight based on standard body mass index (BMI) measurements, a large waistline increased the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease.

Measuring your middle

So how do you know if you have too much belly fat? Measure your waist:

•           Stand and place a tape measure around your bare stomach, just above your hipbone.

•           Pull the tape measure until it fits snugly around you, but doesn’t push into your skin. Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around.

•           Relax, exhale and measure your waist, resisting the urge to suck in your stomach.

For women, a waist measurement of more than 35 inches (89 centimeters) indicates an unhealthy concentration of belly fat and a greater risk of health problems.

Trimming the fat

You can tone abdominal muscles with crunches or other targeted abdominal exercises, but just doing these exercises won’t get rid of belly fat. However, visceral fat responds to the same diet and exercise strategies that help you shed excess pounds and lower your total body fat. To battle belly fat:

•           Eat a healthy diet. Focus on plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and choose lean sources of protein and low-fat dairy products. Limit added sugar and saturated fat, which is found in meat and high-fat dairy products, such as cheese and butter. Choose moderate amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — found in fish, nuts, and certain vegetable oils — instead.

•           Replace sugary beverages. Drink water or beverages with artificial sweeteners instead.

•           Keep portion sizes in check. Even when you’re making healthy choices, calories add up. At home, slim down your portion sizes. In restaurants, share meals — or eat half your meal and take the rest home.

•           Include physical activity in your daily routine. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, for at least 150 minutes a week or vigorous aerobic activity, such as running, for at least 75 minutes a week.

If you use a step counter, remember that it takes an average of 10,000 steps a day to prevent weight gain. Some studies indicate it might take 15,000 steps a day to prevent the regain of weight after significant weight loss.

Strength training exercises also are recommended at least twice a week. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you might need to exercise more.

To lose excess fat and keep it from coming back, aim for slow and steady weight loss. Consult your doctor for help getting started and staying on track.

Chapter 06 – Belly Fat In Men: Why Weight Loss Matters

If you’re carrying a few extra pounds, you’re not alone. But this is one case where following the crowd isn’t a good idea. Carrying extra weight — especially belly fat — can be risky.

Belly fat is a more dangerous fat

The trouble with belly fat is that it’s not limited to the extra layer of padding located just below the skin (subcutaneous fat). It also includes visceral fat — which lies deep inside your abdomen, surrounding your internal organs.

Regardless of your overall weight, having a large amount of belly fat increases your risk of:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
• Colorectal cancer
• Sleep apnea
• Premature death from any cause
• High blood pressure

Age and genetics may contribute to gaining belly fat

Your weight is largely determined by three main factors:

• How many calories you consume during the day
• How many calories you burn off through daily exercise
• Your age

If you eat too much and exercise too little, you’re likely to pack on excess pounds — including belly fat.

Getting older plays a role too. As you age, you lose muscle — especially if you’re not physically active. Loss of muscle mass decreases how quickly your body uses calories, which can make it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight. According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, men in their 50s need about 200 fewer calories daily than they do in their 30s due to this muscle loss.

Your genes also can contribute to your chances of being overweight or obese, as well as play a role in where you store fat. However, balancing the calories you consume with activity can help prevent weight gain, despite your age and genetics.

Alcohol’s calories contribute to the beer belly

Drinking excess alcohol can give you a beer belly, but beer alone isn’t to blame. Drinking too much alcohol of any kind can increase belly fat because alcohol contains calories. If you drink alcohol, do so only in moderation.

For men age 65 and younger, moderation means up to two drinks a day. For men older than age 65, it means up to one drink a day. The less you drink, the fewer calories you’ll consume and the less likely you’ll be to gain belly fat.

Determining your belly size

So how do you know if you have too much belly fat? Measure your waist:

• Stand and place a tape measure around your bare stomach, just above your hipbone.
• Pull the tape measure until it fits snugly around you, but doesn’t push into your skin. Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around.
• Relax, exhale and measure your waist, resisting the urge to suck in your stomach.

For men, a waist measurement of more than 40 inches (102 centimeters) indicates an unhealthy concentration of belly fat and a greater risk of health problems.

Losing weight and exercising will shrink your middle

You can tone abdominal muscles with crunches or other targeted abdominal exercises, but just doing these exercises won’t get rid of belly fat. However, visceral fat responds to the same diet and exercise strategies that can help you shed excess pounds and lower your total body fat. To battle the bulge:

• Eat a healthy diet. Focus on plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Choose lean sources of protein such as fish and low-fat dairy products. Limit saturated fat, found in meat and high-fat dairy products, such as cheese and butter. Also, limit processed meats. Choose moderate amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — found in fish, nuts, and certain vegetable oils — instead.
• Keep portion sizes in check. Even when you’re making healthy choices, calories add up. At home, slim down your portion sizes. In restaurants, share meals — or eat half your meal and take the rest home.
• Replace sugary beverages. Drink water or beverages with artificial sweeteners instead.
• Include physical activity in your daily routine. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, for at least 150 minutes a week or vigorous aerobic activity, such as running, for at least 75 minutes a week.

In addition, strength training exercises are recommended at least twice a week. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you might need to exercise more.

Losing belly fat takes effort and patience. To lose excess fat and keep it from coming back, aim for slow and steady weight loss. Consult your doctor for help getting started and staying on track.

When many people think of losing weight, one of the first things that come to mind is getting a toned and taut tummy. After all, who doesn’t want to be able to slip into a pair of jeans without having to deal with a muffin top? Plus, losing belly fat is a surefire way to improve your health: Research links a larger waist size to heart disease, diabetes, and even some cancers. That said, we hate to break it to you, but doing hundreds of crunches every day isn’t the best way to lose belly fat. Exercises that promote spot reduction just don’t exist.

Here are the best exercises and workouts to lose belly fat, with 15-minute total-body workouts that you can do at home.

1. Burpees

This exercise works your core, as well as your chest, shoulders, lats, triceps, and quads. Since burpees involve explosive plyometric movement, they’ll get your heart pumping too.

How to do burpees: Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart and send your hips back as you lower your body toward the ground in a low squat. Then, place your hands right outside of your feet and hop your feet back, allowing your chest to touch the floor. Push your hands against the floor to lift your body into a plank and then jump your feet just outside of your hands. With your weight in your heels, jump explosively into the air with your arms overhead.

2. Mountain Climbers

How to do mountain climbers: Get into a high-plank position with your wrists directly under your shoulders. Keep your core tight, drawing your belly button in toward your spine. Drive your right knee toward your chest and then bring it back to plank. Then, drive your left knee toward your chest and bring it back. Continue to alternate sides.

3. Turkish Get-Up

The Turkish-getup is a 200-year-old total-body exercise that involves using a kettlebell. While it is slightly complicated, the total-body conditioning move is seriously effective for blasting belly fat.

How to do a Turkish get-up: Holding one kettlebell by the handle with both hands, lie on your side in a fetal position. Roll onto your back and press the kettlebell up toward the ceiling with both hands until the weight is stable on one loaded side. Release your free arm and a free leg to a 45-degree angle with your palm facing down. Slide the heel of the loaded side closer to your butt to firmly grip the floor.

Pushing through the foot on the floor, punch the kettlebell up with the loaded arm and roll onto your free forearm. Don’t shrug your shoulder toward your ear with the supporting side. Be sure to keep your chest wide open. Straighten the elbow on the ground and lift yourself to a seated position. Weave your front leg through to the back. To protect your knees, your shin on the back leg should be perpendicular to your shin on the front leg.

Perfectly align your arms: wrist over the elbow, shoulder over elbow over the wrist. Raise your torso to make your upper body erect. Swivel your back knee so that your back shin is parallel with your front shin. Get a grip on the floor with your back toes, then take a deep breath, and stand up.

4. Medicine Ball Burpees

Adding a medicine ball to your burpee to increase the intensity of the exercise and boost your metabolism—all while building a sleek set of six-pack abs.

How to do medicine ball burpees: Standing with your feet shoulder-distance apart, hold a medicine ball with both hands. Extend the ball up overhead, then slam the ball down on the ground as hard as you can, hinging over and sitting your butt back as you slam. As you hinge over, bend your knees. Place your hands on the ground outside of your feet and jump back into a high-plank position. Keep your body in a straight line. Then, jump your feet back towards the outsides of your hands so that you are squatting. Pick up the ball and press it overhead, extending your body and standing tall.

5. Sprawls

The sprawl is a burpee on steroids—a full-body exercise that works as many muscles as possible and burns calories while shaping and toning upper- and lower-body, especially your abs.

How to do a sprawl: Standing with your feet shoulder-distance apart, squat down and place your hands on the ground. Jump your feet back to a plank and lower your body to touch the ground. Push yourself up to a plank and then jump your feet outside of your hands into a squat. Stand back up. That’s one rep. If you want to burn even more calories, add a jump between each sprawl.

6. Side-to-Side Medicine Ball Slams

How to do lateral medicine ball slams: Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart with the medicine ball on one side. Pick up the ball and simply rotate your body as you slam the ball a few inches away from your pinky toe. Make sure to pivot your feet and bend the back knee as you come into a split squat position to catch the ball on one bounce. Alternate sides. Make sure you tighten your core as you bring the ball overhead and to the side.

7. Overhead Medicine Ball Slams

Overhead medicine ball slams strengthen your core as it works against gravity. This exercise also tests your endurance, getting your heart rate up each time you pick the ball up and bring it overhead. To get the most out of this exercise, be sure to use a heavy weighted ball.

How to do overhead medicine ball slams: Standing tall with your feet hip-width apart, hold a medicine ball with both hands. Reach both arms overhead, fully extending your body. Slam the ball forward and down toward the ground. Extend your arms toward the ground as you slam and don’t be afraid to bend your knees as you hinge over. Squat to pick the ball up and then stand back up.

8. Russian Twists

The Russian twist is a core exercise that improves oblique strength and definition. The move, typically performed with a medicine ball or plate, involves rotating your torso from side to side while holding a sit-up position with your feet off the ground.

How to do Russian twists: Sit up tall on the floor with your knees bent and feet off the ground. Hold a medicine ball with your hands at chest height. Lean backward with a long, tall spine, holding your torso at a 45-degree angle and keeping your arms a few inches away from your chest. From here, turn your torso to the right, pause and squeeze your right oblique muscles, then turn your torso to the left and pause to squeeze your left oblique muscles. The movement should come from your ribs and not your arms.

9. BOSU Ball Planks

You know that your cardio sessions are crucial when it comes to burning the layer of fat sitting on top of your abdominal muscles. But it’s still important to work those abs even as you’re trying to shed fat.

It’s more challenging than a normal plank where your hands are on the floor because the BOSU tests your balance. When your body tries to find control as your balance is challenged, your abs, obliques, and deep transverse abdominal muscles are activated. Strengthening these core muscles also helps increase your metabolism, ultimately helping you to burn more calories and fat.

How to do BOSU ball planks: Flip a BOSU ball on its rubber side and hold onto the edges of the flat surface with both hands, about shoulder distance apart. Hold the plank for 30 to 45 seconds, increasing the time as you get stronger.

10. Running On an Incline

Running at an incline rather than on a flat surface has been shown to increase total calorie burn by as much as 50 percent.

Try this treadmill workout: Walk or jog on an incline for five to 10 minutes. Maintain a jog for another five to 10 minutes, then pick your pace up again and start running. This doesn’t have to be an all-out sprint, but you should be working hard enough that you can’t carry a conversation. Spend five minutes running, then drop your pace back down to a jog. Continue alternating with five to 10 minutes of jogging and five to 10 minutes of running for 30 to 45 minutes.

11. Rowing Machine

Just because you may not have access to open water, it doesn’t mean you can’t weave this fat-blasting cardio workout into your gym routine. Not only does using a rowing machine get your heart rate way up, which helps you blast calories and burn fat, but it also works muscles in your legs, core, arms, shoulders, and back.

Try this 4-minute rowing circuit: Begin with 20 seconds of rowing followed by 10 seconds of rest. Look at how many meters you traveled in that time. (Don’t get off the rowing machine or even let go of the handle when you rest.) Repeat this eight times, trying to beat your distance each time. When you’re finished with this four-minute circuit, row a fast 500 meters and note how long it takes you.

12. HIIT

While the old thinking was that steady-state cardio sessions were best for burning fat, we now know that short and intense bursts of fast-paced cardio are much more effective.

Try this HIIT workout: After a 10-minute warm-up, spend 30 seconds doing as many reps as possible of squats, push-ups, kettlebell swings, or single-arm rows. Then, rest for 30 seconds and do a different exercise for another 30 seconds. Continue for 10 rounds. Choose any of your favorite exercises—just make sure you alternate between exercises that work different muscle groups, which will help certain muscles recover while you work others.

13. Strength Training

If you’ve been lifting moderately heavy weights but are still looking to drop belly fat, it’s time to pick up the intensity by using heavier weights and cutting down on rest time between reps. Lifting heavy is where you see more of an afterburn effect. Your body continues to burn calories even after you leave the gym. Just be sure that your technique doesn’t suffer as you increase your weight, which can lead to injury. If you’re new to strength training, this 15-minute total-body workout is a great place to start.

14. Walking

A very simple cardio exercise that helps you lose belly fat and stay fit. Walking along with a balanced diet can do wonders if you are trying to shed off the extra kilos. A brisk walk for even thirty minutes in the fresh air brings can help reduce fat around the belly. In addition, it also has a positive effect on your metabolism and heart rate. Even running is beneficial for fat-burning. All the more, you do not need any equipment for this exercise. It also helps in shedding fat from other areas of the body.

15.  Yoga

Getting your Om on won’t burn as many calories as a hilly run or lifting weights, but it can help build muscle and improve your endurance, which is all crucial for boosting your metabolism. Some of the highest calorie-blasting yoga poses include plank, chair, Chaturanga, and wheel. The first sign that you are putting on weight is when you begin seeing your tummy popping out. Do not avoid the fact that it exists because this can start bothering you once you’ve got it all. Most of all, this is dangerous for your health in many possible ways such that, it can cause diabetes, heart diseases, strokes, and sometimes even cancer.

All that you may think of is going for fitness exercises and burning some fat. This may or may not work in many cases. You can burn regular fat in your body, but burning tummy fat can be a deal-breaker for you as this can take longer. However, there are some natural ways in which you can burn belly fat. All you need to do is to change your lifestyle and add a good fitness diet to your everyday schedule.

Contemporarily speaking, most people are in a rush and expect to burn fat quickly. However, most of them succeed, but the question is how long can you keep the diet on? In some cases, people become slim and then quit their regular diets and this causes a relapse.

They tend to munch all that comes their way and as a result, they end up from where they began. Now the question is can you burn belly fat naturally using home remedies? Well, the answer is yes, provided you follow your fitness diet strictly and not deviate.

Must-Know Facts About Belly Fat:

Belly fat can be hard to burn as it involves a time-consuming diet regime, but following a strict diet can be the key. Some simple tips such as regular exercising and following a strict prescribed diet by a dietitian can help you succeed. Also, you need to keep in mind that without regular exercising, your super fitness diet won’t do good. Thus, both are essential to reduce weight. Here are some interesting facts about belly fat that you need to know.

• Burning belly fat is a hard task because it is a part of the body that is highly influenced by hormones.
• You need to adopt a healthy diet and not a special diet to reduce belly fat.
• Sitting for longer durations is one reason for accumulating belly fat.
• Stress is the major culprit that causes belly fat.
• Lack of sleep too causes belly fat.

10 Natural Ways To Burn Belly Fat:

Your friend or a family member would have advised you to reduce your weight by joining a fitness institute. However, this is not advised as there are some natural ways in which you can reduce your weight. All you need to do is to follow these below-listed points and you’ll see for yourself. Here are 10 natural ways of burning that belly fat of yours that has been resting over your tummy for several years.

1. Consume Hot Peppers:

Foods like chilies, bell peppers, and black pepper must be added to your food as this will increase your metabolism that will aid in burning belly fat. This is because hot peppers contain capsaicin that aids in burning calories. All you need to do is to add these hot peppers to your everyday healthy diet and you will begin to experience changes. However, you need to regularly work out if you intend to burn belly fat.

2. Drink Plenty of Water:

Drinking a lot of water can benefit you in multiple ways. However, the universal solvent is the best natural way to burn belly fat. Water flushes out the bad toxins from your body and keeps your appetite on the run. It is the most affordable belly fat extinguisher available in the market. All you need to do is to just keep sipping water every time you feel like it. This will help you feel energized and better.

3. Add Cinnamon to Your Dish:

Cinnamon gives your food a sweet and spicy taste and this must be added to your breakfast to burn belly fat. Cinnamon comes with a lot of health benefits such as lowering cholesterol and has anti-inflammatory properties. You can add a little bit of cinnamon powder to your morning coffee and this will aid in burning belly fat. Also, make it a point to regularly exercise and it will help in reducing weight much faster.

4. Use Apple Cider Vinegar:

This healthy vinegar has loads of health benefits ranging from reducing cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels. It can also help you reduce belly fat and keep you trim and in shape. All you need to do is to add a cup of apple cider vinegar to some water and drink it. You must also exercise to achieve the best results. The best thing about apple cider vinegar is that it curbs your appetite and curbs those taste buds, thus preventing you from overeating.

5. Consume Green Tea:

We all know that green tea has a wide range of health benefits, but the question is in what possible way can this healthy tea help you reduce weight? This health tea is made of unfermented tea leaves that contain high amounts of antioxidants called polyphenols that can aid in weight loss. This is a must-add refresher on your fitness diet as it can help in many possible ways. Consume 3 to 4 cups of green tea daily and you can see changes.

6. Use Coconut Oil for Cooking:

Coconut oil contains fatty acids that have a positive effect on your body. This fatty acid helps in reducing belly fat and your body uses it as a source of energy. The best part about cooking with coconut oil is the fact that it is thermogenic, meaning it increases your body temperature and aid in burning belly fat. The health benefits of using coconut oil are similar to that of olive oil. Soo all you need to do is just cook any food using coconut oil.

7. Consume Herbs:

The herbs that are said to reduce belly fat are ginger and mint. How simple can it get if you just add some herbs to your everyday diet and stay fit? Well, these herbs will boost your metabolism and help you burn belly fat. However, the best possible way to consume some of these herbs is by simply adding some of them to tea. Make sure that these herbs have been soaked well inside the tea and if you wish you can add some honey, it would do more good for your health.  Moreover, it is advised that you drink this tea before you have your meals.

8. Cook Using Fish Oil:

Fish oil is taken from the tissues of oily fish and this oil contains Omega-3 fatty acids and DHA that can benefit your health in many ways possible. Moreover, fish oil keeps your cholesterol levels at a check and boosts your mood, and helps your bones get stronger. It also helps in breaking down fat around your waistline, also called belly fat. It is advised that you consume 6 grams of fish oil every day (1 tablespoon) of fish oil. Some of the fish that you can contain fish oil are, salmon, mackerel, and tuna.

9. Consume Garlic:

Garlic is a superfood that needs to be added to your regular diet. It is said to reduce blood pressure and strengthens your immune system. The best thing about consuming garlic is that it aids in weight loss by curbing fat cells from converting into actual fat. Adding a little bit of garlic to tea can help you reduce belly fat. You can either add some garlic to your food or just consume it in its raw form. However, it is recommended that you consume garlic in its raw form to get the best out of it.

10. Do Not Consume Alcohol:

There have been studies that indicate that excessive consumption of alcohol can aid in you getting a tummy very quickly. If you are particular about burning belly fat, then you need to put a stop to alcohol. Also, excessive consumption of alcohol leads to obesity and this is the culprit that makes you put on more belly fat. If you need to reduce weight and be on the healthier side, then you need to change your lifestyle. A lifestyle change means putting an end to alcohol even socially.

11. Consume Yogurt:

Yogurt has less sugar and sometimes no added sugar at all and this can combat belly fat. All you need to do is to add a bit of yogurt to your food every day and this will help you counter belly fat. Consuming yogurt every day will protect you from lactose intolerance, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), colon cancer, and other types of allergies. All you need to do is to look for the label that reads no sugar added and your good to consume it.

12. Eat Plenty of Parsley:

Well, parsley has a lot of health benefits such as preventing diarrhea, aids in good digestion, and regulates your menstrual cycle. It also burns calories in your body and this means that you won’t be putting on much weight if you consume parsley. Drinking parsley juice is more beneficial than adding it to your food. All you need to do is to consume some parsley juice and this will help flush out the toxins from your body. It is a natural supplement that will curb your hunger and prevent you from becoming obese.

13. Do not Stress Out:

Stress is one of the primary reasons that cause belly fat to accumulate. All you need to do is drink a lot of water when you are stressed and this will do good for you. Every time you stress, tell yourself that you need to reduce your belly and it is not worth it. The best way to get away with stress is to exercise and burn all that calories out. Exercising does not mean gyming, instead, it means that you can go for a run down the road, and by the time your back you will feel better. You need to find a substitute for stress.

14. Get Enough Sleep:

Lack of sleep can lead to death and even if you are sleeping for just 5 hours, you could be inviting serious health issues as you age. In terms of curbing belly fat, you need to make it a point to stick to your diet and get enough sleep. Getting enough sleep will benefit you and the way you carry out your everyday goals. So keep in mind that sleeping early and rising early keeps you healthy and fresh. Make it a point to drink one full glass of water the moment you get up and this will help flush out the toxins from your body. Getting plenty of sleep can prevent you from getting belly fat.

15. Exercise Regularly:

Regularly exercising can save you from a lot of health issues. You don’t have to go to a gym to exercise, all you need to do is go for a walk or a job to burn calories. With this sort of thinking you can burn all that belly fat. This thinking will make you adopt a healthy diet and change your lifestyle. Sometimes you can do some push-ups and pull-ups and this can also keep you fit. With good exercise, you need to have healthy food that will prevent you from falling sick.

FAQs

Cutting belly fat can be a tough task and calls for determination. Well, developing determination can be difficult in the beginning, but there is a way that you can bring it out. All you need to do is to begin going for an early morning jog and walk. This will build the exercising spirit within you and will lead towards adopting a healthy diet. There are many frequently asked questions about losing belly fat and its different facets. Here are some of those questions that will shed some more light on the topic.

1. What exercise reduces belly fat?

Exercise is an important part of the process of burning belly fat. Following a healthy diet may not do very good for you until you have the added benefit of exercising along with it. However, here are some simple exercises that you can do at home and get rid of belly fat.

• Jogging
• Walking
• Reverse crunch
• Bicycling; and
• Vertical crunch

2. What foods cause belly fat?

An age comes where you tend to eat a lot without even being bothered by what you are consuming. It is because of such ignorance that you may end up having a tummy and later suffering trying to pull it down. However, here is a list of foods that you need to keep in mind that causes belly fat.

• Dairy products
• Potato chips
• Bakery foods
• Sugary soda drinks; and
• Alcohol

You need to watch out for the above-listed foods as this can increase your belly fat.

3. Does eating bananas cause weight gain?

There has been a belief for a long time that eating a banana helps you gain weight. This is considered a myth because banana is said to have certain properties that can aid in weight loss. This fruit also aids in good digestion and as a result, it must be consumed once after every meal.

Now that you know these natural ways of reducing belly fat, why not start your fitness regime and stay fit. Keep in mind that drinking plenty of water is one of the best and most trusted remedies that can help you achieve faster results. Also, make sure that you get up early in the morning and exercise regularly because without exercise you cannot burn any fat in your body. You can also consult a dietitian and seek medical advice regarding the same and he/she will place you under an appropriate and practical diet based on your body condition.

Having some body fat is healthy, but there’s good reason to want to lose the extra weight around your waist.

About 90 percent of body fat is just below the skin in most people, estimates Harvard Medical School. This is known as subcutaneous fat.

The other 10 percent is called visceral fat. It sits underneath the abdominal wall and in spaces surrounding organs. That’s the fat associated with various health problems, like:

• type 2 diabetes
• heart disease
• cancer

If your goal is to lose belly fat, there’s no easy or quick method. Crash diets and supplements won’t do the trick. And targeting a single area of the body for fat reduction isn’t likely to work.

Your best bet is to work on losing overall body fat through diet and exercise. Once you start losing weight, there’s a good chance some will come from your belly.

How long that takes is different for everybody. Read on to learn the average time it takes to lose excess belly fat and how you can get started.

How long does it take to burn fat?

You have to burn about 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound. This is because 3,500 calories equal about 1 pound of fat.

To lose 1 pound a week, you have to eliminate 500 calories from your diet every day. At that pace, you could lose about 4 pounds in a month.

Increasing physical activity will help you burn more calories. Exercise also builds muscle mass. Muscle is heavier than fat, so even though you’re looking and feeling leaner, it might not show on the scale.

Everyone is different. There are many variables in how much physical activity it takes to burn a calorie.

The larger you are, the more calories you burn doing anything. Males have more muscle than females of the same size, so that helps males burn more calories.

How to create a caloric deficiency

Calories are units of energy from food. The more energy you use, the more calories you burn. Unused calories are stored as fat. You can burn fat stores by taking in fewer calories and using more energy.

Here are some ways to cut calories that you can start today:

Switch drinks

• Drink water instead of soda.
• Try black coffee instead of coffee flavored with added cream and sugar.
• Cut down on alcohol.

Avoid high-calorie foods

• Avoid fast food and ultra-processed foods.
• Eat fruit instead of baked goods and packaged sweets.
• Choose low-fat dairy foods over high-fat ones.
• Eat grilled or broiled foods instead of fried foods.
• Check calorie counts on restaurant menus. You might be surprised at how many calories are in a standard restaurant meal.
• Use a free calorie-counting app.

Reduce portions

• Measure oils used for cooking.
• Cut down on oil and other salad dressings.
• Use a smaller plate or bowl.
• Eat slower, and wait 20 minutes after eating to make sure you’re full.
• At restaurants, take half your meal home.
• Don’t eat in front of the TV, where it’s easy to keep snacking.

Consider food density, too. For example, 1 cup of grapes has around 100 caloriesTrusted Source, but a cup of raisins has around 480Trusted Source. Fresh vegetables and fruits are full of water and fiber, so they’ll help you feel full without a lot of calories.

To retain lean muscle mass, you’ll need plenty of protein.

Researchers performed a meta-analysis of 20 randomized control trials involving diet and weight loss. They concluded that adults ages 50 and older lost more fat and kept more lean mass on energy-restricted, higher-protein diets rather than diets with normal protein intakes.

In addition to a regular exercise routine, try these calorie burners:

• Park farther away and walk the extra steps.
• Better yet, bike or walk rather than drive.
• Use the stairs instead of elevators and escalators if you can.
• Take a stroll after meals.
• If you work at a desk, get up at least once every hour for a short walk or stretch.

Many pleasurable activities help you burn calories, like hiking, dancing, and even golfing. For instance, in 30 minutes of general gardening, a 125-pound person can burn 135 calories, and a 185-pound person can burn 200.

The more you move, the more calories you burn. And the more likely it is you’ll lose some belly fat.

How to measure success

Weigh yourself once a week at the same time of day to track overall weight loss.

If you’re eating a good amount of protein and exercising regularly, you’re likely building muscle. But remember that the scale doesn’t tell the whole story.

To see if you’re losing belly fat, use a tape measure. Always measure in the same place.

Stand straight, but without sucking in your belly. Try not to pull the tape hard enough to pinch the skin. Measure around your belly button level.

Another telltale sign is that your clothes fit better, and you’re starting to feel better, too.

Exercises to burn belly fat

Researchers suggest that high-intensity intermittent exercise may be more effective at reducing subcutaneous and abdominal body fat than other types of exercise.

Exercises that target the abdomen may not affect your visceral fat, but they can help strengthen your muscles, and that’s a good thing.

The important thing is to keep moving and build exercise into your day. You don’t have to stick with one thing, either. Mix it up so you don’t get bored. Try:

• 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most days
• aerobic exercise twice a week
• strength training to build muscle mass
• stretches first thing in the morning and again before bed

Takeaway

Targeting only belly fat may not be the best plan. To lose weight and keep it off, you have to make changes you can stick with. If it sounds like too much, start with one small change and add others when you’re ready.

If you backslide, all isn’t lost — it’s not a “diet.” It’s a new way of life! And slow and steady is a good plan.

There are perks to morning and nighttime exercise. The best time to work out depends largely on you.

Between jobs, families, household obligations, friends, errands, sleep, and, ideally, hobbies and relaxation, where the heck does exercise fit in? It’s not easy for most people to wedge an hour of structured physical activity into their days — and it might feel worthless, anyway, when conventional wisdom tells us to exercise at the crack of dawn (no thanks).

When no time feels like a good time, is it better to squeeze in a sweat session right after waking up, or should you push yourself to extend your long day by another 30 to 60 minutes?

Both morning and evening exercise have health benefits and potential pitfalls, but for most people, the right time to exercise is not about how many calories you burn or how much weight you lift — it’s more about how you feel when exercising and how exercise.

The best time to exercise is whenever you can

Let’s get this out of the way first: The best time to work out is whenever you can. We don’t all have schedules that allow for a 90-minute workout, green smoothies, and a 20-minute session, unfortunately.

If your only time of day to exercise is before work, then morning is best. If you reserve physical activity for packed evenings, there’s a good chance you won’t ever get to it.

Likewise, if you can only squash 20 minutes of exercise into your day right before you get ready for bed, that’s the best time to work out.

A note on consistency, though: The best time to exercise is whenever you can, but the best-best time of day to exercise is the time you can stick with for days, weeks, and months.

For example, if you’re the person who only has 20 minutes at night, but you keep finding yourself skipping it, ask yourself if there’s a way you can fit it into your morning instead. Perhaps you go to bed 20 minutes earlier and wake up 20 minutes earlier — now you’re still getting in your 20 minutes of exercise; it’s just shifted your schedule a tad.

The fact of the matter is that people who exercise consistently see better weight loss and fitness results in the long term. Research also suggests that your body can adapt to regular training schedules, so if you work out every morning, you will probably get a lot better at working out in the morning, and the same concerning nighttime workouts.

That all said, morning workouts and night workouts both have their advantages and disadvantages as evidenced by decades of scientific research — let’s discuss.

Benefits of morning workouts

Morning workouts truly do have an edge, according to multiple research studies, and offer a list of benefits that might even sway some night owls to get their fitness on in the morning.

Can help you establish a fitness routine: People who exercise in the morning are often more consistent simply because morning workouts leave less room for excuses. If you work out first thing in the morning, you can’t skip it in the evening because duties piled up.

May improve your sleep cycle: Waking up early might be difficult at first, but research suggests that a morning exercise habit can shift your circadian rhythm so that your body is naturally more alert in the morning and more tired in the evening, so you fall asleep earlier and can exercise in the morning again. Morning exercise also seems to boost deep sleep more than evening exercise, according to some research. Plus, sleep helps facilitate muscle growth, so you might even see more strength gains if your circadian rhythm and sleep cycle improve.

Might burn more fat: Exercising on an empty stomach — in the “fasted state” — is proven to burn more fat than exercising after a meal (in the “fed state”). This happens because your body must utilize fat stores that already exist to fuel exercise, rather than use the food you just ate as fuel. Other research also shows that the “afterburn” lasts longer when you exercise in the morning, which might help you lose weight over time.

Can make you more productive: Research has found that exercising in the morning has a beneficial effect on energy levels, alertness, focus, and decision-making, which can translate to a more productive workday.

May boost your mood throughout the day: Morning workouts are a great way to start each day on a high note — the endorphins or “happy chemicals” your body produces in response to exercise can keep your mood elevated long past your hour-long workout. The sense of accomplishment you get after completing a workout can also set you up for an optimistic day.

Drawbacks to morning workouts

You might feel groggy for your morning workout if your alarm wakes you up from deep sleep.

Though a morning exercise habit can be a powerful part of a healthy lifestyle, early morning workouts have their drawbacks, too. When you exercise first thing in the morning, a few things can make your workout a little wonky.

You might be running on low fuel: If you didn’t eat enough the evening before, you might find yourself battling serious hunger mid-workout. If you wake up hungry most days, try eating a larger dinner or a small, protein-dense snack before bed. You can also eat a small, carb-heavy snack before your morning workout, such as a banana, to help avoid hunger and hunger-related fatigue.

You may interrupt deep sleep: Depending on your sleep cycle, an early-morning alarm might puncture deep sleep. This can result in sleep inertia (feeling groggy for a while after you wake up), as well as chronic fatigue if it happens often.

Physical performance isn’t at its peak: Most people don’t roll out of bed feeling nimble and fired up. You might experience stiffness in your joints and temporary inflexibility. You should loosen up as you warm up, but studies show that certain strength markers, including peak power, are higher in the evening.

It takes longer to warm up: Speaking of warm-ups, there’s a key reason you might not feel as strong or powerful during morning workouts: Your core body temperature is lower. This makes warming up crucial for morning workouts — jumping into a workout, rather than slowly easing in, can result in injury. This is true all of the time, but especially when your body is cooler. Your heart rate is also slower in the morning (that’s the best time to find your true resting heart rate), which also contributes to needing a longer warm-up.

Benefits of afternoon and evening workouts

Those who can fit in a workout between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. That would be my ideal time to exercise if one could do so consistently. Some feel more ready for exercise in the afternoon: more flexible, more mobile, more physically energetic. We also feel stronger and faster.

Most people experience these physiological adaptations throughout the day, which makes afternoon and evening the best time to exercise for many reasons.

Your physical performance might improve: Research shows that most people function better, physically speaking, later in the day. Muscle strength, flexibility, power output, and endurance are all better in the evening than they are in the morning. Plus, people who exercise in the evening take up to 20% longer to reach the point of exhaustion.

Your body gets warmer as the day goes on: Since your core temperature is warmer later in the day, many people can get into the groove faster for afternoon and evening workouts. You should still warm up though!

Hormones are on your side: Testosterone is important for building muscle in men and women, and your body might produce more of it during afternoon workouts than morning workouts, resulting in greater strength and muscle gains.

Late-day exercise can relieve stress: Exercise is always a good way to relieve stress, but working out at night can help you blow off some steam. The surge of endorphins you get during and after exercise can be a sweet nightcap that helps you wind down before bed.

Might help replace bad habits: If you have some evening or nighttime habits you want to replace — like snacking, drinking, smoking, or watching too much TV — allow exercise to swoop in and take their place. Once you get into the practice of exercising at night, you might find yourself surprised that you don’t even miss your old habits.

Drawbacks to afternoon and evening workouts

The above benefits to afternoon and evening workouts might automatically tempt you to designate the latter part of the day to exercise, but you should consider a couple of potential downsides, too.

Might interfere with sleep: The blanket statement that exercising at night is detrimental to sleep is a myth. That’s not true for everyone — scientists have found that exercising at night may have no effects on sleep at all, and some may even get a better night’s sleep — but some people might experience jitters if they work out too close to bedtime. This generally only applies to intense exercises, like CrossFit or HIIT, as yoga, stretching and other gentle exercises can improve your sleep when performed before bed.

May cause problems with consistency: If you’re like many people, exercising at night may not work for you simply because you are too tired after a long day. Afternoon and evening workouts might interfere with daily responsibilities, especially if things tend to pile up during the day. If that sounds like you, try shifting your daily routine to fit in a short morning workout.

You now have the information you need to start on your journey towards a leaner body and a flat stomach.  Toned abs are a badge of honor; they demonstrate how hard you’ve worked to get into shape and how much dedication and commitment you’ve put into becoming healthier. 

Begin by creating a meal plan that aligns with staying within your daily calorie allotment.  Plan out your meals for the week in advance so you can minimize carb creeping and stay on track.

Keep a food and workout diary to document your progress and reward yourself when you reach milestones. 

Weigh your food so you can stay on track and ensure you’re eating the correct portion size.

Stay hydrated to avoid bloating, improve workout performance, and better control your appetite.  

And most importantly, stay focused and don’t get discouraged! Decide on a series of small goals and work towards improving your diet and incorporating more movement into your day.   Small changes can yield incredible results.

You can do this!