Reduce Belly Fat with Exercise

The good news is that you can get a killer stomach and reduce belly fat without drugs. Using a carefully planned program of exercise, diet and hard work, you can change your belly into the abdominal muscles of your dreams. It may not be as easy as popping a couple of pills but the results are worth it and you will enjoy the reward even more since you earned every bit of it on your own.

The first thing you need to do is find something to use as a record-keeper and plan book for your program.

Exercise journals are fantastic for this purpose because as you enter daily information in the journal, you are putting together a complete record that can be referred back to when you have a question.

It can also be a source of encouragement when you  look at how far you’ve come in terms of weight loss and muscle gain.

If you have a personal digital assistant (P.D.A.), find an application that allows you to track your workouts and personal statistics. There are dozens of companies that make programs for the P.D.A., so you are sure to find one that makes an application suitable for your handheld.

If you prefer to remain low-tech, buy a basic spiral notebook and use one page daily to record information about your exercise program and food intake. The important information you should be writing down is as follows:

Date (including time of day)

Weight

Exercise for the Day

Daily Meals

Measurements (once weekly)

Tracking this information will help you to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. Writing down your daily meals is especially important - research shows that the most successful dieters are the ones who keep an honest food journal every day.

When you have an accurate count of your daily intake of calories, it’s hard to deny the truth and eat another chocolate chip cookie. Be aware of your calories and you won’t overeat. This is where honesty comes in. If it is 6 oz of meat don't write down 3 oz. This is your private journal and no one else will read it.

A trick from successful losers of belly fat is to weigh in daily.

While some may disagree, keeping a daily record of weight acts as a check on overeating and skipping workouts - the desire to see the number on the scale drop can prevent any diet misbehavior.

The best time to weigh yourself is in the morning as soon as you wake up and have emptied your bladder. Get on those scales at the same time every day for the most accurate assessment of your weight.

As far as measurements go, taking them weekly is appropriate - that allows enough time to see a real change so you do not become discouraged. You may also consider measuring biweekly if you prefer to see more dramatic changes.

Once you are prepared with your exercise log, it is time to think about an exercise schedule.

For the best results you should incorporate cardiovascular exercise with weight training and abdominal work. Exercising aerobically burns fat and calories, and decreases the amount of fat that lies over the abdominal muscles.

Many times people do hundreds of sit-ups and never see a change in their bellies - that’s because unless you reduce the fat that covers the muscles, you can not see the definition underneath. Excellent choices for aerobic workouts are swimming, interval training, and speed walking.

You should ideally work out four to five times during the week. Strength training is also important because you need strong muscles in order to power your aerobic training. Additionally muscle burns more calories than fat and takes up less space, too.

If you are over 30 pounds over weight especially if that weight is mostly centered in your belly, you need to see your doctor before beginning an aerobic exercise program.  You may have issues with high blood pressure or circulation that need to be addressed. You may only feel comfortable doing your daily walk at first.

Don't give up.  If you persevere in your plan to lose weight and get a healthy body you can and will succeed.

The final part of your program is the abdominal work itself.

Traditional sit-ups are fine but try moves with a twist for an extra boost in metabolism.

Pilate’s moves are great for tightening abdominal muscles as is belly dancing. There are a variety of moves and routines you can incorporate into your schedule to move you closer to your ultimate goal of six-pack abs.

Expect to spend at least three months working on your goal. Change doesn’t happen overnight, especially if you have more than five pounds to lose. Stick with it and manage your training log; before you know it, you will be sporting killer abs.

copyright (c) Answers For Your Health/reduce belly fat

You are welcome to reprint this article in your newsletter or blog as long as this tag is in place.

Answers For Your Health is edited and published by Sharon Owen. For more information on Beating Belly Fat check out AnswersForYourHealth.com

Get More Info on EcoSlim for Ephedra-Free, Safe Weight Loss