There is no pain in gain—only guilt. It’s the guilt that eats you up inside and out. And the ugly truth is that you don’t put on weight overnight; it builds up. Whether you like it or not, it’s really the decisions that you make each day that have the most significant bodily impact.
Crash diets do work. But most of them can only serve as a temporary solution. The moment you stop dieting, the gaining comes back. It’s the kind of nightmare that you want to wake up from immediately.
What you need is a long-lasting and effective solution that is good for your mind and for your health. It should be something that you can do every day without you having to sacrifice too much of your precious time. Ideally, it should also be effective and efficient enough that you won’t have such a hard time including it in your routine.
Exercise is still the best kind of pain for anyone who is aiming for that much-needed metabolic burn. It’s the steady and slow that wins the slimming-down race. Most people place their bets on cardio as the ultimate winner for fat loss. But those who are in the know-how circle understand that there is a better way to fight off fat—the gift of training. Starting with the stubborn belly fat, here are strength training exercises that can easily be integrated into your busy schedule.
Five-Minute Strength Training
Troublesome fat usually builds up around the belly first and spreads out all over your body’s natural fat deposits. Being overweight can cause pain above the knees and affect your overall posture if you’re not careful. The fat creep needs to be continually challenged to avoid it from expanding any further. By doing strength training, you’ll be using muscles you’ve never used before and thought you never had.
Back-and-forth weightlifting routines activate the muscle tissues in your body. It’s the same set of tissues that torch fat and burn calories even when you’re not exercising. Your resting metabolic rate increases the more you develop active muscle tissues. The more muscle you try to build, the more you spend the energy stored in fat tissues, which will ultimately lead to their reduction.
Most women hesitate when it comes to building muscles as they prefer to slim down rather than to go muscular. But gaining lean muscle mass can lower visceral fat—the type of fat that usually sits around the stomach lining.
Start with simple circuit exercises instead of isolated ones. They will get your heart rate up and give you the burn you need to get rid of belly fat. These kinds of activities don’t require any equipment or you to go to the gym.
Get Busy with Planks
When you use your own body, you’ll be hitting different muscle groups at the same time. A lot of health buffs get into planks because of the great results they give. They specifically target your core and build up muscle mass around your abdomen, spine, rear, chest, legs.
Start with plank shoulder taps. Find a floor space at home or in your office where you can freely lie down without anyone disturbing you. I like laying down a yoga mat but carpet is usually comfortable too. Get into a plank position, your body facing the wall with both of your hands right under your shoulders and your toes pointing to the floor.
To balance your body, keep your feet apart, and use both sides of your shoulders as the measuring distance. Make sure your hips, back, head, and neck are aligned to keep your spine straight. Both your arms should be straight, supporting your whole body in an inclined position, with palms flat on the floor.
When you’re ready, slowly move half of your body to your left side so you can shift your weight. Maintain a straight position on your left arm. Hold up your right arm, and put your hand on your left shoulder, then go back to the original post.
Do the same with your left arm. Raise it to your right shoulder or above the chest with your body leaning on that side. Go back to starting position right after. Repeat the movement for about a minute or two, alternating between sides, and take a second pause in between.
If you find the position uncomfortable, start with the more comfortable version with bended knees. Take the same plank position, only this time, instead of going for legs straight, bend your knees instead and kneel on the floor. Do the same stance for the rest of your body, and repeat the same arm movements.
Squat and Lunge Combo
Both strength-training exercises activate glutes and quads muscles. Starting from an upright position, move up your right leg in front of you with your knees straight. Lower your body slowly, drawing balancing strength from your right leg and controlling the gradual downward movement by tightening your stomach muscles.
After holding down the position and bending as far as you can for a few seconds, get back up slowly, still with a tightened stomach. Keep your hands clasped in front of while doing the up-and-down movement. Do this for a couple of minutes every day (five minutes tops), with the planks mentioned above, and you’ll start seeing the results of your hard work in no time.
