How to lose a beer belly fast – without giving up the beer!
You know subcutaneous fat. You see it everyday – bulging over belt buckles and flapping about on the back of people’s arms. But, did you know there’s another, more sinister version that’s directly responsible for your ballooning beer belly. It’s called visceral fat and it hides away, lurking deep within your abdomen, pressing up against vital organs and secreting out a dangerous host of toxic enzymes that can cause disease and other health related problems. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, they all make the list; who knew those nights spent down the pub could cost you your health. It’s time to take action and deflate that spare tire before it’s too late. Get started below with our roundup of what you need to know to save your waistline – and maybe even your life.
So what type of exercise is going to help you lose that beer belly the fastest and safest? New research suggests that sweating it out on the treadmill trumps time spent pumping iron when it comes to losing deep-seated abdominal fat, fast. Working at 80% of your maximum heart rate (find yours: 220 – your age = Max HR) yielded the best results when jogging 12 miles (about 19km) per week. But, the good news is that you don’t have to exercise for anywhere near as long to maximize your results and get even greater benefits! What really matters is how many calories you burn in total during your cardio workouts. You can choose to exercise at a lower intensity, that’s totally fine, it’s just going to take you longer to burn off the same amount of calories (belly fat). A much smarter move is to employ the high-intensity, stop-start principles found in interval training. The name of the game here is exercise at near-maximum intensity (8 or 9/10) for a short period, anywhere from 10-30 seconds, before dropping the intensity right back (2/10) for around 1 minute to recover before increasing the intensity and repeating the process. You can apply this to just about any cardio activity – running, swimming, rowing, cycling, you name it. Just remember to use the same work-to-rest ratio and that beer belly will be history in no time!
Despite the superhero-status of interval training, this doesn’t mean that weights don’t have a place in your workout arsenal too. Cardio workouts are great, but what they lack is the ability to increase your metabolism (your body’s fat-burning motor) and basal metabolic rate (the speed at which your body uses energy at rest). Fortunately though, your muscles can. Even when you’re relaxing at home your muscles are constantly on the search for energy to burn to keep themselves well-nourished. The result of this means the more muscle you have and the more time you spend exercising with weights and bodyweight exercises, the faster and more efficient your fat-melting motor becomes. Here’s how: Build your routine around lower body exercises like squats (jumping & Swiss-ball variations), lunges, step ups and upper body exercises like push-ups, chest presses, seated row’s, pull-ups and shoulder presses. These exercises work the largest amounts of muscle and will give you the best results for your workout efforts.
Like interval training, your weight training sessions should follow the same principles; short, sharp and intense. Keep rest to a minimum. Aim for between 8-15 repetitions and 3-4 sets per exercise. Go hard the entire time, taking short respite breaks and you’ll finish faster and burn tons of belly fat.
Ok, now that your workout plan is in order, you need to make a few tweaks to your diet; nothing drastic, just some small changes you can and want to stick to. Your first step is to cut back on the booze – it’s loaded with empty calories and is nutritionally bankrupt for your body. You don’t need to give it up completely, though. Limit yourself to only a few drinks every week and you’ll fast-track your results, plus you’ll enjoy it more – minus the guilty conscience. To make up for your beer cutbacks, you’ll want to get plenty of water. Buy a water bottle, keep it then carry it around with you to stay well hydrated.
For your food intake, just stick to this simple rule: Eat the foods found in nature. Right off the bat this disqualifies processed junk like cakes, biscuits, sweets and take-out – although don’t be afraid to treat yourself every once in while. Depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy puts you on a slippery slope towards negative emotions like guilt, frustration and depression. This leaves the good stuff – lean meats, fresh fish, low-fat dairy, fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy fats found in nuts, avocado and olive oil. Base your diet around these staples and you’ll build muscle, burn belly fat and feel great.
To learn more and take back your belly for good, Click Here > how to lose a beer belly and get access to the lifestyle blueprints to support your journey every step of the way! For more on losing belly fat please go to: how to get abs fast
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