The problem of overweight is one of the most pressing problems of our time.The cult of beauty existed in the ancient world, and since then only its canons have changed, but not the desire of a person to look attractive.
Today, slimness is one of the mandatory aspects of external perfection.We are talking both about the figure as a whole and about individual parts of the body.Many girls who want to have a thin waist complain about extra pounds on the stomach and sides.In addition, excess fat is often deposited precisely in these places, leaving the arms, legs and even thighs slim.
You can get rid of the problem without resorting to drastic methods such as liposuction, and you can get a toned stomach and beautiful abdominal muscles at home by doing special exercises, watching your diet and leading an active lifestyle.We will talk about this in our article.
Causes of fat accumulation in the waist area
There are people who believe that extra pounds are the result of neglecting a woman, but this is more the exception than the rule.The reasons why fat begins to accumulate in the body are different, not always depending on the degree of care for the appearance.But to successfully get rid of these extra procrastinations, you need to know where they come from.
Genetics.A tendency to be overweight may be due to a genetic predisposition.Extra pounds on the stomach and sides usually bother people with an "apple" body type.This type in itself implies a small difference in volume between the hips and the waist, so the latter may require attention even without the presence of fat deposits on it.Every extra kilogram further distances your figure from the cherished ideal proportions.It is impossible to fight genetics, which is natural, but the "apple" figure can be successfully corrected with special exercises aimed at reducing the size of the waist.
Poor metabolism.This problem most often worries the age category of people.Over the years, the body's metabolism slows down and this leads to excess weight.It happens that in youth an excellent metabolism allows you to eat all kinds of harmful foods and not gain a single gram, and a person gets used to this way of eating.But the older he gets, the more his metabolism slows down and fat deposits appear.Dealing with this problem is a little easier than with being overweight due to a genetic predisposition.Usually, with a poor metabolism, the correction of nutrition and strength training helps, since it is known that physical activity can speed up the metabolism in the body.
A sedentary lifestyle.If you lead an inactive lifestyle: you work a lot on the computer or just sit, rarely walk, do not do sports, fitness or other physical exercises, then the risk of being overweight increases significantly.The food we consume is a source of energy for the body, and if the number of calories consumed exceeds their consumption, then the appearance of excess fat is almost inevitable.Of course, you can reduce the caloric content of your diet, but a sedentary lifestyle is harmful not only because of problems with excess weight, so it is still recommended to include physical exercise in your daily life.
Incorrect posture.The appearance of excess fat in the waist area is affected by posture, as surprising as it may sound.The human spine is the base of the skeleton that supports the internal organs.To support the spine, which carries the main load during movement, the muscles must be in constant tone.Muscle weakness leads to the fact that the supporting function is partially transferred to fat tissue.For this reason, the body is in no hurry to get rid of fat.Special exercises can help strengthen the back muscles, restore posture and allow you to get rid of extra pounds in the abdomen and sides.
Hormonal changes.As a woman ages, the amount of fat in her body begins to increase in direct proportion to her body weight.The reason for such changes are hormonal changes.However, it's not just age that can affect hormones.Menopause, pregnancy, childbirth, taking oral contraceptives and certain medications can all change hormone levels and cause excess weight.
Bad nutrition.Quick breakfast on the go, excess carbohydrates in your favorite meals, fast food consumption and overeating contribute to the accumulation of body fat.Improper nutrition can lead to a slow metabolism, lead to a distended stomach and poor digestion.All this usually leads to problems with excess weight, fat deposits on the abdomen and sides.In such cases, the correction of the figure begins with establishing the right diet and choosing healthy foods and is supported by physical exercises to accelerate the burning of fat reserves.
Excess waste and toxins.Waste and toxins, often caused by bad habits such as smoking and alcoholism, clog the body.Their excess interferes with metabolism, affects the rate of metabolism and, accordingly, the amount of fat accumulation on the waist.Giving up bad habits, cleansing the body with proper nutrition, massage and exercise can help fight extra centimeters.
Stress and illness.Nervous breakdowns and stress often lead to increased levels of cortisol, a steroid hormone.It affects the amount of fat in the body.The excess of the hormone can lead to the accumulation of extra pounds.A number of diseases also affect weight: diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arterial hypertension.If the excess fat on the abdomen and sides is related to the described reasons, then weight loss should begin with a visit to the doctor, but not with physical training.
How to fight belly and hip fat
Losing weight is a long and laborious process.You should not believe diets and trainers who promise an ideal figure in just a month of training.In addition, once the result is achieved, it must be maintained, otherwise there is a risk that all the work will be in vain.To get rid of excess fat most effectively, it is recommended to choose an integrated approach, instead of focusing on one specific method of weight loss.
Correction of nutrition.As we discussed above, the number of calories you consume depends on what you eat and how often.Therefore, almost always the removal of extra pounds is accompanied by a special diet.It is recommended to prepare the diet after consultation with a specialist, focusing on the state of health and individual characteristics of the body.
General tips that can help with weight loss:
- drink more water.It allows you to cleanse the body of waste and toxins, dull the feeling of hunger and improve metabolism;
- eliminate fast carbohydrates from your diet.It is the food rich in them that usually gives extra centimeters in the waist;
- try to eat a balanced diet;
- try to limit your salt intake.Salt retains water in the body, thus interfering with normal metabolism and cleansing;
- eat in small portions.Better to eat little and often than rarely, but several meals at a time.Partial meals help prevent the stomach walls from stretching and ultimately affecting the amount eaten.
Performing weight loss procedures.If possible, then wraps, massages and some other spa treatments can be an excellent help in the fight against excess weight.They are aimed at accelerating blood flow, removing waste and toxins and improving metabolism.Of course, to completely get rid of fat with their help is impossible, but reducing the waist by a few centimeters is quite possible.
Increase physical activity.Sports or fitness, visiting gyms or simply exercising at home allow you to actively and successfully get rid of fat deposits.Physical activity forces the body to burn fat, helps improve metabolism, maintains muscle tone, which makes the figure more toned.You can do exercises on the floor on a carpet or exercise near your home on a sports ground or just run in the morning and evening.There are many options, you just need to choose the most suitable one.
Weight loss exercises
Physical activity is considered a popular and very effective way to fight excess weight.Exercise not only allows you to actively burn fat reserves, but also helps to strengthen muscle tissue and improve immunity.Below we give examples of some of the most effective exercises for losing weight in the abdomen and sides.
Twisting.This is a great workout to strengthen your abdominal muscles.Along with proper nutrition, it can produce amazing results.To perform the exercise, you need to lie on your back, bend your knees and hold your hands behind your head.This is the starting position.Then you need to take a deep breath and lift your upper body off the floor.Exhalation should occur on the rise.Perform the exercise in 2-3 sets of 10 times.
Reverse sit-ups.The training is similar to the one we described above, but we work not with the upper, but with the lower part of the body.The starting position is the same: we lie on the mat with our backs, bend our legs at the knees, feet are on the floor, hands are behind the head.When we perform the exercise, we lift our bent legs and then lift the lower back off the floor so that the knees move towards the chest.Inhale when returning to starting position, exhale when twisting.We repeat the exercise in 2-3 series of 10 times.
Leg crunches.To perform them, you need to lie on the mat on your back and raise your straight legs perpendicular to the floor.This is the starting position.Next, you need to lift your upper body off the floor and stretch your arms toward your toes.Inhale when returning to the starting position, exhale when performing a twist.It is recommended to repeat the exercise 10-15 times, 3 times in a row.
Inclined twists.During training, we lie with our backs on the mat, clasp our hands behind our head, bend our legs at the knees and lift them into the air.This is the starting position.Then lift your right shoulder off the floor and extend your elbow toward your left knee.In this case, the left shoulder is on the floor, and the right leg is straight, but does not touch it.We return to the starting position and repeat the exercise on the other side.We do 10-15 repetitions.
Lateral crunches.To perform the exercise, you need to lie on your back on the mat, grab your hands behind your head, bend your legs at the knees, press them together and put them to the side.This will ensure that your shoulder blades lie flat on the floor and your hips touch it with either your right or left side.This is the starting position.During the exercise, we lift our shoulders and shoulder blades off the floor and stretch forward.We inhale in the starting position, exhale as we rise.We repeat the exercise in 2-3 series of 10 times.
Plank with bends.The plank is a popular exercise today.It is aimed at training several muscle groups at once.To take the desired position, we lie on the floor on our stomachs, then raise ourselves on our elbows and lift our legs off the floor.Thus it turns out that the whole body, except for the arms from the elbows to the palms and toes, is in the air.In this case, the neck, spine and legs should be in one straight line.In this position, the muscles of the abdomen, thighs and lower back are well strained.We try to hold the board for about 30 seconds, after which we turn the whole body to one side.The right elbow remains on the floor, the left arm is extended along the body, the back, neck and legs are still in a straight line.We also hold the position for 30 seconds.
Board with a bend.The exercise is similar to the previous one.But in the starting position, we rely not on the elbows, but on the palms and hold our body on straight arms.When we perform a turn, we turn our body to the side and raise our free arm up perpendicular to the floor.Hold each plank position for 30 seconds.
Side bends.Bending is one of the mandatory exercises in morning gymnastics and warm-up in many sports.We stand in the starting position: feet shoulder-width apart, hands on the waist.We lean to the right: slightly rotate the body, leaving the legs and hips motionless, reach forward with the arms so that the back is parallel to the floor.We stay in this state for 15 seconds.We return to the starting position.We repeat the exercise on the other side.We make 15 passes on each side.
Twist attacks.We stand straight, heels together, arms stretched forward parallel to the floor.This is the starting position.We take a wide step forward with a squat - attack.The second leg remains behind and is placed on the toe.The back should remain straight.We return to the starting position and repeat the exercise on the other leg.We do 15 repetitions.
Vacuum.This is a fun exercise that focuses on breathing.It helps to strengthen the abdominal muscles.We stand straight, the stomach is relaxed.We take a deep breath and then exhale.As you exhale, we tense up and strongly pull our stomach.Hold the position for 15–30 seconds.We do 15 repetitions.Vacuuming can be done several times a day;this exercise does not require a special room or equipment.
Chair leg raise.A simple workout that's great for your abs.We sit on a chair, keep our back straight, straighten our shoulders, lower our hands to the sides and place our palms on the seat.We keep our feet together.We take a deep breath, then on exhalation we raise our legs and pull our knees as close to the chest as possible.At the same time, the back remains straight, the body does not lean forward.Hold the position for 10-15 seconds, then return to the starting position and repeat the exercise.We do 15 repetitions.
walking.This is an excellent workout for those who cannot devote much time to exercise on the mat.Walking allows you to burn fat deposits.You should do brisk walking for at least 30 minutes a day, preferably five times a week.If you walk less, the result will be practically zero.
running.It is an alternative to walking.You can run fast or run.The first option is considered more effective in terms of burning excess calories, but it is only suitable for a prepared body.Otherwise, shortness of breath will quickly begin, and the unusual load on the body will lead to more negative consequences than benefits.Jogging is suitable for beginners.Between runs, you can use brisk walking to catch your breath and relax.
Swimming.If possible, it is recommended to visit the pool at least several times a week.Swimming provides excellent exercise for the body, which allows the body to get rid of excess fat.In addition to weight loss, exercise is beneficial because it allows you to improve metabolism, circulation, endurance and correct posture problems.
Help in the fight against fat deposits
If you want to get rid of excess weight faster, you can not only switch to proper nutrition and exercise, but also turn to nutritional supplements.You can also diversify your diet with nutritional shakes, protein bars and refreshing drinks.This is a great way to recharge your batteries and speed up the weight loss process!