Losing Belly Fat With Diets & Strength Training

Exercise can help you to lose fat all over your body and reveal the toned muscles you've been working on. By incorporating certain foods into your diet (and ditching others) along with a consistent exercise routine, you can target belly fat and watch your waist line slim down. Not only will you notice a difference in the mirror, but your health will improve as your risk for diabetes, heart disease and obesity decrease dramatically.

Foods and Moods to Avoid

• Trans fat, saturated fat, sugars, cholesterol and any other extra calories should be kept off your plate as often as possible. These are the main food culprits responsible for belly fat, and fat all over the body. When you consume more calories than your body can use as fuel, the extra is stored in the body as fat.

  That may seem like a simple enough problem to fix: eat less bad stuff. But cortisol is another culprit that can complicate things. According to hubpages.com, cortisol is a hormone in the body that increases drastically when stress levels increase, and this hormone has been linked to individuals who also carry extra fat around the midsection. So it's not just about eliminating unhealthy food, but you also have to make some adjustments to your life to decrease stress.

Foods to Incorporate

• Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), whole grains, antioxidants and protein will all do wonders in decreasing your belly fat. According to health.yahoo.com, by incorporating foods into your diet that have these nutrients in them, you're less likely to carry extra fat around your midsection. MUFAs are found in olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados. Whole grains can be found in crackers, bread, cereals and pasta and will help you to feel full longer since they are such a great source of fiber. Antioxidants are abundant in green tea, berries and even dark chocolate. Quality protein is found in eggs, dairy, lean meats and nuts.

  Replace fried foods with grilled ones, saturated and trans fats with MUFAs and your cravings for sweets with a little bit of dark chocolate and you'll see your waist line begin to dwindle.

Exercises to Do

• Cardiovascular exercises like running, jump-roping, bicycling, taking cardio classes, rowing, stair-steppers, or using elliptical equipment burn calories like crazy and tap into stored fat for energy once calories from recently ingested food are all used up.

  Strength or resistance training is also crucial to lose fat. When you are doing sit-ups, leg lifts, back extensions, and side pulls, you are working on your core muscles (abdominals, obliques and lower back). This is an important area to focus on when you want to lose belly fat because once the fat is gone, your hard work will show in your toned muscles. It also improves your posture and decreases the risk of back injuries.

  Focus on strength training every part of your body in order to build muscle. As www.muscleblitz.com tell us, the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn throughout the day, whether you are working out or not. And of course, the more calories you burn, the more weight you lose. Strength training is an ideal way to build muscle, so get to the gym 4 to 6 days a week and spend 30 to 60 minutes a day getting to know the dumbbells, weight plates and strength training machines.