My alarm rings as the clock strikes 6 in the morning and in no time I am up and ready to productively invest in the morning hours of the day. Well, this has been my unaccomplished dream for last 25 years.
Rachit Taneja, Author at The Fitness Cafe - Page 2 of 19
Having that extra layer of stomach fat is a big problem for most of us these days. Until you follow a heavy exercising regime, the fat layer is bound to keep coming back and never disappear completely. But worry not! There is no need to get on a very rigid diet anymore and quit half way. Instead just add these food items to your normal diet and lose those extra layers of fat.
Unsweetened Oatmeal
Oatmeal is the perfect weight loss and health food. It is fiber rich and thus improves digestion. Being low in calories and fats, it also makes you feel full for longer hours. Starting your day with a bowl of unsweetened oat meals is an amazing way to get a thinner waist line.
Nuts
The in between meals hunger pangs can be dealt with eating a bowl of fat fighting nuts. Even though, nuts are known to have a high calorie count they help trim your waistline with the fat fighting ingredients. Many monounsaturated fat rich diets have been surveyed, to find out their abdominal fat reducing traits.
Related: 5 Simple Exercises To Lose Fat From Your Belly
Olive Oil
As seen in the case of nuts, monounsaturated fats help increase metabolism, thus reducing fat deposition in the body. Olive oil, rich in monounsaturated fats, helps lose the extra layers around the belly as it is rich in monounsaturated fats.
Leafy Greens
Cabbage, kale, spinach and collards may not taste very good but they go a long way in getting a flat toned stomach. It is important to begin including leafy vegetables in daily diet as a salad, a cooked vegetable or just as a part of your favourite smoothie.
Dark Chocolate
Who said weight loss has to be boring when you get to eat chocolate. A study from the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences reveals that consuming dark chocolate reduces abdominal fat. Dark chocolate contains traces of healthy fats and antioxidants that increase metabolic rate and if consumed in regulated amounts can help lose weight.
Peanut Butter
Another source of monounsaturated fat, peanut butter is not only good for the heart but at the same time a means to get rid of extra fat in the body. The processed peanut butter may contain added sugars which can be harmful. It is important to stick to the organic version with less artificial sweeteners in order to lose weight.
Read: Here’s 5 Benefits of Green Tea for Weight Loss
Green tea
As has been suggested by many surveys over the years, green tea is rich in antioxidants and catechins that speed up the metabolism of a body, thus burning the extra fat for energy. Journal of Nutrition conducted a survey in 2009 that talked about many people losing abdominal fat by a regular consumption of green tea for 12 weeks.
These foods can go a long way in getting rid of the extra few pounds and get a flat tummy. These food items along with a bit of exercise can work miracles. Get started and you aren’t far from achieving the perfect flat belly.
The cornerstone of understanding how to gain muscle mass, is to understand what ‘anabolism’ means. During an 'anabolic state', tissues in the body obtain energy for growth and maintenance. Anabolism is about building up. And it requires energy to occur.
“Hurray!! I have reached my ideal weight and my fitness levels are more than average. It’s time I can quit rigorous gym sessions and chill for a while.”
Well, if you ever thought so then you surely know how quitting exercise effects your body adversely. There comes a time when you want to relax or maybe you have a tied up schedule next month but if you stop exercising your body will change for the worse.No denying the fact that you had worked hard for months to get the perfect shape and fitness of your body, but quitting exercise for as less as two weeks can reverse the positive effects.
While stopping exercise clearly deteriorates your strength, endurance and metabolism, it has many other effects on overall body’s health and fitness.
What happens to your body when you quit exercising?
The phase when a fitness freak stops exercising is called detraining. Irrespective of how fit you are, if you stop exercising your body drops the fitness levels. Here are a few examples.
1. Lower stamina
A regular fall in VO2 max(level of oxygen being used by your body while exercising) is observed in people who stop exercising. VO2 max represents the degree of endurance. Studies suggest a drop of 15 % in first month.It can cause breathlessness while doing any physical task like playing a football match or taking up the stairs. So in a nutshell, it lowers your body’s stamina.
2. Fat restoration
In no time you will again put on all the lost fat if you completely become sedative. The golden rule for keeping obesity at bay is to burn more calories than being consumed. Boycotting any routine workout plan will give your body no excuse to shed the extra calories. Your body starts losing muscle mass and fat burning metabolism, causing weight rebound. So even in unavoidable circumstances sneak sometime out for a quick workout.
Related: 5 Simple Exercises To Lose Fat From Your Belly
3. Blood sugar levels escalation
Post meals, the glucose levels in your blood increases. But the active muscles continuously use up sugar in the bloodstream as a source of energy and regulate the glucose levels. But if your physical activity rate is low, then excess sugar remains in the blood for longer time, thus increasing the risk of diabetes.
4. Loss in muscular strength
Interesting thing about muscles is their ability to grow after wear and tear. When you stop exercising, you are not giving muscles any physical stress that should cause it to enlarge or strengthened. Thus detraining phase introduces your toned muscles to atrophy. As a matter of fact, now you might have to work twice as hard to regain the same muscular strength.
5. Effects Brain’s performance
An active brain resides in an active body. If you are not adequately active for a while, your brain’s functioning gets affected. You will see a change in alertness, decision making ability and brain-body coordination. Exercising also prevents loss of brain tissues and rather generates new brain cells. This occurs due to increased blood flow to brain while exercising.
6. De-condition Cardio organs
Exercise enhances your cardiac output. Hence your heart can pump out more blood with each contraction and your blood vessels can supply more blood to different body parts. Not exercising will decrease theability of blood vessels to oxygenate and lower the number of capillaries. This can also cause high blood pressure. Broadly all these factors lead to cardio deconditioning and increased risk of heart diseases.
7. Worsens Memory
Ageing or some neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer saps your memory. Hippocampus is that region of brain which stores memories. A pause in your exercise routine will slow down the flow of blood to hippocampus and allow it to shrink. This makes it difficult to memorize and recollect. Regular moderate physical workout can prevent age related or chronic memory loss.
Read: Morning Exercise Versus Evening Work Out & Find Out What Works
8. Psychological effects
Regularly exercising will not only boost your health and fitness, it will also pump your mood. During workout, your body produces hormones like endorphins, dopamine, serotonin etc. which have calming effects on your brain. They keep depression and anxiety away and lift your mood.
Considering the ill effects of not exercising, you should manage to take some time out of your busy schedule to safeguard your health in the long run.
Getting rid of that stubborn belly fat doesn’t have to be impossible! We know that it is challenging, especially for all those who aren’t too fond of the gym. But, combined with the right diet, and if you commit to getting at least 30 minutes of exercise every day – you CAN fight the fat. Here we’re giving you 6 simple exercises to lose fat from your belly. Do them well, and you could be on your way to that summer body you’ve been dreaming of.
#1 Crunches
Crunches are one of the best exercises to lose fat, especially from your stomach. Make sure you do a set of crunches along with your regular routine – to get best results.
Steps:
- Lie down on your mat, face upwards with your knees bent and feet on the ground
- Lift your hands and place them behind your head, or keep them crossed on your chest
- Inhale deeply, and exhale while lifting your upper torso above the ground
- Inhale again as you go down, exhale as you come up
- Do this 10 times if you’re a beginner
- Take a break, then repeat 2-3 times
You should aim to start with a total of 30 crunches for a week, then gradually increase the number. Don’t worry if you feel a pressure on your abdominal muscles, that is good! It’s what we’re aiming for!
#2 Twist Crunches
Twist crunches are a ‘twist’ to the regular crunches (pun intended), and make for an effective tummy exercise.
Steps:
- Lie down on the floor, hands behind the head
- Bend your knees like in the basic crunches, keeping your feet on the floor
- Lift your right shoulder towards the left, keeping the left torso on the ground
- Now, lift your left torso towards the right, keeping the right side of your torso on the ground
- Repeat 10 times
Related: Reasons Why You Can’t Lose Fat
#3 Vertical Leg Crunch
Vertical Leg Crunches are a great way to lose the belly fat. Here’s how to do them.
Steps:
- Lie down on the floor, with your legs extended upwards towards the ceiling and one knee crossed over the other
- Breathe in, and lift your upper body from the floor towards the pelvis
- Breathe out slowly, and go down. As you go up again, take a deep breath in
- Do 12 reps and up to 3 sets
#4 Bicycle Exercise
The bicycle exercise is a simple exercise to lose fat, and you don’t need a bicycle for it!
Steps:
- Lie down on the floor and keep your hands on either side or behind your head like in crunches
- Lift both your legs off the ground and bend them at the knees
- Bring your right knee close to your chest, keeping your left leg away
- Now take your right leg away, bringing your left leg close to your chest
- Repeat and paddle like on a bicycle
#5 Lunge Twist
This is a great exercise for beginners, and seasoned fitness enthusiasts alike.
Steps:
- Stand with your legs hip-width apart, keeping your knees slightly bent
- Lift both your hands in front of you, aligning them with your shoulders and keeping them parallel to the ground
- Lunge forward. Take a big step forward with your right leg, and sit down as if on a chair, knees making a 90-degree angle with the floor. The left leg should be positioned backwards, supported by the toes.
- The spine should be straight, don’t bend
- Twist your torso, not your legs – to the right and then to the left
- Repeat 15 times
Read: 8 Foods To Eat To Get In Shape This Summer
Some other ways to reduce belly fat are to eat right and drinking a lot of water. Eating right, in fact, is half the battle won when it comes to belly fat. Make sure you avoid eating junk food, salty food and processed food. Drink a lot of water, to stay hydrated and free from hunger pangs. Also, you could start cutting down on your sugar intake. Ensure you get a restful night of sleep daily.
Combine these exercises with a balanced diet, and a routine that is focussed on cardio with some strength exercises. These exercises will help you strengthen your core, too.
If you’re in dire need of mid-week motivation, a great way to inspire yourself is to watch some TED talks. Don’t know what we’re talking about? Let’s bring you up to speed.
TED is a non-profit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short,powerful talks. There are close to thousands of talks available on the internet as free digital resources.
We’re curating 5 of the best TED talks on fitness, health & happiness to get you some much-needed inspiration. The wisdom from these talks can be applied in daily life.
#1 Christopher McDougall : Are we born to run?
In this TED talk, Christopher McDougall explores the mysteries of the human desire to run. How did Running help early humans survive – and what urges from our ancient ancestors spur us on today? McDougall employs his knowledge and brilliant storytelling to explain why humans are built to move. This talk will surely inspire you to hit the ground running!
#2 Matt Cutts: Try something new for 30 days
In this short, light-hearted talk, Matt Cutts explains how it takes 30 days for us to form a habit. Matt, an engineer at Google, talks about how trying something new, like a 30-day challenge was rewarding and fun for him. It transformed his self-confidence, and made him look forward to every day. If you’ve been wanting to try kick-boxing, or start running or have been thinking about your fitness goals, watch this talk. We’re sure it will leave you inspired to try out what you like for at least 30 days.
#3 Jamie Oliver: Teach every child about food
Sharing powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, West Virginia – and a shocking image of the sugar we eat – Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of the food we eat. Watch this powerful TED talk to learn about how important it is to educate our children about food and nutrition, to inspire families to cook again, and to empower people everywhere to fight obesity.
#4 Dan Buettner: How to live to be 100+
In this talk, longevity coach Dan Buettner talks about how he and his team studied the world’s “Blue Zones”, communities whose elders live with vigour to record-setting age. He shares the 9 common diet and lifestyle habits that keep them spry past age 100.
#5 Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are
In this illuminating talk, Amy Cuddy, A Social Psychologist who studies how humans judge and influence each other, explains how Body Language plays a huge role in how we feel about ourselves. It turns out that even a small change in your stance or posture can lead to more confidence and less stress.
Watching these TED talks can make you feel inspired, motivate you to realign your goals, and also educate you. Happy watching!
Also Read: Ways To Motivate Yourself To Workout
