Is it possible to lose your belly fat with exercise, and if so what are they?  It is important to incorporate daily exercise, with a combination of strength training, cardio, and flexibility options if you want to be healthy, achieve your ideal weight and have a flatter tummy.

And all of these belly fat-reducing recommendations that have been presented in this series will be so much more effective when your body is active. To visualize your ideal body is step one, but you do need to act on it by moving your body. Strength training builds more muscle, which burns more energy in the body. The more muscle you have, the more your cardiovascular exercise will be effective in burning up that belly fat energy stores. Daily exercise, 30 minutes to an hour, in a variety of cardiovascular exercise (walking, running, biking, swimming), strength training (weight lifting, pilates, isometrics), and flexibility (yoga, stretching) will keep your body active and allow you use up the belly fat and replace it with muscle.

Now it is important to know that there are no specific magic exercises that will make your belly fat go away – there are however moves you can do to help strengthen and tighten your core muscles. This in turn will help your belly to look flatter as you do continue to lose the belly fat. 

The best moves are actually the ones where you do NOT “move” at all. You know what I’m talking about don’t you….the Plank and Side Plank. Now these are definitely NOT my favorite exercise either, but they are very effective. Try to hold your Plank for at least 30 seconds and do this a couple of times a day, several days in a week.

It is very important that you give your body and your muscles some rest, so always take two days off a week that are your rest days. It’s fine to still go for walks on your rest days as long as what you do is not too physically exerting.

Well there you have it.  Ten ways on how you can lose your belly fat starting today. Begin with one or two at a time, incorporate them as habits, and then carry on to the next ones. Slow and steady keeps it off, and keeps you conscious of where you’re coming from and focused on where you’re going to.

Your key to success will be to remain consistent. If I can help you in any way, feel free to email me at Melonie@MindBodyFX.com.

Is it possible to lose your belly fat with exercise, and if so what are they?  It is important to incorporate daily exercise, with a combination of strength training, cardio, and flexibility options if you want to be healthy, achieve your ideal weight and have a flatter tummy.

And all of these belly fat-reducing recommendations that have been presented in this series will be so much more effective when your body is active. To visualize your ideal body is step one, but you do need to act on it by moving your body. Strength training builds more muscle, which burns more energy in the body. The more muscle you have, the more your cardiovascular exercise will be effective in burning up that belly fat energy stores. Daily exercise, 30 minutes to an hour, in a variety of cardiovascular exercise (walking, running, biking, swimming), strength training (weight lifting, pilates, isometrics), and flexibility (yoga, stretching) will keep your body active and allow you use up the belly fat and replace it with muscle.

Now it is important to know that there are no specific magic exercises that will make your belly fat go away – there are however moves you can do to help strengthen and tighten your core muscles. This in turn will help your belly to look flatter as you do continue to lose the belly fat. 

The best moves are actually the ones where you do NOT “move” at all. You know what I’m talking about don’t you….the Plank and Side Plank. Now these are definitely NOT my favorite exercise either, but they are very effective. Try to hold your Plank for at least 30 seconds and do this a couple of times a day, several days in a week.

It is very important that you give your body and your muscles some rest, so always take two days off a week that are your rest days. It’s fine to still go for walks on your rest days as long as what you do is not too physically exerting.

Well there you have it.  Ten ways on how you can lose your belly fat starting today. Begin with one or two at a time, incorporate them as habits, and then carry on to the next ones. Slow and steady keeps it off, and keeps you conscious of where you’re coming from and focused on where you’re going to.

Your key to success will be to remain consistent. If I can help you in any way, feel free to email me at Melonie@MindBodyFX.com.

Read More

Well, I’ve been ill with a terrible cold, then horrible aches and pains, then headaches….but finally, tomorrow I’ll be back at the gym for sure!

It’s always so exciting to go back after a while of not going. But it is also slightly daunting! I start thinking “how long can I manage?” or “will I start feeling rubbish again?” but I know that once I’m there, I’ll just take my time and do what I can.

The main thing I need to do right now is build the cardio back up. There was a time when I was doing 2 one hour sessions a week on the cross trainer. Now, I can’t really do that because of work and the times I go to the gym.

But I want to be doing 4 thirty minute sessions a week, every week. At the moment, I usually only do 15 minutes each session as I have a routine on the resistance machines too.

Hopefully with the better weather and the lighter evenings, going to the gym in the evenings after work won’t feel so daunting and tiring! I’m going to stick with the 15 minute sessions 4 times a week for a couple of weeks and then up each session by 5 minutes for another two weeks, then up it by 5 minutes again until I get to 30 minutes 4 times a week. I know I need to do it gradually as I don’t want to be doing too much too soon and getting too tired.

I’m looking forward to a more productive week of fitness this week!

Also, I’m making sure my eating habits go back to smaller portions and less fattening foods. I recently been very slack in keeping to this, and because I’ve not been able to exercise, that’s not good!

So more fruit and veg, nuts, green tea and exercise this week replacing the Easter choccy and lounging feeling ill on the couch!

Well, I’ve been ill with a terrible cold, then horrible aches and pains, then headaches….but finally, tomorrow I’ll be back at the gym for sure!

It’s always so exciting to go back after a while of not going. But it is also slightly daunting! I start thinking “how long can I manage?” or “will I start feeling rubbish again?” but I know that once I’m there, I’ll just take my time and do what I can.

The main thing I need to do right now is build the cardio back up. There was a time when I was doing 2 one hour sessions a week on the cross trainer. Now, I can’t really do that because of work and the times I go to the gym.

But I want to be doing 4 thirty minute sessions a week, every week. At the moment, I usually only do 15 minutes each session as I have a routine on the resistance machines too.

Hopefully with the better weather and the lighter evenings, going to the gym in the evenings after work won’t feel so daunting and tiring! I’m going to stick with the 15 minute sessions 4 times a week for a couple of weeks and then up each session by 5 minutes for another two weeks, then up it by 5 minutes again until I get to 30 minutes 4 times a week. I know I need to do it gradually as I don’t want to be doing too much too soon and getting too tired.

I’m looking forward to a more productive week of fitness this week!

Also, I’m making sure my eating habits go back to smaller portions and less fattening foods. I recently been very slack in keeping to this, and because I’ve not been able to exercise, that’s not good!

So more fruit and veg, nuts, green tea and exercise this week replacing the Easter choccy and lounging feeling ill on the couch!

..Read More

By Valerie Berkowitz
eDiets Contributor

For most people who lose weight and keep it off, it’s all about understanding yourself, making priorities and maintaining motivation. It’s about making eating and health the essence of your being.

Eating healthy foods becomes a natural inclination, and you cannot imagine eating any other way. Know your diet strengths, limitations and weaknesses and work within realistic situations so that you build yourself a win-win dieting situation.

If you are unrealistic or try fooling yourself, you will only hurt yourself and your chances of achieving your desired weight. For example, thinking that you will eat foods you do not like just because it is on your plan.

Many people center their lives around food, but now the focus on food must switch to an increased awareness of eating the appropriate quantities and types of food, breaking current social and emotional ties and increasing your awareness of potential diet pitfalls.

Using the checklist below will help you determine your readiness to start your new diet plan or assess your level of commitment with your current diet plan. Are you ready to start a diet? Answer the questions in the checklist to determine your readiness and ability to succeed.

The answers to these questions will help indicate how much effort you are willing to give to your diet success. The more effort you devote to your weight loss, the better results you will see.

If you answered “yes” to these questions, you are ready to lose weight and very likely will maintain your weight loss. If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you must decide whether you think you can succeed without giving it your all.

Maybe you’d like to try, but your expectations will be realistic as it may not be as “easy” as others who answered “yes” to all the questions or maybe you get support from the eDiets Support Boards until you are ready to give it your all.

Tools like this easy checklist can be extremely helpful when trying to assess your commitment to your weight and maintenance goals. You can also use similar charts to aid in making behavior changes within different areas of your life.

You may want to include more specific targets, like eating more vegetables. The chart can include a list of the veggies you like, when you will buy the veggies and when you will eat them, i.e. as a snack or at dinner or both.

Facing a diet dilemma is only a small problem that can be fixed if you try to fix it. Understanding diet dilemmas and problem solving will allow you to overcome hurdles that have kept you from getting to the finish line.

Valerie Berkowitz, MS, RD, CDE, CDN is co-author of “The Stubborn Fat Fix” and Nutrition Director for The Center for Balanced Health. She is certified as a lifestyle counselor and certified by the American Dietetic Association in adult weight management. Valerie has been practicing for over 20 years and for a few of those years moderated eDiets online communities. Her specialty is helping people recognize underlying reasons that weight loss may be more difficult than it has to be. Valerie is the mother of three children, soon to be four, and strives to make eating a balanced and fun experience for everyone.

Are you ready for the new you? Join Valerie’s “Getting to Know Thyself” meeting Monday, March 22nd and Thursday March 25th at 1:30pm and 9pm ET to learn how to diet successfully and discuss issues that will enlighten you about obstacles you may not have admitted to in the past.

Sign up with eDiets today and get 25% off our expert fitness and nutrition support, as well as access to everything you need to make your weight-loss goals a reality!

You may enjoy these related article:

1. 8 Surefire Fat-Burning Tips
2. Drive-Thru Diet: Fast-Food Facts
3. Our Diet Plan for Oprah

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