Are you carryingexcess fat around your stomach and hips?
Known as a muffin top, the resulting puffy look may tempt you to adopt a crash diet or start exercising for hours every day. You might lose your muffin top that way, but youll also undermine your health. The best approach is to develop habits that help your body shed fat safely and effectively.
1.EAT MORE FIBER, LEAN PROTEIN & HEALTHY FATS
Losing fat requires a slight caloric deficit each day, but you dont have to slash your food intake to achieve this. Cutting out processed foods and replacing them with whole choices that provide fiber, lean protein and healthy fats makes you feel full with smaller portions. These foods are also free of the refined ingredients that create cravings and drive overeating.
Remember that alcohol counts as a processed food and is high in empty sugar calories. Drink more water and herbal tea to stay hydrated and avoid the bloating that can make a muffin top look bigger.
2.TRY KICKBOXING OR A HIIT WORKOUT
Raising your heart rate with aerobic exercise helps shed overall body fat, resulting in a slimmer waist and hips. Aim for a mix of traditional forms of cardio, such as biking, running or swimming, and exercises that push your body harder.
Kickboxing is particularly good for melting a muffin top because it incorporates movements that hit the core from every angle. If youre pressed for time, try high-intensity interval training (HIIT). These routines zap a lot of calories in a fraction of the time of a steady state workout.
3. LIFT, LIFT, LIFT
Strength training, especially with heavy weights, replaces fat with muscle to slim down your waist and hip area without sacrificing your curves.
Youll want to engage your whole body to create a balance of strength, but when you work out your legs, focus on key exercises like squats, deadlifts and lunges to really target the hips and glutes. Progressively increase the weight you lift to avoid hitting a plateau.
4. ADD TARGETED EXERCISES
Although the myth of spot reduction has been debunked, including specific abdominal exercises in your routines does help create a stronger core. Bicycle crunches, side bends, leg lifts, pelvic tilts and other moves tone and shape your muffin top area, creating muscle that will be revealed as you lose fat.
Include lateral movements and exercises that target the lower back to work the entire core.
5. WEAR YOUR V-BELT DAILY
The V-Belt is a waist trimmer that is comfortable enough to wear all day long. As soon as you slip on the V-Belt you receive physical reinforcement that keeps your “muffin top” from exposing itself through your clothing. The flex-fit compression gives you a visibly reduced waistline – in fact you’ll have an hourglass appearance in seconds!
You can wear it while working out, running errands or even at bedtime!
Getting rid of a muffin top is about more than shedding fat and looking better. When you adopt healthier habits, you wont just get a nicer figure. Youll feel more energetic, have a stronger body and have a better outlook on life.
Follow me on Instagram @VannaBelt for even more tips!