Tips to get flatter abs and lose belly fat by ACE-certified Sapna Vyas

Can we reduce fat from specific body areas? The answer is no! If you perform abdominal exercises that target ab muscles, it will help strengthen your ab muscles but it won’t really help you reduce fat from belly. The reason is, muscle tissues and fat tissues are entirely different. You can build specific muscle with “spot training” but you can’t burn the fat that is stored on top of it.

In reality, there is no such thing as spot-fat reduction. You will never attain a flat stomach just by performing abdominal exercises. Sit-ups, for example, will definitely strengthen your abdominal muscles, but sit-ups alone will not get rid of the layer of fat that is covering the muscles. Muscles cannot regulate the fat deposits surrounding them. You can do sit-ups to strengthen your abdominal muscles, but they cannot eliminate the fat stored in that region. All those abs exercise videos you watch on social media networks won’t help you lose belly fat.

The only way to lose belly fat specifically is to drop overall body fat percentage. Be it face fat, belly fat, arm fat or leg fat, a caloric deficit is the number one requirement to burn fat. When you want to reduce fat (from face or any other body part), you need to reduce the overall body fat percentage by creating a calorie deficit. For example, if your energy input is 2,000 calories and energy output is 2,500 calories a day, calorie deficit is 500 calories.

The balance between energy intake and energy output influences energy stores such as body fat and lean body mass. When an individual finds him/ herself in a state of positive energy balance, the intake of energy exceeds the amount expended. A positive energy balance results in weight gain.On the other hand, a negative energy balance reflects a state in which the number of calories expended is greater than what is taken in. A negative energy balance results in weight loss.

Finding a balance between energy intake and energy output is the cornerstone of dropping body fat percentage. This can be achieved through proper nutrition, regular exercise and overall lifestyle change.

Losing fat and keeping it off can only be achieved by adopting new exercise and good nutritional habits that will stay with you for the rest of your life. By replacing bad habits with good habits and not trying to overcome the bad habits by going “cold turkey” will yield the most desirable results.

To reach an appropriate level of body fat, you need to encompass principles of nutrition, exercise program and behaviour modification to promote lifestyle change. It is a lifestyle modification that can help you reach appropriate levels of body fat and lean mass. Use the following guidelines:

Weight train all muscle groups using eight to 12 repetitions.

Train aerobically with one moderate-intensity session and four HIIT sessions per week.

Gradually replace unhealthy fats and carbs with good ones.

Eat vegetables at every major meal.

Drink plenty of water to stay full.

Eat two to three cups of fruits each day.

Eat whole grains instead of refined variety.

Switch to fat-free or low-fat dairy.

Get at least eight hours of sleep.