Keeping one’s body fit and healthy is essential for a happy life. Two things are of paramount importance in maintaining good health. First is proper diet. The diet must contain all the required nutrients in the correct proportion and must provide the energy to carry out one’s daily routine. The second is regular exercise. Exercise keeps the body fit and strengthens the muscular system. Improvement in technology has changed our lifestyle drastically that our dependence on automations for performing our chores has increased tremendously. This has made our lifestyle more of sedentary nature. One direct consequence of less manual labour is accumulation of excess fat beneath our skin and in the abdominal region. This is commonly known as belly fat. Belly fat reduction has become an obsession in people of all ages. The excess fat in the belly region tend to disfigure ones body and can lead to a variety of diseases, including obesity. This article concentrates on an exercise that helps to reduce the belly fat.
Procedure
This is an effective exercise for muscle control and stabilization. Regular execution helps in reducing the excess belly fat. There are two levels in this exercise. The beginner level is relative simple while the advanced level requires more muscle control and hence more difficult. One should start with the first level and then slowly proceed to the more difficult stage.
Position
One should lie flat on the back on a smooth, level surface. The hands should be placed at the sides of the body with the palm facing the ground. Both the legs should be kept straight with the toes pointing at the ceiling.
Beginner’s Level
One should bend both the knees so that they are pointing at the ceiling. Then the legs are extended so that the heels are directed towards the ceiling. Now the lower abdominal muscles and the oblique muscles are gently contracted to raise the tailbone off the floor. The tailbone is raised to the maximum possible level and then the legs are lowered to the initial position or the legs can be lowered half way. The above procedure is repeated for desired number of times.
Advanced Level
In order to increase the difficulty of this exercise, one should bend one leg and perform the same procedure with the other leg straight as explained above. This is relatively more difficult to perform as it requires more muscle control. One should not start with this level. The beginner level should be perfected before attempting the difficult method.
Precaution
This exercise must be done slowly without jerky movements. Care should be taken so that momentum is not recruited into the movement. People with spinal injuries must not work out this exercise as it incurs more stress on the backbone.
Every workout program must be complemented with a nutrition program that optimizes the fat burnt and aids muscle growth. Regular workout doesn’t alone guarantee a slim waistline. A certain amount of fat is necessary as they make up for the reserve energy requirements of the body under adverse conditions, and it is obtained from the food we eat. There must be perfect balance between the fat consumed in the diet and the fat burnt during workouts. Excess fat consumed gets accumulated in the abdomen as belly fat and leads to a variety of heart related issues, breathing difficulties during sleep and obesity. Obesity has been a major problem for a number of decades. Obesity is a condition where there is accumulation of excessive fat around the belly region. The primary solution for belly fats is regular exercises and proper diet. There are many exercises that helps in burning the belly fat. One such exercise is explained in this article.
Position
Russian twist is a simple and effective exercise that helps to lose belly fat. One should lie on the back on a level surface with the legs straight. The hands must be placed at the sides of the body such that they are at right angles with the body. The palm of both the hands should face the ground.
Movement
One should raise ones knees so that the shin is facing the ceiling. The knees should be parallel to the ground. Now the legs should be slowly lowered to the floor at the side such that it forms 90 degrees with the trunk. In this position, the oblique muscles are twisted in a transverse plane movement. The legs are then returned to upright position and bent as before on the other side. The above movement must be repeated at a slow pace for desired number of times.
One of the merits in this procedure is that since the knees are bent, the level is shorter and the weight used is less when compared to the full leg version. As a result, this exercise can be easily executed by beginners and is very helpful in reducing the belly fat.
Optional
A Swiss ball can be used as an accessory while working out this exercise. The ball must be placed under the calves and the same procedure is followed. The use of the Swiss ball improves the balance and further reduces the difficulty of the exercise.
Precautions
The exercise must be performed in an open area which must be free from obstacles. The head and the neck should be aligned with the rest of the body and the movement should be slow and smooth without jerks. One should not hold the breath while executing the movements. People with complaints of back pain must refrain from doing this exercise. They ought to consult their physician before attempting the exercise.
Physical exercises play a vital role in staying fit. Exercises invigorate the muscles, burn the excess fat and makes the body flexible. It is important for people whose profession compels them to lead a sedentary way of life to squeeze an hour of workout into their busy schedules. It is not necessary to join a gym or buy expensive exercise equipment to sweat out. There are many simple exercises that can be executed at home without the need for any sophisticated accessories. One should exercise with caution while practicing them as incorrect execution may lead to problems or lower benefits than expected. People with joint pain or related complains must consult their physician before attempting any exercise.
Majority of the people suffer from the problem of excess belly fat. Belly fat refers to the accumulation of subcutaneous fat in the abdomen. Belly fats can lead to a variety of health related issues including heart diseases and diabetes and hence regular workout is mandatory in order to prevent them. Front Squat Exercise to reduce belly fat is detailed in this article.
Exercise Procedure
Front squat is an excellent exercise to strengthen the lower abdominal muscles and to reduce belly fat. It is relatively simple to execute as it places less load on the spinal column thereby reducing the chances of hurting the backbone. A dowel rod is required for carrying out this exercise.
Position
One should stand straight on a flat surface with the feet spread apart slightly more that shoulder width. Toes can be turned out at an angle of 30 degrees or less, depending on ones comfort level. The dowel is to be carried using both the hands with the palm facing upwards and elbows bent, supported on the shoulder.
Movement
Gradually, one should draw ones belly button toward the spine and descend to bottom position as far as possible without raising the heels such that the knees are bent approximately 90 degrees. The dowel rod should be supported on the shoulder while performing this movement. Then one should come back to the starting position. The above procedure must be repeated for desired number of times.
In order to increase the intensity of this exercise, weight is increased by using a barbell or dumbbell in lieu of dowel bar.
Precautions
While working out this exercise, majority of the weight of the dowel bar must be carried on the shoulder. When carrying out the movements with heavy weights, one should take the help of an experienced trainer. The normal curvature of the spine should be maintained and the knees should not come forward past the toes. It should be done is stages, say 2-3 sets of 12 repetitions. People with low back pain or those with knee injuries should be careful while executing this exercise.
There are many belly fat reducing exercises. One or the other exercises which has a definite output can be done with some modifications and can enhance the desired effect. One such exercise is leg lower into pop up exercise in which the pop up is an addendum to the normal leg lower work out technique. This pop up work out works deep into the abdominal muscles and help in burning belly fat drastically.
Description:
Begin by lying flat on the floor. Keep the chest wide open with the hands behind the bums. This is the initial position. The hands can even be kept free on the floor but keeping it behind the bums will help in keeping the chest wide open. Take a deep breath. Raise the legs without bending them at the knees and reach a perpendicular position to the upper torso. Exhale while doing so. Now without bending at the knee lower the legs down and then rise back to the initial position. Once the initial position is reached execute a pop up by lifting the gluteal with the feet facing the ceiling. This works out the transverse abdominal muscles. Exhale while bringing the legs down and inhale while crunching up. Hold the breath while popping out. Repeat the steps for 6 to 8 times per set. 3 sets are usually done to reap the desired effect.
Tips:
Keep the upper torso flat on the floor throughout the work out. Never try to bring the head up. The chest has to be kept wide open. Avoid slumping of shoulders. At the same time legs should not be bent to gain the maximum out of this work out. A tiny pop up has a much less effect on the transverse muscles of the abdomen when compared to a big one. Normally a tiny pop can be done at the start and accompanied with a big one in the later stages.
Executing this work out as slow as possible will have a pretty much desired effect. And keeping the legs straight has an added advantage.
Lower leg into pop up exercise have the combined effects of leg lower work out as well as that of pop up technique. This has a drastic effect on the abdominal muscles and thus falls into the high intensity category. Lower leg into pop up exercise is comparatively harder and many struggle while starting with it. Regular practice eradicates the difficulties and makes it look simple. On the whole Lower leg into pop up exercise burns out the belly fat to a greater extent and provides us with an improved physical fitness proving it to be a better work out technique for reducing belly fats.
Belly fat accumulation begins with the lower abdomen. More fat adds more weight to the lower abdomen and as a result bloated bellies come into effect. Proper work outs for the lower torso will surely burn up the fats and project a very good outfit. One such lower abdomen exercise to burn out the belly fats is knees in and out exercise. This exercise mainly concentrates in the lower abdomen parts and help in the reduction of belly fat along.
Description:
Begin by lying flat on the floor. Take a deep breath. Raise the legs, and bring it towards the chin, bending them at the knees. Raise the upper torso in such a way the chin is nearer to the knees. Hands are either set free or held at the back of head giving a support to the same. This is the initial position. Now stretch the arms and legs together in opposite directions. Inhale while doing so. Execute this at a much slower pace to gain maximum benefits. Now again crunch back to the initial position once the greatest possibility of stretching is achieved. Exhale while doing so. Do not try to concentrate on the upper torso. Keep the head and chin still and stretch the lower part of the abdomen. Repeat these steps for about 6 to 10 times in a single set. 3 sets are done with proper time gap to gain benefits.
Tips:
Throughout the exercise keep the upper torso in the initial position and never try to alter it. In the course of execution this remains a huge task as the upper torso tends to move down flat on the floor. This has to be avoided. The arms and legs should be stretched in such a way the foot remain pointed towards the wall. While stretching the legs search for a support and so bringing the legs flat on the floor should be avoided. The stretching and crunching movements should be executed as slow as possible. Never try to lie flat on the floor. Arching of back should also be avoided.
While stretching the legs for this particular exercise, they should be straight enough in the maximum stretch position. Apart from this the arms should also reach straight.
Knees in and out are a comparatively strong exercise and thus fall into high intensity work outs. Morning hours are the best time to carry such an exercise without much interruption. More the pain more the benefits can be reaped out. Regular practice can make it a much easier work out for the lower abdomen parts in burning the fats. The outcome is a reduced belly fat and a much improved physically fit outlook.
