By Rennie Aranda, Skinny Gene Nutritionist

Summer has arrived which means sunny days, warm temperatures, and ample opportunity to show off your hard-earned bathing suit-ready body. If you’re still trying to work off the winter weight, healthy eating and exercise will do the trick in getting your body summer ready. Healthy eating focuses on including whole grains, lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and plenty of water daily. In addition, a combination of cardio and strength training exercises will help tone your body overall, including the dreaded belly fat. You cannot “spot reduce” so if you want to lose the muffin top or the pot belly, try some of these fat burning exercise tips to burn overall body fat from head to toe.

 

Pump Up the Cardio

–          A good overall cardiovascular conditioning exercise program is crucial to burn fat

–          Walking is excellent, but most people have to pump it up a bit from their routine pace, especially if they’ve been exercising for a while and flab is not budging

–          Increase the days or length of workout time. If you work out two days, increase to three. If you’re jogging for half an hour, increase to 45 minutes or an hour

–          Interval training, alternating bursts of intense activity with bursts of lighter activity, is a good way to burn more fat. For example, walk for five minutes, and then jog for five. This strategy will burn overall more calories and more fat. If you are already jogging, jog then sprint to mix it up

–          Increasing intensity for a short period within your regular workout will burn more total calories and therefore more fat

Pump Iron or Do Other Strength Training

–          Weight training 3x a week for a half hour each session is ideal for beginners

–          Once flab is under control, two weight training sessions a week will help maintain tone

–          Work the full body. Work all the major muscle groups, (not just the flabby ones), but incorporate full-body weight training exercises that also focus on your flabby areas

–          For muffin top, focus on abdominal, oblique muscles by doing bicycle kicks, or do oblique twists with the cable weight machine

–          Can’t make it to the gym? Try home exercises to burn fat. For example, get a broom, hold it straight up over your head, then lean to the right and left. You should feel effort in your love handles

–          For flabby upper arms, do dumbbell kickbacks with hand weights (with upper arm parallel to the floor and bent at the elbow, lean over a weight bench or other low bench with your other arm supporting your body. Extend the lower arm holding the weight until it is straight. Repeat and switch the weight to the other hand.)

–          To maximize the fat burning during weight training, women should aim for 12-15 repetitions per exercise and focus on a higher number of reps rather than constantly boosting the weight

–          Men should aim for 8-12 reps and increase weight periodically

Crunch Your Flab

–          If a muffin top is due to abdominal muscles not being exercised a long time, toning up those muscles may help

–          In addition to cardio and healthy eating, belly fat can be toned up with crunches and reverse crunches (lie flat and raise your hips and legs to work the lower abdominals)

–          Get more from your core. You’ll get more from your Pilates, Yoga, or core-focused moves that will lead to a slimmer, flatter belly. Move from your waist. When you twist, make sure movement happens from your bottom rib up while keeping hips still

–          Add small weights for more fat burning potential. Start with a 5lb medicine ball or hand weight between both hands and swivel left to right and back, bringing the weight across your body while maintaining your torso above the ground (in a V shape)

 For other tips on slimming down for summer and for life, please also check out…Belly Fat Burning Tips for the Summer