It’s not easy to get rid of the stubborn fat in your stomach. To lose belly fat, you must perform particular workouts. People with abdominal fat have an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and some malignancies, according to the AARP.
Reducing belly fat is about more than losing weight. It is about shifting your body fat distribution to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases.
Losing belly fat is not easy, but there are some simple and effective exercises that must be performed regularly.
Exercises That Help You Lose Belly Fat
Before beginning these workouts, warm up for 10 minutes. After your muscles have warmed up, take a 10-second pause before beginning the exercises below:
1. Lying Leg Raises
- Place yourself on a mat. Place your palms flat on the floor and your thumbs beneath your hips. Lift your feet slightly off the floor, gaze up at the ceiling, and engage your core. This is where you’ll begin.
- Raise both legs to 90 degrees and then slowly lower them.
- Raise your legs just before you contact the floor. Perform three sets of 15 reps.
What Not To Do – To elevate your legs, do not lay your feet totally on the floor or push your hips up with your hands.
2. Leg In And Out
- Lie on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift both legs about six inches off the floor.
- Keeping your legs lifted, slowly lower one leg out to the side, then in toward your body, and then back out to the starting position.
- Then repeat with the other leg. Perform three sets of 15 reps with each leg.
What Not To Do – Always keep your legs parallel to the floor and do not bend your knees.
3. Scissor Kicks
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Raise your right leg straight up in the air. Raise your leg as high as you can, then lower it.
- Keep your leg raised, and lower your right leg out to your left side. Perform three sets of 15 reps with each leg.
- Lift your leg back up in the air. Raise your leg as high as you can, then lower it. Repeat with the other leg.
What Not To Do – Do not raise your leg further than you can at first; once you get the hang of it, you can lift your leg higher.
4. Crunches
- Lie on the floor, knees bent. Raise your shoulders off the floor and lift your head. Hold that position for five seconds, then lower your shoulders and head.
- Push your chest up, then lower your chest. Repeat as many times as you can in a minute.
- Sit on a bench and place your feet on the floor. Raise your shoulders up and down quickly. Do not touch your legs.
What Not To Do – To prevent injury, do not raise your shoulders up and down or touch your legs.
5. Bicycle Crunches
- Lie on the floor, knees bent, feet flat. Raise both legs to a 90-degree angle. Then raise your right leg to the right, placing the foot on the floor.
- Bend both knees and lower your body to the floor. Raise your right leg and touch the floor. Return to the starting position, then repeat with the other leg.
- Then do the same motion with your left leg. Perform 2 sets of 12 reps with each leg.
What Not To Do – To elevate your legs, do not lay your feet totally on the floor.
6. Half Seated Reverse Crunch
- Lie on the floor and place your knees on the floor. Lift your right leg, placing it over your left leg. Lift your head so that you are looking straight up.
- Raise your left leg, placing it on the floor. Then lower your left leg, and lower your head so that you are looking straight up. Move up and down.
- Repeat the motion with the other leg. Perform three sets of 15 reps with each leg.
What Not To Do – To prevent injury, keep your head straight up, do not lift both legs to the same height.
7. Sit-ups
- Lie on your back. Lift your knees off the floor and place them on a bench. Raise your head and look straight up.
- Lower your legs, and lower your head so that you are looking straight up. Hold this position for five seconds, then lower your legs and head.
- Repeat the motion with the other leg. Perform 2 sets of 12 reps with each leg.
What Not To Do – To prevent injury, do not raise your legs to the same height or even higher.
8. Heel Touch
- Sit on a mat and place your feet on the mat. Raise your right leg, placing the foot on the mat.
- Lower your feet, and lower your head so that you are looking straight up. Hold this position for five seconds, then lower your feet and head.
- Repeat the motion with the left leg. Perform 3 sets of 20 reps with each leg.
Before going on to the next exercise, take a 20-second pause.
What Not To Do – Keep your feet from being too near to your hips.
9. Jackknife Crunch
- Lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Raise your left leg, placing it on top of your right leg. Raise your head so that you are looking straight up.
- Lift your upper body while keeping your back and neck in line. Lift both of your feet off the floor at the same time.
- Lower your upper body, then lower both of your feet at the same time. Repeat the motion with the other leg. Perform three sets of 12 reps with each leg.
What Not To Do – Between repetitions, do not entirely rest your head on the floor.
10. Crossbody Mountain Climbers
- Put yourself in a plank posture. Ascertain that your elbows are squarely beneath your shoulders. Maintain a straight line through your neck, back, and hips. Do not bend down and pick up. This is where you’ll begin.
- Cross the body, and then perform a step-through motion. Slowly lower the body until your back is parallel to the floor. Then slowly return to the starting position.
- Repeat the motion with the other leg. Perform three sets of 15 reps with each leg.
What Not To Do – To prevent injury, keep your elbows on the floor and your shoulders in a straight line.
Be careful not to put too much weight on your back, you can hurt yourself.
Conclusion
The exercises above include multiple variations. For example, you may have already begun to see the importance of the sit-ups and the cross body mountain climbers. This is what makes these exercises so great; they can be modified to suit your needs and strengths.
