How To Lose Tummy Fat And Build Lean Muscle
For many people who struggle with the question of how to lose tummy fat without starving yourself, here are some ideas to get you on the right track. It is possible to lose tummy fat and to build lean muscle, however you do need to do some work and make some lifestyle changes and decisions.
Lets first dispel the myth of spot reduction. This was believed to be the answer to how to lose tummy fat for decades. The theory was quite simple; do plenty of tummy exercises and enough abdominal work and the weight would magically disappear from your tummy and abdominal region.
Science has since proven that to lose tummy fat you need to reduce fat deposits all over your body. However, it is possible to learn how to reduce tummy fat and give the appearance of flatter stomach with the right combinations of food intake and specific exercise that will build lean muscle.
How to lose tummy fat with specific food choices
The types of foods you eat can have a dramatic effect on your body fat levels. Some foods are better than others of course.
Caffeine and nicotine are substances that act as stimulants and put additional stress on our bodies. They increase our heart rate and blood pressure. When this happens, our bodies instinctively go into self-preservation mode by holding on to extra calories and storing them as tummy fat.
Our bodies produce a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol accounts for extra fat storage, particularly around the stomach area. This type of fat has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
Then there is the issue of Insulin production. Our bodies produce insulin in order to utilize glucose. Sweet flavors can trigger a release of insulin even when our blood glucose levels are low or normal, this is a reason why many people feel hungrier after eating foods containing artificial sweeteners. The insulin drives down blood glucose levels, making us feel hungry. This results in excessive eating, and leads to the accumulation of tummy fat.
Nutritious foods that don’t cause your body to release the above insulin levels are slowly-digestible foods such as breads and pastas and whole grain, tofu and lean meat, whole nuts, olive oil and avocados, fibrous fruits and vegetables.
For alternatives to caffeine drinks like coffee, and the in vogue energy drinks, try the obvious alternative and start drinking decaf drinks. There are also a number of caffeine free alternative drinks sourced from different grains that are similar to coffee that can be bought from your local health food store. Green tea is also a good choice. Green tea contains enough caffeine to perk you up, plus important phyto-nutrients and antioxidants that provide a range of other health benefits as well, including a much faster metabolism!
How to lose tummy fat with exercise
Diet is just one component in learning how to lose tummy fat. The other is exercise. Cardio and muscle training will help you reduce your overall body fat percentage. Rather than just work on your tummy and abdominal exercises, ensure you work your larger muscle groups. Doing this will help you burn off more calories and help you lose tummy fat.
There are dozens of types of exercise routines you can choose. Fast walking, swimming, running, tai chi classes, or simply becoming more involved in your garden or community activities, are all good ways to get moving and to learn how to reduce tummy fat. Find an activity you really love doing. Even as little as several hours a week doing this will bring great results. Your heart health will improve, and you will begin to see weight loss all over your body and not just in your tummy area.
Strength and muscle training is an important component for burning fat as well. Its been scientifically proven that the more you build lean muscle mass, the more calories you burn, and the less fat your body needs to store.
Choose a training activity that helps you achieve this. It need not be a gym, however you will need to do some form of resistance work. This might be as simple as starting with push ups and pumping some hand weights at home. This will make a big difference. You need to stick with it and build it into your lifestyle.
As little as half an hour, three times a week will produce excellent results and visibly reduce tummy fat. An ideal routine targets different muscle groups on alternate days. You might for example work your upper body on Monday, your core and stomach on Wednesday, and your legs and on Friday. Its really that simple!
Take time in between sessions to rest, as your body needs rest to build lean muscle. Muscle mass burns fat faster! Always drink plenty of water too. Your body will burn fat much more efficiently if you are drinking plenty of fluids.
How to lose tummy fat and build lean muscle is about taking a complete body approach inside and out and making it a part of your way of life. Do this and you will soon not only know how to reduce tummy fat, you will be experiencing it first hand.
