3 Biggest Tips On How To Lose Belly Fat

If you carry extra weight in your midsection, it might be because of this:

• Simple fact of overeating: you’re consuming too many calories than you’re expending, so excess fat will carry in places like your belly, hips, and thighs
• You’re eating too much processed food
• You’re eating too much sugar (alternative sweeteners count too!)
• You might be overstressed
• You might not be sleeping enough
• You might not be strength training enough

Let’s be real...there are really so many factors that can contribute to excess belly fat.

And because spring break is here, I want to give you some tips that might help flatten your belly so you can flaunt around in your spring dress or bikini!

First, let’s talk about the MYTHS of losing belly fat:

• You cannot spot reduce: no amount of situps will get rid of that pooch. It can strengthen your muscles underneath the fat and increase your core strength, but it won’t make the fat disappear
• No slimming tea, detox diet, or weight loss pill will do the trick either: yeah, it might give you temporary weight loss because you’re essentially losing all water weight, but it’s not a good solution for long-term

So what CAN you do to lose it? Here are my biggest tips:

1. Full body strength training

Like I said, you cannot spot reduce. In order to lose fat in general, the BEST way to lose it is through full body strength training. Yes, cardio is great to get your heart rate up, get in a good sweat, and increase your cardiovascular endurance, but adding strength/resistance training to your workouts signals to your body that it needs more energy to recruit muscle fibers when working out, in addition to repairing it and building new ones post-workout.

If you’re using some kind of calorie tracker during your workouts, you’ll notice you’re burning LESS calories during strength training than if you were doing cardio workouts. However, because of the effects of muscle building, you actually end up burning MORE after the workout is over due to the energy required to build and repair muscle tissue.

Cardio, on the other hand, seems like you’re burning more calories, but you STOP burning once you’re done. More so, your body starts to adapt to that signal and eventually will start conserving energy during a cardio workout (i.e. burning less calories).

2. Incorporate HIIT Training

I believe HIIT training is one of the best forms of exercise to burn fat AND build muscle because it incorporates both strength training and cardio conditioning in one short effective workout. You don’t have to log in hours at the gym and so much new research shows how much more effective HIIT training is compared to steady-state cardio workouts or long-winded strength training workouts.

If you’re short on time, I definitely recommend trying out my JJF On Demand free trial program!

3. Nutrition Nutrition Nutrition!!!

Nutrition is by far the NUMBER ONE way to lose excess body fat, especially in your belly. It’s really important to clean up your diet from inflammatory-causing foods such as dairy, processed foods, artificial sweeteners, sugar, alcohol, gluten, and soy.

If you:

• Stick to whole foods with minimal to no processing
• Drink tons of water (recommended amount: minimum of half your bodyweight in ounces)
• Eat a variety of veggies, fruits, proteins, healthy fats, nuts, and seeds
• Have a small calorie deficit of your “base calorie range” (check out the formula on how to figure this out here)

...you should be able to successfully lose belly fat!

Of course, it’s easier said than done. But, challenge yourself to create 1 new positive habit this week and once you nail that down, continue to challenge yourself to incorporate new habits until it becomes a lifestyle!

Did this blog post help? If so, let me know in the comments!

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