Advancing age, genetics, hormones, sedentary lifestyle and a poor diet are some of the factors which cause fat to build up at the sides of your waistline. Excess fat around the midriff increases the risk of a host of health issues such as heart disorders, breast cancer, and diabetes. You need to focus on losing fat from the entire body, because this will help you get rid of the unsightly muffin top.
How To Get Rid Of Love Handles Naturally?
- Set yourself a goal of losing 2 pounds a week, this is a safe and healthy weight-loss rate. Do not lose weight too quickly; it can slow down your metabolic rate and make you hold on to the fat instead of shedding.
- 200 – 300 minutes of moderate cardio exercises per week, and strength training for 2 days is recommended by all fitness experts. For cardio, you should opt for a brisk walk, jogging, running, bicycling, climbing stairs, and rowing. During strength training, you need to target the major groups of muscles, and for each of the exercises, do 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions.
- You diet has to be the chief focus to get rid of the love handles.Consume whole grains, lean meat, low-fat dairy products, and loads of fresh vegetables and fruits. Have small portions of nutrient dense foods. Steer clear of all fried, sugary and starchy foods. Snack every 2 hours so that you do not feel very hungry.
- Talk to a gym instructor / fitness expert and perform targeted exercise to strengthen the obliques (muscles at the sides of the abdomen). Select medicine ball, bicycle crunches and torso twists. These exercises promise you that you will have a toned waistline.
- Most importantly, learn how to deal with stress in your life, because stress sets off the release of cortisol in the body; and cortisol increases your appetite for high calorie-foods and causes an accumulation of around the belly. Eat well, get adequate rest and sleep, meditate and pursue a hobby.
Exercises To Reduce Love Handles
These exercises are excellent to get rid of love handles and accumulated flab around the tummy:
- Camel pose: Kneel on to your exercise mat, keeping the tops of the feet flat on the mat. Keep your spine erect, and breathe normally. Now, inhale, lengthen your spine, exhale and gradually lower your body backwards, so that you grasp each heel with the respective hand. Arch your spine so that the chest opens out. Hold the pose for up to a minute, breathing normally.
- Triangle pose: Stand straight with the feet wide apart. Turn out the left foot. Now, inhale, lengthen your spine, exhale and go down. Slowly grasp the left foot with the left hand. Then, stretch the body sideways and bend the right arm so that it rests on the right ear, parallel to the floor. Hold up to a minute. Release and repeat for the other side.
- Grinding mill pose: Sit on your exercise mat with your legs spread out as much as you can. Clasp your hands in front of you and extend outwards. Now, swing the body in a clockwise manner so that your hands touch the left toes, then the right toes, then rotate and come back. Do 10 clockwise rotations and 10 anti-clockwise rotations.