The secret to a flat stomach is not drastic diet or killing abs. It is best to make small changes in your life, much more effective and easier to incorporate.
Do you diet starving, combine it with marathon sit-ups but don’t notice you lose your belly? We are sorry to tell you that your strategy is not good. It is true that dieting (but not one so drastic that it kills you with hunger) and abs helps to lose general volume, but not localized fat. And it is that in the belly and the cartridge cases a lot of adipose tissue is concentrated with “a2” receptors, that is, “fat-catching” receptors. Therefore, to burn abdominal fat, it is necessary to stimulate the arch enemies of the “a2” receptors, that is, the “b1” receptors. We tell you how to burn abdominal fat with strategies supported by science.
Sit-ups and cardiovascular exercise
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Aerobic physical exercise, such as walking, running, cycling or swimming, is essential to burn abdominal fat , but also other exercises that you can do at home such as squats, burpees, strides or jumping jacks. Sleeping is extremely important if you want your body to maximize the benefits of the aforementioned exercises, especially if you’re going to be running a marathon or undergoing other types of strenuous activities.
When doing this type of cardiovascular exercises, catecholamines are generated, substances that activate the “b1” receptors, contrary to the “a2” fat traps. Doing these exercises you help to mobilize the fat anchored in the belly and saddlebags. And even more fat if, as a study by Laval University (Canada) indicates, you practice aerobic exercise in HIIT programs, that is, high-intensity interval training like this one proposed by Patry Jordan . And, along with it, incorporate tone exercises (weights, training with body weight in isometrics …), which help to gain muscle and burn more calories even at rest.
Mediterranean diet
A research published in the Journal of Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases ensures that follow the Mediterranean diet helps to counteract the negative effects of abdominal fat on the health of the heart. It has been seen that following this diet – rich in vegetables, fruit, legumes and fish – contributes to the good health of the intestinal microbiota, a fact that helps burn more fat.
The Mediterranean diet is already our usual diet, the only thing you should do is stop eating foods that are not your own, such as ultra-processed, etc. If you want more precise guidelines on how to follow it, don’t miss our article on the current Mediterranean diet, where you will even find a downloadable menu.
Avoid stress
Chronic stress causes your body’s level of cortisol – the “stress hormone” – to be abnormally high and this has a high impact on the endocrine system and a build-up of fat in the belly. Therefore, a good strategy to burn abdominal fat is to find your way to relax. For some people it can be meditation, for others dancing, disconnecting by doing puzzles, reading … If you want to start meditation, don’t miss the guidelines that Rafa Santandreu gives you. But if you think that it is not your thing, we tell you how to end stress in 5 steps without meditating.
Apply reducing cream in the morning
We usually apply reducing creams at night, but the truth is that the chronobiology indicates that it is much more effective to apply them between 6 and 8 in the morning. At this time, the hormones “empty” the fat cells to meet the energy needs of the body and using a cream that includes caffeine and carnitine (the so-called “fat-breaking duo”) favors this mobilization of localized fat in the belly.Then reapply the cream at night, to maximize the effect, but always keeping in mind that you should look for a while in the morning, because this is the time when the effectiveness is greatest.
Sleep well
If you sleep poorly, you accumulate more belly fat. This is explained by the Harvard Medical School, which ensures that if you sleep little you burn 8% kcal less, which is equivalent to gaining 5.5 kilos a year. And not only this, but lack of sleep alters leptin and ghrelin, the hormones that regulate appetite, and this makes you hungrier and more hungry for snacks between meals. And you will also like more foods rich in sugars and fats, the ones that interest you least. So try to sleep 7-8 hours. If you have sleep problems, at CLARA.es we will help you sleep well.
Eat yogurts and other fermented
Fermented foods help feed the “good bacteria” in your microbiota. And as various studies support, a healthy microbiota contributes to a smoother belly.In fact, a study published in the journal Genome Biology proved that not having a healthy and diversified microbiota caused more fat to accumulate in the belly. For this reason, eating fermented foods that provide probiotics to favor good bacteria (such as yogurt, but also kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, miso …) will help you burn abdominal fat (as long as you follow a balanced Mediterranean diet ).
Eat more good fats
The fats from the pastries, from the pre-cooked pizza … you do have to take them off. But in this anti-fat eagerness, do not give up fatty foods such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts, blue fish or seeds, since these good fats help fat reserves to mobilize and the excess ones are eliminated. Of course, since they are very caloric foods, you should take tighter servings. If you want to eat with less fat, make sure you do without the bad, not the one that helps you burn abdominal fat.
Do light exercise in the morning
We do not say that it is necessary to go for a run at 7 in the morning, make a couple of greetings to the sun as soon as you get up and it would serve. But try to train before breakfast. A University of Bath study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism seems to conclude that fasting sports may be more effective in burning abdominal fat.If you don’t have much time, do a short session in the morning and continue training throughout the day. This way of exercising, the exercice snacking , can help you easily incorporate exercise into your daily life.
Sunbathing every day
An Australian study has shown that when the wavelengths of the blue light of the sun penetrate our skin and reach the fat cells under it, lipids decrease in size and “leave” the cell. In other words, sunbathing –with the proper precautions– causes us to accumulate less fat. If you can’t leave the house, look out the window for a long time and let the sunlight touch you.
Have a light dinner soon
And by having a light dinner we don’t mean having a little dinner. Dinner should be complete and highly digestive, for example, with a first of boiled vegetables or vegetable cream, and a second that is fish, turkey, tofu … And a yogurt without sugar for dessert. Also, eating dinner early helps you accumulate less fat because it speeds up your metabolism, as chronobiology specialist Marta Garaulet explains.
