One of the most dangerous types of fat you can have is belly fat which has been linked to many health risks.
Many new moms aren't new to this phenomenon as they may have some belly fat left over from their pregnancy. So what can you do to lose pregnancy weight?
Here are some great exercises to help you get started.
Exercises to Lose Belly Fat: Cardio
There is no one exercise that will rid your belly fat only. Cardio will help you lose body fat overall, thus helping you get rid of that belly fat in the process. Our bodies are prone to collecting fat in certain areas like our waist or thighs, thanks to our wonderful genetics. So if you tend to always have belly fat, you can lower your body fat percentage with cardio and this will set you on your way of getting a leaner, flatter stomach and losing pregnancy weight.
There isn't one "top" cardio exercise that targets the belly fat. The best cardio is the one you choose to do and keep with it for the long run. Try to choose a cardio routine that will be easy to incorporate into your daily activities and aim for doing it 5 times a week.
The easiest way is to think about the activities you enjoy doing and whether they fit into your schedule. If you're an outdoors person, go hiking or swimming. If you enjoy gardening, fix up your yard. If you're sporty, play basketball, soccer or tennis. If you like shopping, take power walks around the mall before you begin your shopping spree. If you're a dog lover, play catch or frisbee at the park. If you don't know where to begin, just start taking walks around the neighborhood. This activity is especially great for new moms as it's easy to do and pushing a stroller can provide some resistance causing you to burn more calories to lose the pregnancy weight.
Exercises to Lose Belly Fat: Core Strength
Losing the pregnancy weight around your middle will take more than just lots of sit-ups and abdominal crunches. You can vary the types of sit-ups and crunches you do to lose the belly fat faster. The American Council on Exercise recommends doing vertical leg crunches rather than the regular crunches you're used to. To do this, you lie on your back with your legs straight up at a 45 degree angle, hands behind your head and perform a crunch. Exhale as you go up and inhale as you go down.
Exercises to Lose Belly Fat: Yoga
Yoga has been touted as one of the most efficient ways to reduce stress and build core strength. New moms choose yoga to lose pregnancy weight because it can reduce the stress hormones and strengthen the abdominal muscles at the same time, making it an ideal way to lose the fat around their waists.
Stress is bad for the body because it causes your body to lock itself into preservation mode. This mode releases a hormone called cortisol which helps your body start storing fat, especially around your waistline. This is reminiscent of when our ancestors had to survive off the land when food was scarce at times.
Yoga helps to reduce the amount of cortisol in our bodies just by performing certain breathing and stretching exercises. Yoga also places an emphasis on relaxed, flowing motions. It can be used to calm the mind, slow down the heart, and lower blood pressure.
As an added bonus, many yoga poses can help you lose pregnancy weight by toning up your body and waist area. Positions that require you to lie down on your back, or sitting and standing positions that require you to extend your legs and maintain balance are poses that you should focus on.
With a regular routine of cardio, core strengthening, and yoga, you will lose your pregnancy weight and enjoy better health and relaxation.
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