How to Lose Belly Fat with Cardio exercises

Losing weight and building abs is a common goal for many people. Abdominal fat is difficult to deal with and is also a location that can indicate more serious health problems. A high percentage of belly fat can increase visceral fat, or the dangerous type of fat in and around the abdominal organs ^{[1] X Trusted Source Harvard Medical Schop Go to the source} You need to change some ways live to lose fat around the belly. Research shows that regular, moderate-intensity cardio is one of the best ways to lose belly fat. ^{[2] X Trusted Source Harvard Medical Schop Go to Source} Combining a healthy diet with adequate exercise can help reduce belly fat.

Table of Contents

Exercise to reduce belly fat

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Incorporate steady cardio. Stable cardio is any aerobic exercise that keeps the heart rate at a relatively steady level for at least 10 minutes. This type of exercise helps burn calories and supports metabolism. ^{[3] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

In general, experts recommend at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week (or 30 minutes, 5 days per week). Try to combine moderate and high-intensity activity. This combination, in addition to providing benefits for heart health, also helps burn calories from fat. ^{[4] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}
Some activities that are considered moderate-intensity cardio include: jogging/walking, jogging, cycling, rock climbing, Stairmaster or Elliptical, swimming and dancing.
Some studies even suggest that 60 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per day is most effective at helping to reduce belly fat. ^{[5] X Harvard Medical Schop Trusted Source Go to Source}

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Exercise in the morning. Try to do cardio in the morning, before your first meal. Exercising in a fasted state means that the body will use energy from stored fat. ^{[6] X Research Source}

Try to incorporate any cardio in the morning. Even a 20-30 minute walk can help the body use stored fat for energy.
Waking up early in the morning can be difficult. You should try to prioritize getting up early to exercise so that after a few weeks, your body and mind will become used to getting up early.
Make sure to go to bed early. Getting enough rest is very important, so you need to go to bed early if you plan to wake up early to exercise.

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Combine exercises to help tone the abdomen and core muscles. While the new cardio will help burn and reduce body fat, you can incorporate some light-intensity strength training to help tone your abs.

Incorporate a variety of exercises to strengthen and tone your core. Once you have lost belly fat, toning your abs will help you look more standard.
Try muscle-strengthening exercises like: sit-ups, planks, bike sit-ups, or V sit-ups.
Exercises to strengthen muscles will help muscles become stronger; However, this exercise does not help with fat loss “only in one place”. Targeting a certain area of the body to lose fat is a mistake, so working out abs will not help reduce fat around the belly. ^{[7] X Harvard Medical Schop Trusted Source Go to Source}

Combine cardio exercise to reduce belly fat

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Jog or jog slowly. Jogging and jogging are great steady-state cardio exercises that help burn fat. If you can walk briskly or jog slowly, you’ll burn more calories and help reduce body fat. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

In general, you can burn 100 calories while running 1600 m. Besides, jogging is also a great exercise for cardiovascular health. ^{[9] X Research Source}
If you’ve never run before, you should start slowly. You can start with a slow jog about 1600 meters and then gradually increase the distance or speed over several weeks.

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Cycle in groups or ride intensely. Group cycling and high-intensity cycling are another great exercise that burns a lot of calories and fat.

Group cycling exercises are done indoors with a bike simulator. You can control the speed and drag on the machine. However, the harder you train and the faster you pedal, the more fat you will burn.
If you’ve never ridden a group bike before, you’ll need to take it slow the first few times. This exercise is very intense and it can take several weeks to get to the right level.
Group cycling exercises are usually conducted in a closed room. You may feel hot and sweat a lot. Therefore, it is very important to continuously rehydrate during the group cycling session.

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Step aerobics (stepping on a podium). Step aerobics is another great cardio exercise that burns calories and fat.

This exercise is especially effective because it targets the legs and glutes. Working these large muscle groups makes you sweat, burning calories and fat. ^{[10] X Research Source}
You can burn up to 400 calories in 30 minutes if you exercise at the highest intensity.
If you’ve never attended a Step aerobics class, you should start slowly. Practice small steps and correct movements that are too difficult. Over time, you’ll be able to take larger steps or perform the movement without adjustments.

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High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT is another form of cardio exercise. This cardio exercise burns a lot of calories from fat and helps increase metabolic rate about 24 hours after finishing the exercise. ^{[11] X Research Source}

During HIIT, you alternate between bursts of high-intensity cardio and short bursts of moderate-intensity cardio. Compared to steady-state cardio, it doesn’t take much, usually around 20 minutes (along with a 5-minute warm-up and warm-up before and after your workout). This is a short but intense exercise.
Research shows that there is a link between the intensity of cardio exercise and the loss of belly fat. HIIT training can be effective in reducing belly fat. ^{[12] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to source}

Eating to support body fat loss

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Limit carbohydrates. Research shows that low-carbohydrate and low-calorie diets not only help you lose weight faster, but are also effective at helping reduce belly fat. ^{[13] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

Carbohydrates are found in many foods, including dairy products, fruits, starchy vegetables, grains, and beans.
Focus on limiting carbohydrates from foods such as: sweets or sweetened drinks, bread, rice, pasta, chips, cookies or pies. Other nutrients found in these foods are also present in other food groups. So you can safely limit these foods.
Supplementing with a source of carbohydrates provides the body with many other nutrients such as fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Foods such as fruits, starches, vegetables and dairy products also contain many other essential nutrients and should be fortified in the diet.
Low-carb diets focus on limiting, but not eliminating, carbohydrates. Certain carbohydrates are also necessary for the body to function at an optimal level.

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Track calories. In addition to following a low-carbohydrate diet, following a low-calorie diet has also been shown to be beneficial. ^{[14] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source} Research shows that a combination of low-calorie and low-carbohydrate diets results in the greatest reductions in belly fat.

Low-calorie diets refer to different levels of calories. The total recommended calorie intake will vary from person to person, depending on age, gender, weight, and activity level.
In general, it is safe to cut about 500 calories from your diet each day. This way helps to lose about 0.45 kg per week. ^{[15] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}
Use a calorie tracker or online program to calculate how many calories you’re currently consuming each day. Subtract the result by 500 to get the goal of calories to reach each day.
When cutting calories, you shouldn’t cut too much. Eating less than 1200 calories per day increases the risk of nutrient deficiencies, muscle loss and fatigue. ^{[16] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

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Eat the right kind of fat. There are different types of fats in your diet that you can add. Some fats have been shown to be healthier by research, while others are thought to increase belly fat and abdominal visceral fat. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Research shows that regular saturated fat consumption is associated with increased belly fat and visceral fat. ^{[18] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to sources of} Saturated fat found in foods such as: full-fat dairy products, processed meats, high-fat cuts of meat, margarine and food fried. ^{[19] X Research Source}
Instead of eating foods high in saturated fat, you should choose leaner food sources. For example, choose lean cuts of beef or low-fat dairy products.
Also, use fats like olive or canola oil for cooking instead of butter.
Instead of choosing foods high in saturated fat, you should increase your intake of foods rich in heart-healthy unsaturated fats and omega-3 fats. These foods include: fatty fish (such as salmon, mackerel, tuna or sardines), olives or olive oil, nuts, nut butters, and avocados.

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Increase consumption of vegetables and fruits. When following a low-carb, low-calorie diet, you need to focus on eating enough fruits and vegetables each day.

Both of these food groups are nutritious, packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and very low in calories.
In general, experts recommend consuming about 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. However, while focusing on reducing carbohydrates, you should not have more than 1-2 servings of fruit or 1-2 servings of starchy vegetables per day. ^{[20] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}
Increase non-starchy vegetables such as: vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, green beans, asparagus, mushrooms or eggplant.

Advice

Always talk to your doctor before starting a weight loss plan or exercise program to make sure it’s safe and right for you.
Losing belly fat takes time and patience. Persistence with diet and exercise will help bring significant results.
Do not exercise immediately after eating. Wait at least 2-3 hours, otherwise you may experience spasms and the food is not digested properly.
Try exercising with a close friend or a group of friends to stay motivated.

Steps

Exercise to reduce belly fat

Combine cardio exercise to reduce belly fat

Eating to support body fat loss

Advice

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