Three Techniques For Flattening Your Belly
Losing belly fat is a prime motivator for eating more healthily and exercising more. These three strategies will help you burn off that belly.
Portion control: Using smaller plates makes your meal look bigger than it is, a useful psychological technique for feeling satisfied after eating. Alternatively, divide your portion between containers. You can measure the right proportion of food groups in each meal using just your hands: your protein intake should cover your palm, your carbohydrate intake your whole hand, fibre your fist, and oils and fats your thumb. Aim for 6-8 servings a day for men, 4-5 servings for women.
No carbs before your workout: Eating a low- or no-carb diet prior to your workout and making up the carb count afterwards is known as carb back-loading, and is a technique designed to restrict your carb intake to those times when the body is least likely to store them as fat. It is designed to take advantage of the body’s natural cycle of insulin and cortisol production.
HIIT: it stands for high-intensity interval training, and involves alternating short bursts of very intense activity with shorter or longer periods of recovery (for example, 20 seconds sprint followed by 30 seconds of walking). This “shocks” your cardiovascular system into maximum efficiency, burning fat even during the less intense portions of the workout (and mainly after the workout). It has the advantage of burning a lot of calories with a relatively short training time.
You don’t have to use all three of these strategies; pick the combination that works for you. But the combination of right eating habits and exercise is essential to flatten that belly.