How To Shed Unwanted Pounds From Your Midsection

The midsection is arguably one of the most difficult areas of the body to lose weight. The high concentration of skin and tissue makes it ideal for the accumulation of fat deposits. You can spend day after day sweating away at the gym only to find little change in your midsection, which forces some people to throw in the towel and go back to their unhealthy lifestyle. Although it’s no easy task, there are several proven techniques which are known to target belly fat. So before you call it quits, try some of the following methods to lose your belly fat.

Sodium Intake

Let me first stress the importance of reducing your sodium intake. Most health organizations recommend 1,500-2,300 mg of sodium per day, but the average American consumes around 3,500 mg! Far too many people are busy counting calories and saturated fat rather than sodium.

The problem with sodium, however, is that it forces your body to retain water. If you consume a large amount of sodium, you will naturally weigh more from the additional water weight. Try cutting back to 1,000-1,500 mg of sodium, and use natural sea salt rather than refined table salt.

Cardiovascular Workouts

Cardiovascular workouts are the key to losing belly fat. If you focus only on high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and not cardio, you simply can’t expect to shed your belly fat. Cardio is one of the easiest types of exercise around, as it doesn’t require any special equipment. Just lace up a pair of running shoes and hit the neighborhood for an hour or so. The idea is to get your heart and lungs going. Even if you can’t run the entire way, jogging will still prove beneficial in your weight loss efforts.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your cardiovascular exercise to only running. Using an elliptical for half an hour is sure to create an intense cardio workout. These machines are highly effective at burning fat and calories. You can find them at nearly any professional gym, or you can purchase your own to use at home.

Belly-Targeting Workouts

In addition to cardiovascular exercise, you should compliment your physical fitness regime with workouts that specifically target the belly. It’s no secret that crunches are an effective midsection workout, but you’ll need to mix things up a bit. Instead of performing hundreds of crunches, you can perform planks to help burn belly fat. As the name suggests, a “plank” is done by placing your body in a pushup position, but instead of lowering your body you hold the position with your elbows rested on the ground for as long as possible.

Another belly-targeting workout is a leg raise. Lay down with your back against the floor and raise both of your feet about 2-3 feet off the ground. Hold this position for about 30 seconds before lowering your legs. Continue doing this for about 10-15 full sets and you are certain to feel the burn in your midsection.