Everyone wants a flat tummy but once you gain excessive weight and gain belly fat it destroys your physique.
It is the most challenging task to lose lower belly fat for many individuals. Lower belly fat increases due to the excessive fat in the body which accumulates in the lower abdominal region. Lower belly fat also has health issues associated with it such as diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. In today’s blog, we will discuss strategies and tips to lose lower belly fat fast.
What are the Causes of Lower Belly Fat
Before we concentrate on the strategies to lose lower belly fat, it is important to understand what the cause of lower belly fat is and how to get rid of lower belly fat. The most common causes of lower belly fat are –
- Genetics: Genetics plays an important role to decide where the excessive fat of your body will store. Some people are more likely to store excess fat in their lower belly region due to their genes while other stores it over the upper belly, hips, legs, face, neck, etc.
You will notice, if your parents are obese or were obese at some point in time and have increased belly fat, there are higher chance that if you have excess fat, it will be stored in your lower belly fat. - Unhealthy Diet: When you consume a diet that contains highly processed food, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars such as burgers, pizza, cold drinks, etc. It leads to an increase in belly fat. In order to lose lower belly fat, eat a healthy and nutritious diet that contains protein, minerals, vitamins, and healthy fats.
- Sedentary Lifestyle or No Exercise: If your work requires sitting on a chair to work for long hours and you are Lacking physical activity or have a sedentary lifestyle. Your body will start gaining weight and will accumulate fat in the belly region. To lose lower belly fat avoid a sedentary life style, take short breaks from long working hours and do some cardio exercise in between such as crunches, planks, squats, etc.
Also, try to do regular exercise at least 45 minutes daily to reduce lower belly fat.
Read More Top 10 Exercises to lose belly fat
- Hormonal Imbalance: Hormonal imbalances due to a sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, or stress can increase the high levels of cortisol, which leads to an increase in belly fat.
- Stress: As mentioned earlier, Chronic stress leads to an increase of belly fat by increasing cortisol levels. To control cortisol levels eat healthy foods, exercise regularly and practice stress-relaxing methods like Yoga, deep sleep and adequate rest.
Now that we have a got understanding of the underlying causes of lower belly fat, Next, we will discuss some strategies to lose lower belly fat.
Tips to lose lower belly fat fast
- Consume a Healthy & Nutritious Diet:
Diet plays an important role when it comes to losing lower belly fat. You should consume a diet that is high in fiber, lean protein, and healthy fats, which will help you to lose belly fat.
Including fiber-rich food in your diet makes you feel full for longer, which reduce your overall calorie intake throughout the day and your body comes into calorie deficit and starts losing lower belly fat.
Foods that are in fiber include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
Lean proteins increase your metabolism and your body burns more calories and reduces total calorie intake, which helps in losing lower belly fat. Examples of lean protein foods are chicken, fish, and tofu.
As you know, every food has some amount of fat in it. Stick to Healthy fats in your diet, such as avocado, olive oil, and nuts. Healthy fats help in reducing inflammation in the body, which can increase your belly fat and thus help in losing lower belly fat.
Avoid Intaking processed foods like burgers, pizza, or refined carbohydrates like pasta, cake, and pastries and added sugar drinks such as cold drinks, and soda drinks to lose lower belly fat. Junk foods or processed foods increase insulin levels in your body gaining fat.
- Cardiovascular Exercise:
Research has showcased, Cardiovascular exercise, also known as cardio, is an excellent way to lose belly fat, reduce weight and get rid of excess inches around the waist.
Try to do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercise five days a week. You can opt for any cardio exercise such as running, cycling, and swimming or you can do a combination of any two or three as per your feasibility.
Also, add high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to your exercise plan. HIIT is very effective when it comes to lose belly fat fast. . HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by short intervals of rest.
HIIT aims to burn more calories in less time, making it an ideal option for those who have less time or have a tight schedule.
- Strength Training:
Strength training is also known as resistance training. It is very effective in reducing lower belly fat.
Your body burns more calories when you perform Strength training and build muscle mass and helps in losing lower belly fat.
Muscle Building increase your metabolism, and your body burn more calories throughout the day, even when you’re at rest or sleep.
Examples of Stenght training exercise to lose lower belly fat are-
- Squats
- Lunges
- Deadlifts,
Aim to do strength training at least two to three times a week for better results to lose lower belly fat.
- Manage Stress:
As mentioned earlier, stress can easily contribute to the accumulation of belly fat.
Mange your stress by practicing Yoga, listen to soft music, take proper rest and sleep, communicate with your loved ones, watch favorite movies or shows. Reducing stress will be effective in losing lower belly fat.
Now we have discussed strategies to lose lower belly fat. Next, we will focus on exercises or workout to lose belly fat.
Exercise to lose lower belly fat
Choosing exercise that target the abdominal muscles is important when your focus is to lose lower belly fat, However it’s also essential to focus on exercises that engage the entire body. Here are the top 10 workouts to lose lower belly fat:
- Plank:
Plank is one of the strength training exercises. It is very helpful in losing lower belly fat as it targets the entire core as well as lower abs.
Steps to perform a plank –
Step 1- Start in a push-up position, with your arms straight and your wrists directly below your shoulders.
Step 2- Your body should form a straight line from your head to your heels.
Step 3- Hold the plank for as long as you can, aiming for at least 30 seconds.
Step 4- Repeat after taking the rest of the 10 seconds.
- Russian Twist:
Russian twist targets the sides of the abdomen i.e. oblique muscles. Reducing fat from oblique muscles helps in losing lower belly fat and bring you back in shape.
Steps to perform Russian Twist
Step 1- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground.
Step 2- Lean back slightly, keeping your back straight. Hold a weight or a medicine ball in front of your chest, and twist your torso to the right, tapping the weight on the floor.
Step 3- Twist to the left and tap the weight on the floor. Continue twisting back and forth, aiming for at least 10 repetitions on each side.
- Bicycle Crunches:
Bicycle crunches targets the entire core of your body, including the lower abs. Bicycle crunches is an effective exercise to lose lower belly fat.
Steps to perform Bicycle Crunches:
Step 1- Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and your knees bent.
Step 2- Lift your head and shoulders off the ground, and bring your right elbow to your left knee, straightening your right leg.
Step 3- Switch sides, bringing your left elbow to your right knee, straightening your left leg.
Step 4- Continue alternating sides, aiming for at least 10 repetitions on each side.
- Mountain Climbers:
Mountain climbers is a full-body exercise. It targets the core, arms, and legs. Mountain climbers more burn calories when performed and helps in losing belly lower belly fat fast.
Steps to perform Mountain Climbers:
Step 1- Start in a push-up position, with your arms straight and your wrists directly below your shoulders.
Step 2- Bring your right knee to your chest, then return it to the starting position.
Step 3- Bring your left knee to your chest, then return it to the starting position.
Step 4- Continue alternating knees, aiming for at least 20 repetitions on each side.
- Reverse Crunch:
Reverse crunches target the lower abs fat. Reverse crunches are an effective exercise for losing lower belly fat.
Steps to perform Reverse Crunch:
Step 1 – Lie on your back with your hands by your sides and your knees bent.
Step 2 – Lift your hips off the ground, bringing your knees toward your chest.
Step 3 – Lower your hips back down to the ground, and repeat for at least 10 repetitions.
- Burpees:
Burpees are a full-body exercise. Burpees targets the core, arms, and legs and help in losing lower belly fat fast.
Steps to perform Burpees:
Step 1 – Stand Straight. Lower yourself into a squat position, then jump your feet back into a push-up position.
Step 2 – Perform a push-up, then jump your feet back to the squat position.
Step 3 – Stand up and jump as high as you can.
Repeat for at least 20 repetitions.
- Leg Raises:
Leg raises is another effective exercise that targets the lower abs and helps in losing lower belly fat.
Steps to perform Leg Raises:
Step 1 – Lie on your back with your hands by your sides and your legs straight.
Step 2 – Lift your legs off the ground, keeping them straight, until they are perpendicular to the ground.
Step 3 – Lower your legs back down to the ground.
Aim for at least 10 repetitions.
- Squats:
Squats are a full-body exercise. Squats are very effective in losing lower belly fat and helps in reducing overall weight. Squats engages the core, legs, and glutes.
Steps to perform Squats:
Step 1 – Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Step 2- Lower yourself into a squat position, keeping your back straight and your knees behind your toes.
Step 3- Stand up and aim for at least 10 repetitions.
- Side Planks:
Side planks are a variation of the traditional plank exercise. Side planks mainly target the oblique muscles and helps to lose lower belly fat
Steps to perform Side Planks
Step 1- Start by lying on your side with your legs extended and your feet stacked on top of each other.
Step 2- Place your elbow directly beneath your shoulder, and press your forearm and hand into the ground.
Step 3- Lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your head to your feet.
Step 4- Hold the position for 30 seconds to a minute, or as long as you can maintain good form.
Step 5- Lower your hips back down to the ground and repeat on the other side.
For faster and better results you can make the side planks more challenging by lifting your top leg or arm, or by adding a hip dip where you lower your hips towards the ground and then lift them back up again.
Side planks help in building core strength and stability, improving the posture of the body. Side planks also help in reducing the risk of lower back pain.
- Jumping Jacks:
Jumping jacks is a simple and very effective exercise to lose lower belly fat. Jumping jack help in improving cardiovascular endurance, burn more calories, and involves various muscle groups throughout the body. Here’s how to perform a jumping jack:
Steps to perform Jumping Jacks
Step 1- Stand with your feet together and your arms at your sides.
Step 2 – Jump up while simultaneously spreading your legs out to the sides and raising your arms above your head.
Step 3- Land softly on the balls of your feet with your legs apart and your arms extended overhead.
Step 4 – Jump again to return to the starting position with your feet together and your arms at your sides.
Step 5- Repeat for a desired number of reps or time periods.
In order to increase the intensity of Jumping Jacks and for faster results to lose lower belly fat. You can modify the Jumping Jacks by stepping out to the side instead of jumping, or by adding a squat at the bottom of the movement.
Q1. How can I lose lower belly fat fast?
Ans. Losing lower belly fat is tricky, you should adopt healthy eating habits along with regular exercise to lose lower belly fat fast.
Include fibre, protein, and healthy fats in your diet. Stop eating Junk, processed food, and refined carbohydrates.
Exercise regularly at least 45 minutes as day and 5 times as week for faster result.
Q2. Why it is hard to lose lower belly fat?
Ans. Fat cells in the lower belly fat area are more stubborn and requires regular exercise and healthy eating to lose lower belly fat.
When you start your weight loss journey the effect is visible on face, neck, arms and chest however effect on lower belly fat reflects lately.
Q3. What are the best exercises to lose lower belly fat?
Ans. Best exercises to Lose lower belly fat are-
Burpees
Planks
Cardio
HIIT
Strength Training
Squats
Mountain Climbers
Q4. What are the best foods to lose lower belly fat?
Ans. Best food to lose lower belly fat are –
- High Fiber foods such as whole grains, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
- Lean Protein such as chicken, fish, tofu, beans, and lentils.
- Healthy fats such as salmon, tuna, nuts, seeds, and avocado.
Water – Stay hydrated, Aim to drink at least 10 glasses of water to flush out toxins and reduce bloating.