It is an unfortunate fact of life that as we age, fat seems to make itself at home in our bodies. One of its favorite places to reside is in the area of the waist just above our hips, called the love handle region. But what is to love, exactly? Those additional rolls of fat are the guilty culprits in making many articles of clothing fit a little snugger, and in keeping many of us from showing up on the beach in bathing suits. There are no if’s, and’s or but’s about it; love handles have got to go! The good news is that with the proper combination of diet, cardiovascular exercise and muscle toning, you can say goodbye to those unsightly love handles.
Targeting Fat
Here’s the bad news: there is no way to target specific areas of fat on our bodies for effective reduction. Instead, we must focus on reducing fat in the body overall, and the best way to do this is through diet and cardiovascular exercise. A general rule of thumb is that once a woman hits a body composition that is around 20% body fat, the love handles will begin to disappear. It is doubtful that anyone needs to be preached at about the proper way to eat these days, with so much information available on diet and nutrition. Keep in mind that no matter how much you exercise, you will continue to gain weight if your calories consumed are higher than the calories burned each day. This is why it is so important to cut out fats and sugar from the diet as much as possible while you are exercising daily, to increase your odds of dropping the pounds and inches on a consistent basis.
Cardiovascular exercise should be done four to six times each week, and can be as simple as taking the dog for a walk around the block, to sweating it out on the treadmill at the gym. Any type of cardio exercise will effectively burn the calories – and the additional fat – but the harder you workout, the quicker you will see results. Before you begin any type of exercise program, make sure that you talk to your doctor about the safest choices for you. Once you have a cardio workout established into your daily routine, you can begin adding specific exercises that will tone the muscles on either side of your abdomen, called the obliques. The best types of movements that will work this area include twisting and bending motions that will stretch and tone those muscles. The toning will succeed in reducing the inches around your waistline, and give you the definition and firmness that your image is craving.
While additional fat storage in the body may be a fact of life as we age, there are things that we can do to keep those storage areas under control. Once you get a handle on those love handles, you will be able to sport that bikini with confidence. Bye bye, love handles!
Exercises: Get a Handle on Your Love HandlesBasic crunch: Works the rectus abdominis, the wide flat muscle that runs from your breastbone to the top of your pelvis.
Lie on the floor with your feet hip-width apart. Cradle your head in your hands without lacing your fingers together and with your elbows rounded slightly inward. Tilt your chin a small way towards your chest and pull your abdominal muscles in.
Exhale through your mouth as you curl your head, neck, and shoulders up off the floor. Hold at the top of the movement for a moment, then inhale as you slowly lower down.
Twist crunch: This exercise works your rectus abdominis as well as your internal and external obliques, two muscle groups that wrap around your waist.
Exhale through your mouth and curl your head, neck, and shoulders up and towards the left. Hold at the top of the movement, then lower to the start. Twist to the right on the next rep, and continue alternating until you complete the set. Note: Don't just twist your elbows from side to side. Really concentrate on twisting from your middle.
Anchoring: This exercise uses all of your abdominal muscles, including the deep, underlying transverse abdominis. Your lower back also gets a workout.
Lie on your back with your left foot on the floor. Lift up your right leg and bend your knee so that your thigh is perpendicular to the floor and directly in line with your hip; flex your heel. Raise your arms up over your chest and clasp your fingers together.
Slowly lower your heel and your arms towards the floor. As you do so, concentrate on keeping your abs pulled inward, and don't allow your lower back to pop up off the floor. This becomes harder the closer your heel and hands move towards the floor. When your heel has almost touched the floor, slowly return your arms and leg to the start. Repeat this exercise four times with your right leg, then four times with your left.
Some kinds of chocolate, rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, have been shown to benefit heart health. But all types of chocolate aren't the same, and too much chocolate can negate any benefits, the Cleveland Clinic says. The clinic offers this additional information:
