The love handles – that extra fat around your waist that makes you go crazy. It makes your clothes look bad, ruins your self-esteem, but also poses a health risk.
Regardless of your gender, you can get love handles and they can come in different shapes and dimensions. They might not be visible when standing, but they are tough to deal with, especially when seated.
There are lots of reasons why we have them: from having unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, lots of stress, too much sugar or lack of sleep.
But it is all up to you at the end. You decide if you want to wear these love handles and suffer from low self-esteem, or you want to be comfortable wearing anything and look good. Learn more about what causes them and the solution for it.
1. Unhealthy diet
Unhealthy food produces fat in our body and it is the direct cause for extra layers around our waist. There is no excuse here, since we are directly in control of what we eat. The only thing we need is will to improve.
Our bodies digest food in a different way. Every metabolism is different and digests food with different speed. The timing and the type of food you consume plays a big role. You can treat yourself once in a while, but first get to know your body, and you will know when it is harmless to give yourself a treat or even have a cheat day.
It is possible to lose all the extra fat, including these love handles only by practicing healthy diet.
2. Lack of physical activity
Have you ever seen a football or basketball player with love handles? I don’t think so and no wonder you haven’t.
Athletes exercise a lot! Many people don’t understand how important regular exercising is. Full body workout is great for keeping the hormones balanced and it accelerates your metabolic system. A good workout also increases your self-confidence and simply makes you feel good about yourself.
3. Too much sugar
We all know that consuming too much sugar is not healthy. The excess of sugar in the body can lead to overheating and can give you the urge to consume more unhealthy food. It is an addiction, and a very dangerous one. This is because the excess of sugar can impact your level of insulin. When the sugar is unbalanced it is very easy to gain weight.
4. Constant stress
Stress is something we can’t avoid in today’s world.
So the question here is, how can stress cause extra fat? It is scientifically proven that stress is the main reason for the presence of elevated cortisol in our systems. Cortisol is also an adrenal hormone that is important for the maintenance of the physiological processes. Cortisol is known to increase the amount of fat around the abdomen and breaking the muscle mass in the body.
5. Lack of sleep
Lowering the stress level is a great thing for keeping the good health. Another thing that is good for our health is sleep. Sleep is also an important factor when it comes to love handles.
The reason is simple. The lack of sleep increases the risk of metabolic disorders and diseases like diabetes. You get that extra fat when you have a metabolic disorder.
Now that we know what causes the love handles, let’s see how to get rid of them. The first thing you can do is to keep a strict diet, and exercise regularly. Some people have an extra layer on their waist, and it can be nerve braking.
Just remember the following 7 rules for losing extra fat.
1. Cardio
Do cardio every day for 20 to 30 minutes. This exercise will accelerate the pumping of the blood in the body. You can do various exercises that will have the same effect, such as jogging few times a week. This will melt down the extra fat on your body.
2. Get some rest
The lack of rest stresses your body. Remember what we said about stress? Stress also makes you feel hungry.
3. Eat Fats
Yes, eat fats, but healthy fats, such as nuts, fish, avocados, coconut oils and nut butters. They all contain omega, which is very good for your hearth and also eliminates the feeling of hunger.
4. Less sugar
Cut down on sugar. For example, try having your coffee without sugar. Pay attention on the amount of sugar you consume.
5. Drink water
Drinking water helps you detoxify your body. Also, it will make you feel less hungry. Next time you need to refresh, don’t take soda or something similarly unhealthy. Have a glass of water instead.
6. Decrease stress
You must control the level of stress. What you can do next time when you feel stressed is try walking, yoga or a similar activity. Find a way to decrease your stress.
7. Take the stairs
Don’t wait for the elevator, just take the stairs. It is a great workout. Also, instead of driving to the shop just go walking. Implement this and you will thank me later.
8. Do this stomach workout routine
This routine is very efficient when it comes to burning extra fat.
– Oblique Press and Reach- get down on your left knee with your right foot in front. Hold the weight with your right hand to the side at an angle of 90 degrees, reach up and then extend your arms to the ceiling. Then, bend on the left side until your fingertips are touching the ground.
– Side Plank Crunch- lay down on your side, with the right elbow on the floor. Place the right foot a little bit in front of your left one and then slowly lift your body off the floor. While you do this bring the right knee left elbow towards each other. At the end go back to the original position.
– Standing Twist Oblique– While standing with your legs apart, with your body strait, hold your hands forming a T-shape. Change our hands in opposite direction as shown on the video below.
– Knee drop- Lay flat on the floor faced towards the ceiling with both arms on the sides, having your knees pulling towards your chest. Squeeze a small ball between your knees and try not to let go. While holding the ball with your knees try, turn your legs on the sides.
– 40Woodchoppers (20 on each side)-Stand hip width apart with your weight on one side. Using one hand weight start a twisting motion towards the opposite side hip. Do 20 reps, then switch side and do another 20.
– 50 Russian Twists– Sit down on the floor on your butt with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Your upper body should be leaning back a little bit at an angle of 45 degrees. Cross your legs at your ankles and lift them in the air. Start twisting your body on one side until you touch the ground with the dumbbell next to your body, and then get back in the starting position and continue the twist to the other side.
– 30 side plank hop lifts– Get your body to a side plank position with your hips down on the floor. Rise your hip to form a straight line with your body, hold on for a bit and return to staring position. Do 15 reps on each side.
– 30 Bicycle Crunches– Lie down on the floor with your legs bent and arms behind your head. From there start doing ellipsoid movements with your legs, like pedaling on a bicycle, moving your right elbow towards your left knee, and left elbow towards your right knee.
