Article By Holly Rigsby
Author of "Fit Yummy Mummy"
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is "How can I lose my mommy belly?"
It's an important question to moms. Whether you just had a baby or not, we all want to slim down and get our bodies back, but it can be hard to lose that fat in our midsection.
So many moms try everything they can think of: doing more cardio, doing hundreds of crunches, wearing belly bands and so on.
Attention Moms: This Just Will Not Work!
Your "Lose The Mommy Belly" Strategy
Step up to the challenge! This means changing the way you think about losing fat.
The two absolute most important things you have to consider are DIET and STRENGTH TRAINING.
The Fastest Way to Melt The Mommy Belly
It goes without saying that you will not lose the mommy belly without cleaning up your eating habits. By diet I do not mean, cut your calories super low and only eat rabbit food. It means quite the opposite.
To follow a supportive diet is to choose to eat more or the foods that support fat loss. Not only will you take a closer look at what and how you eat, you will also cut back in a big way on the foods that prevent fat loss in the belly such as; sugar, processed foods, and high-carb/low-nutrition snacks and fake diet foods.
A supportive diet that will help you lose the baby belly is one that contains quality protein, produce (such as fruits and vegetables) health fats and in moderation, whole grains. A whopping 75% of your results will be seen and felt by making small tweaks to include these supportive nutrition guidelines.
Drop the Mommy Belly by Picking Up the Weights!
Now you know you have to have the right diet, for workouts alone will never get you the results you want. So what's the best type of workout to banish the mommy belly?
Thinking it must have something to do with cardio? Nope!
One of the biggest mistakes and time wasters busy moms make is doing more and more "cardio" workouts. It's a common misconception to think that the longer you go, the more you will burn. Not only does this strategy take too long for busy women who just don't have the time to waste, but it's simply not effective. Your body is just too smart.
After the first few long duration cardio workouts, your body adapts which means you burn less calories. Plus, the longer you do cardio, the more you lower your metabolism for your body turns to the protein in your muscles for added energy to keep going. Less muscle mean lower metabolism.
This is why women who only do cardio reach the point of having to do even more just to maintain, with little to no hope of making any forward progress.
What is the workout solution to lose the baby belly?
Short Burst Strength Training.
The key to burning fat is boosting your metabolism. The only form of exercise that has the power to do this is strength training. How? Well as you challenge your muscles, your metabolism increases. Plus with strength training, you will be working out much more intensely than with long, slow cardio workouts.
In only 15 minutes, a short bust strength training workout will boost your metabolism and even better - this increased calorie burn lasts for the next 24-48 hours well after the workout is finished! Something traditional cardio can never match!
An elevated metabolism is key to burning fat and you will start to lose the baby belly in no time.
Surprisingly, you do not burn some fat only during your workout, you burn the majority it afterward, as your body recovers. This is why intense metabolism boosting strength training is so much more effective than long, low-intensity cardio. In essence your get your body to work for you rather than always having to work your body like you do in traditional cardio workouts.
Keys To A Mommy Belly Burning Strength Workout
- Comprised of Full Body Exercises (squats, deadlifts, push, pull and core moves)
- Challenging (No Barbie weights! Moms, consider the weight of your baby. You must lift more than your baby to create a change!)
- Progressively Challenging (increase the intensity/weight over time) otherwise you will hit a plateau
But I still have to do a lot of crunches, right?
The single biggest misconception about getting rid of the belly is that you can crunch your way to a tighter tummy.
This misleading advice is known as "spot reduction" and is what prevents many moms from not only losing the mommy belly but giving up completely on their fitness plan with the thoughts such as "nothing works for me".
If you are going to lose the mommy belly, you have to change your body composition. Fat loss is not achieved in specific spots. Crunches just will not do the trick!
You will want to strengthen your core, but crunches are not the answer. Planks and plank variations are better for targeting all of the correct ab muscles (not just the outer layer of abs). They are also safer for your spine and help to reverse abdominal separation that takes place during pregnancy.
So, one more time… NO CRUNCHES!
The secret to losing the mommy belly and getting a flat post baby belly is cleaning up what you eat and following a metabolism boosting strength training workout plan.
Ok, I've lost the baby belly…now what?
Enjoy your hard efforts! Take a picture and reward yourself with a new pair of jeans that flatter your new midsection. After putting in the effort to strength train and eat right, you deserve to show off your fabulous body.
Just remember: continue to increase the intensity of your strength training and stick to your clean eating habits.
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