Waist-line reduction

Many people who exercise today are burning a large amount of calories but are not losing unwanted belly fat. The focus is usually on exercises effective at burning fat such as aerobics. What most people don’t realize is that engaging in cardiovascular exercise such as aerobics doesn't cause the body to instantly burn fat.

Another popular method of waist slimming is to combine a calorie restricted diet with exercise. The main drawback to this approach is that it deprives the body of energy needed to maintain muscle mass, which is necessary for burning fat. Instead of maintaining muscle mass, muscle mass is being lost. Fat around the belly remains because the body holds on to stored fat when it doesn't receive it’s minimum daily need for calories. It is even better to increase muscle mass than just maintain it, because this will increase the number of fat calories burned by the body.

High impact exercise programs are popular for weight loss. It seems like the ideal way to burn the most calories and lose weight. The problem with this method is that most individuals attempting to lose weight are not fit enough to stay in fat burning mode, which leads to overworked muscles. When this occurs the body initiates a process known as gluconeogenesis, which causes fat burning to cease and muscle breakdown to begin.

You may be doing just the right amount of aerobic exercise and consuming the right amount of calories but still are not losing belly fat. Scientific research has found that engaging in cardiovascular exercise alone will eventually burn fat, but initially muscle mass will be lost. If you are reducing your daily calorie intake by regularly burning calories, but don’t notice a reduction in your waistline, then you are losing muscle mass.

If you have been wondering why the weight scale says you have lost weight but when you look in the mirror you don't look any slimmer it is because loss of dense muscle mass is hard to detect physically. As muscle mass decreases, the bodies fat burning capability also decreases. You may be consuming the same amount of calories you did when you were younger, but because of slowly decreasing muscle mass you find yourself gaining weight.

The best way to reduce your waist size fast is to engage in a program that focuses on restoring lost muscle mass, which will increase your bodies capacity to burn calories. For every pound of muscle gained, fifty extra calories per day will be burned. There are three keys that unlock bodies tendency to hold onto stored fat around the waist.

1) Begin your workout with 20 minutes of muscle toning and strengthening exercises - Start out with light weights and gradually increase over time. As muscles begin to develop through regular use their ability to burn fat will increase.

2) Aerobic Exercise - After 20 minutes of weight bearing exercise has liberated fatty acids, the body switches to fat burning mode. This is the time to begin your cardiovascular exercise such as aerobics.If you find that you are working out too hard to carry on a conversation you are not in fat burning mode. Gasping means your muscle tissues are not receiving enough oxygen. This will cause the body to switch from burning fat to burning glucose because it is much easier to burn.

If you have not exercised for a long time build up your endurance slowly. Start by taking a short walk every other day. Gradually increase the length, intensity and number of walks you take. You should be able to walk a couple of miles without becoming tired before you move to a more challenging walk. Once you have completed this process it will not be difficult to begin a mild weight training and low impact aerobic program. 

3) Healthy meals at Healthy Intervals - In order to effectively build muscle and burn fat, you will need to a healthy diet at proper intervals during the day. If more than four hours elapses between meals the body will begin to hold onto stored fat making weight loss more difficult. Eat a balanced diet which includes lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts. Avoid foods and beverages that promote unhealthy fat gain such as processed foods.

When unhealthy cravings come, choose to eat something healthy instead of satisfying the craving, and the craving will subside. Making lifestyle changes can be challenging. The best way to accomplish this is to do gradually, be patient and keep in mind the rewards of a slim, healthy body.