The body stores fat as triglycerides, which can be used for fuel anywhere in your body, not just in the exercised area. Doing aerobic exercise while eating a healthy diet is the best way to lose belly fat and overall body fat.
To burn off visceral fat, your first step is to include at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise or cardio into your daily routine. Studies show that aerobic exercises for belly fat help reduce belly fat and liver fat. Some great cardio of aerobic exercises for belly fat include: Walking, especially at a quick pace.
Of course you can lose weight with cardio alone. However, with steady state cardio comes the risk of muscle loss (skinny fat), joint problems and as a result of decreased metabolism you run the risk of gaining all the weight you lost.
The amount of weight you can lose doing 30 minutes of cardio daily depends on factors like diet, intensity, and consistency. On average, a person burns 200-400 calories per 30-minute session, which can result in about 1-2 pounds of fat loss per week when combined with a calorie deficit.
Activities like running, cycling, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) burn more calories and fat throughout the body, including the upper belly, lower belly, and obliques. So, while ab exercises can help define your core, it's a holistic approach that will help you lose the fat covering those muscles.
Cardio's role in helping you shed pounds is burning calories. The more you exercise, the more calories you'll burn. If you're trying to lose weight, you should aim for doing cardio at least five days per week for a total of at least 250 minutes (4 hours, 10 minutes) each week.
What is the fastest way to lose belly fat in a week? Doing cardio and abdominal exercises every day, coupled with a healthy diet (that is low in calories, fats, and sugars) is an efficient strategy for losing belly fat quickly.
These beverages include honey-infused lemon water, jeera water, buttermilk or chaas, cinnamon tea, and green tea. When paired with a balanced diet and regular exercise, they can accelerate weight loss effectively.
With a cardio-only approach to your exercise, your joints are more likely to suffer and begin to breakdown. Elevated levels of cortisol (stress hormone) through excessive cardio can place a strain on the ability to lose body fat effectively. The release of hormones that regulate hunger can also become imbalanced.
When you lift weights, especially focusing on compound movements like Squats, Deadlifts, and Presses, you're engaging multiple muscle groups and boosting your metabolism. This burns calories during and after your workout, leading to overall fat loss, including the belly area.
A Healthy Lifestyle will lead to Healthy Weight Loss
Exercise alone will not cause you to lose weight. You can also lose weight with strength training, though this will require more dedication than cardio workouts. Strength training activities include lifting weights and bodyweight exercises such as pushups and squats.
One reason belly fat is so hard to lose is that it's considered an “active fat.” Unlike some fatty tissue that simply sits “dormant,” belly fat releases hormones that can have an impact on your health — and your ability to lose weight, especially in the waist and abdomen areas.
Can a person lose belly fat by walking? Regular aerobic exercise such as walking may be an effective way to lose belly fat. A 2014 study supports this and concluded that walking could help to burn body fat, including fat around the waist and within the abdominal cavity.
The key difference between visceral fat and subcutaneous fat, which is found just beneath the skin, is that visceral fat is more metabolically active. This means it is more resistant to fat-burning processes and harder to break down. Subcutaneous fat, on the other hand, is easier for the body to metabolize.
The Science of Fat Loss
Think of it like a balloon losing air—it deflates, but doesn't disappear immediately. Over time, your body adjusts, but the jiggly feeling can be a temporary step along the way.
Sit-ups are great for your abs, and they don't require special equipment or gym membership. Other core exercises work, too, from crunches to bridges. If you're wondering how many sit-ups you should do a day, the answer is the same for all: about 10 to 12 reps in three sets.
HIIT is among the best cardio for fat loss because it provides a well-rounded workout while burning a ton of fat and calories. “HIIT workouts can vary greatly, from 500 calories per hour to 1500-plus calories per hour for a 180-lb man.
If you are training for a 5K or a marathon, you will want to do cardiovascular training first for maximum performance. If you want to increase your muscle strength, do strength training first when your muscles are not fatigued from cardio.
There's no exact answer for how much cardio is too much. But if you're not a distance runner, anything over 60-70 minutes per day is likely counterproductive—especially if you aren't consuming enough protein or calories to support the daily caloric expenditure.