Love handles, the squidgy excessive tire of fat around the waist, are an aspect of the body which many are unhappy about and wish to lose. Fat around the hips and waist can be reduced with the correct plan, which will flatten the midsection, make the upper torso appear wider, and drastically improve aesthetics. Trying to specifically target the body fat around the hips, waist and stomach with direct exercises will likely lead to disappoint, with spot reduction near impossible and ineffective via such exercises. The key to losing your love handles is overall fat reduction, with direct exercises to firm and strengthen the area.
Losing the fat
Fat loss = calorie restricted diet + cardiovascular training + time
Losing body fat is a popular goal amongst many, yet countless people get caught up in the latest fad diet and end up yo-yoing in weight. Fat loss is relatively straight forward, yet requires some dedication and patients.
Firstly, dietary intake should reflect the goal of wishing to lose body fat. This does not mean all dietary fats should automatically be removed from the diet, it means a balanced and wholesome diet should be followed, which is restricted somewhat in its calorie content to ensure weight loss. At least five portions of fruit and vegetables should be consumed during the day, with regular fluid intake to ensure optimal hydration levels (more so during training and on warm days).
A dietary plan for a person looking to lose body fat may look like the following:
7:00am Wake
Cardiovascular exercise 45 minutes
8:00am
2 slices of granary bread (can be toasted) with olive oil based spread
2 boiled eggs
Item of fruit
Drink
10:00am
Low fat yogurt
Item of fruit
Drink
Lunch
Medium baked potato
Chicken
Large serving of salad
3:00pm
Small selection of mixed nuts
Celery and carrot sticks
Drink
Dinner
Wholemeal pasta
Vegetables
Lean minced beef
Drink
Evening
Small/medium serving of cottage cheese with pineapple
Drink
The above meal plan is merely a guide to food choices and timings; it should not be stuck to. Ensure a varied diet is consumed. Change serving sizes to suit individual requirements.
As briefly mentioned in the above plan, cardiovascular exercise would be ideally performed for a minimal of 45 minutes three to four times per week. Cardiovascular exercise increases calorie expenditure, therefore accelerating fat loss. Swimming, cycling, squash, rowing, treadmills, cross trainer, jogging etc are all exercises which will elevate the heart rate and breathing, as well as spend calories.
Direct exercise
Performing direct exercises to the muscles of the hips, waist and stomach will likely lead to some form of adaption, if performed regularly. This can come in the form of strength increases, increased muscle size, as well as greater endurance. If the goal is merely to shrink the size of the waist, fat loss alone will prove fruitful. If, however, the goal is to have some notable muscle definition, direct exercises can aid in muscle hypertrophy (growth). A reduction in body fat, compounded with an increase in the size of the obliques (waist) and rectus abdominis (stomach) muscles, will in time lead to a defined and athletic midsection.
The waist and core muscles should be trained as part of a balanced overall weight training plan. Take a look around this web site for more information regarding weight training programs. For fruitful results, the midsection can be directly trained between once and three times per week, with each session lasting no longer than twenty to twenty five minutes.
