It's super common these days to see men AND women walking around with a pregnant belly, and I'm not talking about having babies.

Having a fat belly makes you feel like you're not your best self, and I totally get that. Most women with big middles feel unattractive and depressed when that cute dress they see on the mannequin just won't fit them right.

Having excess belly fat is not only seen as unattractive, but it also has tons of negative side effects on your health.

Did you know that having excess belly fat increases your risks of having high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and a host of other disorders?

There are many factors which contribute to the accumulation of belly fat.

Lots of women these days are resorting to extra-tight weight trainers and corsets to forcefully shape their waists and abdomen to what they THINK it should look like.

Please stay away from this.

Waist trainers or cinchers can really do some serious damage to your vital internal organs. They compress your lungs and midsection, limiting blood and oxygen flow. Waist trainers also do not get rid of fat cells. They only push the fat to other parts of the body. This effect endears it to many women, but the long-term effects are not desirable.

DO NOT hurt yourself looking for an easy way out. If you truly desire to have the stomach of your dreams and still retain your health, then you have come to the right place.

This article is going to give you some solutions to reduce your belly fat in smart and healthy ways.

1. Eat enough protein.


Protein builds lean muscle and as well as burns body fat. Your body burns a lot of calories just by breaking down proteins. Of all the macronutrients we eat (carbs, proteins, fats) protein has the highest thermogenic effect on the body. Eat foods with higher concentration of protein and less carbs like chicken breast, tuna (in water), salmon, and eggs.

2. Eat healthy fats.

Include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats into your diet. This means an increase in fish oil and olive oil (if you’re going to fry anything). Healthy fats also include avocados and nuts. This will keep your insulin levels low. It's also important if you’re trying to lose belly fat and develop that six pack!

3. Do the right exercises.


What a lot of people don't know and won't tell you is that exercises like sit-ups and crunches will NOT burn belly fat! Personally, I think it's completely pointless to waste hours of your time doing hundreds of crunches. You can spend that hour doing exercises that will actually burn stubborn belly fat.

Add weighted compound movement exercises to your routines! Barbell squats, shoulder presses, deadlifts, pull-ups, dumbbell lunges, close-grip bench presses,and the like to your routine. These compound movements promote more total fat loss and a much bigger muscle-building response than crunches and sit-ups ever will.

4. Find a smarter cardio method.


Don't fret guys! I'm not saying you should do any ab exercises, BUT there is a much better way. I suggest doing interval workouts combined with abdominal exercises. This is what I do.

During the active recovery period of your interval workout, perform an ab exercise. For example, if you are doing interval sprints on a stationary bike or treadmill, run for 30 seconds at your maximum speed (my maximum speed is 15), then hop off the machine and immediately perform a set of 20 of your choice ab exercise. Get back on the machine and crank it back up again. Repeat 5-8 times.
Hope this helps!

This post was made by Sandra Okeke Fitness. You can read more on so www.sofitness..com and follow her on IG: @sofit_ng