Posted on July 31, 2014 by Kate Halsall

We call it by so many names: “Puppy Fat”, “Middle Age Spread”, “Spare Tire” – but for the majority of you, it won’t matter what you call it, you just want to get rid of it. The problem is, we still see people ending their workouts with 10-15 minutes of sit ups and crunches; there are still diets to “tone that tummy in 30 days”, and there are over 240,000 videos on YouTube entitled “exercises for belly fat”!! Don’t despair! You can burn that belly fat away and we’re here to help! Here are some all important belly fat facts to help you with your training.

FACT: Your 6 Pack May Be Hidden!
It doesn’t matter how hard you work, but unless you drop the body fat from the WHOLE of your body, you will never see that toned mid-section! Depending on your age, to be classed as having a healthy body fat guys need to between 13-17% body fat and women 21-25%, however although these levels are  classed as healthy you will still not see a  six pack at these levels. To see your six pack coming through men should have a body fat of 10% and women 16%. If you’re unsure how much body fat you have, book in for an MOT with one of the Motive8 team who will measure it for you.

FACT: Doing just abdominal exercises is NOT going to cut it
Whilst some people may argue that sit-ups, crunches, ab cycles, and planks can help to spot reduce and tone that stomach, they are quite possibly the least effective exercises to get you the mid-drift you want. For a start, they won’t raise your heart rate too much, and they certainly won’t help to build muscle! You need to be doing big compound whole body resistance exercises to build up those muscles and some form of High Intensity Interval Training to strip away the excess fat. See some of our other blogs below.

FACT: In this instance if you don’t snooze you lose!
Studies have shown that if you don’t get enough sleep, stress hormones such as cortisol can promote not only weight gain, but also fat deposition around the abdominal area. You should be getting 6-8 hours of good quality sleep each night.

FACT: A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips AND YOUR STOMACH!
When you feel that you have worked hard enough to deserve a little treat, take a pause to consider what it will be. Before you reach for the “low fat” variety of your favorite food, think about what is actually in it. Sugar and unrefined carbs result in insulin spikes which will ultimately lead to fat gain. There is no belly fat diet I’m afraid. Abs are tackled in the kitchen with good old fashioned clean eating.

The message is actually short and sweet: Exercise with muscle blasting intensity, eat clean, and get some sleep. Who’d have thought it?! Simple!

Other Reading:
http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/how-to-get-a-six-pack-abdominals/
http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/abdominal-fat-loss/
http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/sprinting-get-six-pack/
http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/best-exercise-for-the-abdominals/
http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/program-training-fat-loss/