How to Burn Abdominal Fat

Many people hope there is a magic cure to burning abdominal fat, but there's not. The best way to get rid of abdominal fat is to use the tried and true methods of eating a healthy diet and exercising. Some companies claim to have the latest method for getting rid of unwanted fat around your middle. Be cautious when you spend money on this equipment as it often works no better than cooking healthy dinners and working out on a regular basis.

Things You'll Need

• Tennis shoes
• Workout clothes
• Small weights (between 3 and 10 lbs. each)
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains
• Lean meats
• Water

Exercise and Eating Healthy

1. Plan to do cardiovascular exercises as part of your daily routine five times a week. Examples of cardiovascular exercises are: walking, jogging, running, and swimming. You can also play tennis or racquetball.
2. Bring your heart rate up for 20 minutes and keep it there while you are exercising. Use the Maximum Heart Rate Calculator on the BodyBuilding.com website (see Resources) to find your maximum beats per minute and percentages of your maximum heart rate. When you are exercising, you will want your heart rate to stay in between certain percentages, such as between 70 percent to 75 percent, of your maximum heart rate for 20 minutes to burn fat.
3. Do toning exercises with the cardiovascular exercises to speed up and improve the process of burning your fat. Some toning exercises you can do are: leg lifts, crunches, and push-ups. You can also use a set of low weights (between 3 and 10 lbs.) to supplement your toning exercises. When you are toning several muscles, do your ab exercises last since you are using your ab muscles in almost every exercise you do.
4. Eat balanced and healthy meals full of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean meats such as turkey, fish, and chicken. Stay away from alcohol, caffeine, processed foods, and refined sugars. You want to remove foods that offer no nutritional value and cause you to retain water.
5. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Some nutritionists recommend getting at least 64 oz. of water each day.

Be Patient

1. Realize that an excess of abdominal fat can be related to your genetics. Anne Collins, a nutritionist and professional weight loss consultant, says on her website, "Each person is genetically programmed to store fat in differing proportions around the body." Some people store fat around their arms and necks. Others carry more fat in the abdominal region. So, it may take more time for you to burn abdominal fat through diet and exercise, depending on your genetics.
2. Understand that people burn fat from different areas of the body first. If you are reducing your calorie intake and burning fat, you may not burn it from your abs first, especially if that is where you store the majority of your fat, according to Collins, so you may notice the loss of bulk in your neck or your legs first.
3. Look at the difference between men and women's body shapes when you are trying to burn abdominal fat. Females tend to have pear-shaped bodies with the fat stored mostly on the hips, thighs, and buttocks. Malestend to have an apple shape with more fat around the abdomen. So, men and women will burn fat from their abs at different rates. Don't compare your results with someone else's because there are too many factors to take into consideration, such as gender, genetics, and even hormones.