As people grow old and as lifestyles become more and more sedentary, the dreaded pot belly begins to show up. You may not have anticipated this, especially if you had ripped abs in your twenties. But no one can stay in their twenties for long, and all the time for surfing, jogging, and basketball will soon give way to work and long office hours. The body’s own metabolism also begins to slow down during aging, which makes the pot belly bulge even more. Tackling the problem, however, is still possible. Here are the steps you should follow to lose the pot belly.
- Crunches and sit-ups. Exercise in general is good for the body at almost all ages. While cardio exercises such as swimming, running, and most full body sports will provide you the calorie burning opportunity to reduce the flab in your entire body, there are special exercises which you can turn to if you want to lose the pot belly in particular. These are the crunches and sit-ups. To do sit-ups, lie down on a firm but comfortable exercise mat with your knees up. Make sure that your feet are planted on the ground. Place your hands across your chest in a crossed position, and slowly lift your upper body toward your knees using your abdominal muscles. For crunches, lie on your back and fold your hands across your chest. This time, however, you will hoist your folded legs up into the air using your abdominal muscles.
- Low carb meals. The crunches and sit-ups are your best bet for getting the definition and muscle tone that you want to replace your pot belly. To remove as much fat and flab, however, you will need to accompany the exercises with low carb and low fat meals. The stomach is especially prone to flab since this is the first area where fat accumulates, being nearest to the stomach and one of the least moved parts of the body. With low carb and low fat meals, however, the fat that is burned during your exercises will not be replaced by new fats from your diet. Try to minimize high density carbohydrates such as pasta, and replace these with whole grain breads. If you take in rice with your usual meal, try substituting the rice with organically grown brown or red rice that is more nutritious.
- Drink plenty of water. Your doctor or mother has probably already told you about the virtues of drinking at least eight glasses of water each day. Drinking water, however, has several more advantages apart from simply replenishing the usual liquids that you lose in sweating, breathing, and urine. Water is one of the simplest ways of detoxifying your body by removing the waste in your body through urine. It also creates a feeling of fullness that will allow you to eat less when meal time comes. Increasing your water intake to ten glasses or more is a good idea. Just be sure not to drink too much and too quickly – your body can go into shock because of the loss of electrolytes in your system.
Try monitoring your progress on a weekly basis to help you become more motivated. Join health groups if you want company as your lose the pot belly. Whatever cause is behind your pot belly, removing it and replacing it with a firm stomach with ripped abs can be done.
