Love handles is just another term for the excessive fat around the waistline, which is often quite challenging to lose. That is precisely why one needs tremendous discipline along with unparalleled commitment levels to achieve this rather difficult task. Getting rid of the love handles takes time, and one must not expect any visible results within the first month.
Push ups
The best routine would be to combine a healthy diet with a regular workout program that actives the abdominal muscles with greater intensity. Also, it is imperative that one makes lifestyle changes to incorporate increased amounts of physical activity, combined with better work-life balance.
Nevertheless, remember to warm-up before working out to flex your muscles and improve the blood circulation to the target muscle group.
Let us not wait any longer and look closer at the six tips that could help you to get rid of love handles.
#1 Include adequate quantities of dietary fibre
The inclusion of good amounts of dietary fibre in your diet aids in digestion and promotes a long-lasting feeling of fullness, which goes a long way towards reducing the overall calorie intake.
Recent research pertaining to the subject also pointed out that people consuming just over 30 grams of dietary fibre on a regular basis even had long-term benefits concerning the fat around the waistline.
Even though dietary fibre is treated as a carbohydrate, it has no significant calorific value, and one should carefully monitor their overall carbohydrate intake in the process.
Some of the fibre-rich foods include berries, green leafy vegetables and chickpeas.
#2 Perform HIIT workouts
Any form of exercise is good for not only flexing the muscles but also to burn fat. Generally, people prefer to perform aerobic exercises to accelerate weight loss; however, recent studies have shown that performing high-intensity training workouts instead of monotonous aerobic exercises could hasten up the process of weight loss, as the explosive movements in these programs not only tone the target muscle but also activate a host of other stabilisation muscles in the body.
The inclusion of side planks, bicycle crunches and mountain climbers in a HIIT workout goes that extra mile in getting rid of love handles.
#3 Lift weights
Lifting weights as part of a strength training program has a host of benefits; not only do they aid in building muscle but also accelerate the calorie burn, which will ultimately, reduce to the excess fat in the body.
While lifting weights, focus on performing workouts that target the core region with enhanced precision. Barbell Squat and the straight-leg barbell sit-up are the prime examples of the same.
Beginners must lift weights under expert supervision, and people suffering from lower back pain must exercise caution while training with free-weights.
#4 Cut down on added sugars
Following a low-sugar diet by cutting down sources of added sugars is proven to accelerate weight loss to get rid of love handles. Apart from increasing the belly fat, added sugars could trigger several diseases such as diabetes and other serious heart ailments.
However, keep in mind to not completely avoid sugars as it could turn out to become counterproductive, and might lead to further complications down the line. Moreover, not all sugars are bad for the body.
For best results, replace sweetened carbonated beverages with fruit juices, which are rich sources of natural sugars along with tonnes of vital minerals and vitamins.
#5 Reduce alcohol intake
Alcohol contains huge amounts of calories when compared to carbohydrates and proteins, which is one of the primary driving factors of weight gain while drinking alcohol. In addition, a couple of studies have pointed out that alcohol increases the appetite, which forces you to increase your calorie intake. This has a compounding effect as the alcohol itself is high in calories.
Along with cutting down on alcohol, incorporate changes to your lifestyle to include a balanced diet and increased physical activity.
#6 Get quality sleep
Recent studies have shown that the quality and quantity of sleep is related to weight gain. In these studies, it is found that people deprived of sleep showed increased stress levels and ultimately gained weight when compared to people who slept for the required amount of time.
Much like quantity, people must also monitor their sleep quality as it is seen that people with around five hours of sound sleep responded better to the weight loss program when compared to people suffering from disturbed sleep, even if they slept for eight hours.
