Diet To Lose Belly Fat

Excess Belly fat increases the risk of serious disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, the risk includes stroke, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and sleep apnea. Learn which foods pack on the stomach fat, and should be avoided at all costs, and those foods that help get rid of stomach fat and should be an integral part of your diet.

Breakfast Cereals

The food companies aggressively market breakfast cereals as healthy and nutritious. Brightly packaged, lined up on supermarket and grocery store shelves, they are certainly enticing. A glance at the list of ingredients will horrify you: Sugar, molasses, honey, glucose syrup and dextrose. Glucose and molasses are simple sugars, dextrose merely another name for sugar, and the cheap honey in these cereals has the same impact on your body as a simple sugar. It is no wonder these cereals taste so good, and alas, also pack on the belly fat.

Simple Carbohydrates 

Eliminate or reduce simple carbohydrates in your diet. This includes all flour products such as crackers, tacos, bagels, muffins, bagels, cookies, cakes, doughnuts,  pasta, noodles and bread. Avoid chocolate, sweets, pretzels, white rice and French fries. These foods are rapidly absorbed, provide quick energy, and an insulin spike which drives the excess sugars to the fat stores on your stomach. 

Complex Carbohydrates

Restrict complex carbohydrates like oats, whole grain rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes and yams to one or two meals a day. These provide sustained energy without an insulin spike that adds fat to your stomach. Replace the complex carbs with a variety of green leaf vegetables. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, green beans, carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes will add volume to your dishes without the extra calories The added fibre helps your body expel waste products and toxins that may lead to water retention and a bloated belly. 

  

Wheat Products

Contrary to conventional nutritional wisdom, wheat is not a healthy food. The type of wheat we eat today is far removed from the wheat our ancestors ate thousands of years ago, let alone what our grandparents ate 50 to100 years ago Today's wheat is heavily hybridized for commercial reasons; to increase crop yields and improve baking properties and taste. According to American cardiologist, Dr William Davis, the change in the biochemical structure of wheat has lead to an upsurge of various health issues such as celiac disease, gluten insensitivity and other auto-immune problems. Dr Davies says wheat products also spike blood sugar levels, causing insulin to drive the excess energy into your fat stores, including belly fat.

 

Protein

Eat protein with every meal. Focus on sources like lean cuts of meat, fish and poultry and free range organic whole eggs, beans and lentils. Whole Eggs are nutrient dense,contain a variety of vitamins and minerals and omega-3 fatty acids. Nutrient dense foods help you control your appetite so you consume fewer calories. Protein helps you maintain lean muscle tissue. Lean muscle tissue elevates your metabolism. A high metabolism helps your body burn belly fat more efficiently.

Fats

Use healthy fats in your cooking. These include virgin olive oil, organic butter and organic virgin coconut oil.  Organic coconut oil contains medium chain triglycerides or MCTs that are not stored as fat but used as energy by the body. A study at the Division of Healthcare Science Research Laboratory Kanagawa Japan, found that subjects given MCTs over a 12 week period lost more fat deposits compared to those given a blend of rapeseed and soybean oils.

Other Foods

Reduce your alcohol intake and avoid all sodas. Avoid potato chips, so-called fat-free or low-fat products, and processed foods particularly those containing HFCs -- high fructose corn sugars. A 2004 study reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition notes the increased use of HFCs in the U.S. mirrors the rise in obesity. The unique way in which the body metabolizes HFCs contributes to increased fat storage and belly fat.



References
1. Mayo Clinic: Belly Fat in Men. Why Weight Loss Matters
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/belly-fat/MC00054

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: How to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage Your Weight.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/fruits_vegetables.html

3. Asian Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Effect of Dietary Medium- and Long-Chain Triacylglycerols (MLCT) on Accumulation of Body Fat in Healthy Humans.
http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/volume12/vol12.2/fullArticles/Kasai151.pdf

4. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Consumption of High-Fructose Corn Syrup in Beverages May Play a Role in the Epidemic of Obesity.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/4/537.full

5. Truth about Abs: Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Better for You?
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/whole-eggs-or-egg-whites.html

6. Truth About Abs: Is Whole Wheat Damaging Your Body?
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/whole-wheat-unhealthy.html

  

Four Ab Exercises To Do At Home For A Flat Tummy

The beauty of ab exercises is you don't have to take time to go to the gym. Simply roll out your exercise mat or lie on the carpet and knock out a few repetitions of ab crunches, reverse crunches or any number of ab exercises. But remember ab exercises alone will not flatten your tummy. Accompany your ab exercises with cardiovascular activity to burn off excess tummy fat, and an appropriate nutritional plan.

Bicycling Manoeuvre
According to a  study by the American Council on Exercise the bicycling manoeuvre is one of the most effective ab exercises. Lie on your back on an exercise mat. Raise your shoulders and lift both knees until they are 90-degrees to your body. Place your hands on your temples. Crunch up and touch your right elbow to your left knee. Straighten your left leg, then touch your left elbow to your right knee. Repeat this bicycling motion for as many reps as you can. Do three sets

Wall Pulses
Sit on an exercise mat in front of a wall. Lean back and rest your shoulder blades against the wall. Place your hands palms down on the floor alongside your hips. Raise your legs and bend your knees. Exhale and tense your abs as you pull your knees toward your chest.You should feel an intense burn in your abs after a few reps. Do three sets of as many reps as you can.

Crunches
The ab crunch may be the most commonly practice ab exercise, but most people fail to perform it properly and end up using their hip flexors, or hurt their lower backs. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your arms across your chest or hands on your temples. Ensure your back maintains contact with the floor, exhale and tense your abs as you lift your shoulders, shortening the distance between your sternum and navel. Imagine your abdominal wall is an accordion being squeezed. Inhale and relax your ab muscles as you return to your starting position. Do three setrs of as many repetitions as you can.


Reverse Crunches
Adopt the same starting position as in crunches, but place your arms palms down, alongside your body. Lift your legs cross your ankles and bend your knees. Exhale and tense your abs as you pull your knees towards your chest by lifting your hips. Inhale and relax your abs as you return your legs to their starting position. Do three sets of as many repetitions as you can.






References.
1.American Council on Exercise: http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/BestWorstAbExercises.pdf
2.The University of New Mexico: Super Abs Resource Manual, Len Kravitz, Ph.D.http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/abdominal.html


Teenage Muscle. A Guide To Muscle Building For 15 and 16 Year Old Teens

How To Gain Muscle at 15 or 16

As you hit your mid-teenage years of 15 and 16, you become more aware of your body.
You want to gain muscle.
It may be for a variety of reasons:
You wish to be stronger and faster to improve your performance in a sport such as football, basketball, baseball, tennis, hockey, rugby, athletics, or another specific sport of your choice.
Or perhaps you simply want to look good with a lean muscular body and a 6-pack.
Or you feel you are a bit small for your age, and would love to add some muscle to your slight frame.
So you put together your savings or convince your parents to shell-out for a gym membership.
You are naturally a bit uncertain on your first visit to your local gym. Gyms can be daunting places, especially to a 15 or 16 year old beginner.
You are faced with rows of complex looking machines and racks of dumbbells and barbells some of which the Incredible Hulk would have trouble lifting.
Intimidating looking muscle-men prowl about, hogging the equipment, and daring you to get in their way so they can squash you like a bug.
If you are lucky, a gym instructor might show you how to navigate your way around the bewildering array of machines, but after that, you are left to your own devices.
You are left with many questions:
Which equipment should you use?
What exercises should a 15 or 16 year old beginner start with?
What are the best muscle building exercises?
How long should your workouts last?
How do you go about setting up a workout program to help you gain muscle?
How often should you go to the gym?
What should you eat to help you gain muscle?
Building a muscular body you can be proud of takes much more than simply going to the gym and lifting weights.

 Learn how to gain muscle quickly, safely and effectively