If you’re trying to lose weight, you probably already know that finding time to consistently work out is essential for shedding pounds. Even though a well-balanced diet, drinking lots of water, and getting plenty of sleep is important, it’s definitely not enough for substantial weight loss. Specifically, to really burn belly fat, you should always keep your body moving to boost your metabolism. You should especially make sure that you’re doing the right exercises.
And, if you’re looking for exercises that you can easily do every morning to lose visceral fat and tone abdominal muscles, we reached out to fitness trainers Claire La Breche, Sara Haley, and Karina Blackwood to get their professional opinions. They said that the best, easy exercises you can do in the morning to blast abdominal fat are burpees and squats or crunches. Keep reading for their advice on healthy weight loss and fitness recommendations!
1. Burpees
Like other HIIT and high-cardio exercises, burpees use several muscle groups for a full-body workout. It also raises your heart rate in the process. Haley says, "In a beginner burpee, you squat down (using your legs and butt) and put your hands in front of your feet. [You] walk your feet out to a plank position (using your core muscles and shoulders), walk your feet back into the squat, and stand up. You can advance the burpee and use even more muscle groups—squat down, walk or jump your feet out to plank, do a push-up (now working chest and triceps too), or walk or jump the feet back to the squat and stand up or do a jump squat." That's why this exercise truly works the entire body.
"To build more muscle, you’ll want to pick up more weight. You could turn your body-weight-only burpee into what is often called a Man-Maker (which I like to call a Woman-Maker). Begin with medium-sized weights in your hands and squat down like the beginning of a burpee. You can put your hands on the floor or keep them on your weights as you go out to plank (I recommend keeping them in your hands if you can)," Haley explains. Burpees are also exercises that can be done from the comfort of your home.
"From your plank, row one arm back at a time (now working your back too). If you need to modify, widen the stance of your plank or put your knees on the floor. Perform your push-up. Then, walk your feet back into the squat with your hands on the floor," she continues. "As you stand up, perform a bicep curl (now working your biceps too) with a standing squat. Finish with a shoulder press above your head. Repeat." Haley also wants to emphasize the importance of hydrating and eating a healthy diet of food to fuel your workouts.
2. Crunches And Sit-Ups
Another easy exercise you can do in the morning to shed abdominal fat is crunches and sit-ups. Crunches, Blackwood says, "target the rectus abdominis muscle, which is the 'six-pack' muscle in the front of the abdomen." You can improve your core strength, posture, and stability by strengthening the rectus abdominis muscle. She explains how crunches are performed, "Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head and lift your shoulders off the ground, exhaling as you crunch upwards. Hold for a second, then slowly lower back down to the starting position."
Sit-ups, on the other hand, target the entire abdominal muscle group which includes "the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis muscles," Blackwood says. Similar to crunches, sit-ups can help improve core strength, stability, and posture. To perform a sit-up, she says, "Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest and lift your upper body off the ground, exhaling as you sit up. Hold for a second, then slowly lower back down to the starting position."
With both crunches and sit-ups, Blackwood wants to emphasize that they can both put a strain on your neck and spine if you do them incorrectly. She recommends you "focus on engaging the abdominal muscles rather than pulling on the neck," and to use "controlled movements rather than jerking or bouncing motions" to prevent injury.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, La Breche says that the "most important factor in making lasting changes when it comes to weight loss is consistency." She continues, "You can start running and probably see some pretty rapid change, but finding a workout regimen that's sustainable–meaning you can continue to fit it into your lifestyle AND you enjoy it enough to keep it up—will mean that results like losing weight and seeing more muscle definition will last!" So, no matter what kind of exercise you decide to do to burn belly fat faster, it's best to choose one that you love and can be consistent with!
