How to Lose Belly and Arm Fat

Belly and arm fat are among the most difficult types of fat to lose. Men tend to collect fat in the belly as they age. Many women tend to gather fat in their arms as they gain weight. However, belly and arm fat can be a problem for both men and women. The only way to effectively lose belly and arm fat is by losing fat all over the body. It is a scientific fact that you can not lose fat in just one place at a time. Unfortunately the fat cells in the belly and arms tend to be some of the last to shrink.

Step 1

Set realistic goals. It is possible to lose some belly and arm fat, but you may not lose all that you want. Some people are just genetically inclined to retain fat in those areas of the body. A disciplined diet and exercise program will help you reduce fat in those areas, but it will take some time and a lot of work. The more ambitious your goals, the more time and effort that is required.

Step 2

Start slowly. Many initially motivated people work out too hard their first time. They get incredibly sore then give up right away. Belly and arm fat loss is a gradual process. You may find fat disappearing from other areas of your body before seeing any noticeable results in your belly and arms. Don't get frustrated. If you stick with the program it will eventually work. Do a little bit each day then increase your efforts as you get more comfortable.

Step 3

Exercise regularly. The only way to lose fat is to increase your activity to speed up your metabolism. Do whatever you want as long as it gets you moving. Go for a walk, play tennis or ride your bike. Get your heart rate up for at least an hour and break a sweat. Increase your exercise as your body adapts.

Step 4

Lift weights. Resistance exercises are very important for losing belly and arm fat. Strong muscles burn a lot of calories and help melt away fat. It is important to point out that lifting weights with your arms and doing stomach crunches will not make you lose fat in those areas. It is not possible to spot reduce fat. However, strong muscles created by weight lifting will increase your metabolism and burn more calories. You should therefore lift weights for all parts of your body. Also, by toning your arms and building muscle, it is possible to improve their appearance without actually losing fat there.

Step 5

Change your diet. This does not have to be a radical change at first. Replace soda with water and drink plenty of it. Eat pretzels instead of chips. Eat fried food and dessert just once or twice a week. It is essential to reduce your calorie and fat intake while increasing your activity. As you become more disciplined you can make your diet even healthier.

Step 6

Get plenty of sleep. You body has a harder time losing fat when you get less than eight hours sleep. Snooze and lose the kilos.

Do you have a New Year’s Resolution?

While resolutions are well-intentioned, unfortunately most people fail at keeping them. With all the hype surrounding these promises, it’s easy to get caught up in them without really taking them seriously.

We live in a throw-away society and even our resolutions, I’m afraid, are not immune. However, especially for promises that include improving our health it’s in our best interest to not take them lightly.

So, what’s the secret to successful resolutions? While you can’t wave a magic wand and make your resolution come true, there are some easy steps to take to make it easier to fulfill your promise to yourself.

Choose an obtainable goal. Resolving to look like a super model is not realistic for the majority of us, but promising to include daily physical activity in our lives is very possible.

Avoid choosing a resolution that you’ve been unsuccessful at achieving year after year.

This will only set you up for failure, frustration and disappointment. If you are still tempted to make a promise that you’ve made before, then try altering it. For example, instead of stating that you are going to lose 14 Kg, try promising to eat healthier and increase your weekly exercise.

Create a game plan. At the beginning of January, write a comprehensive plan. All successful businesses start with a business plan that describes their mission and specifics on how they will achieve it. Write your own personal plan and you’ll be more likely to succeed as well.

Break it down and make it less intimidating. Rather than one BIG end goal, dissect it into smaller pieces. Set several smaller goals to achieve throughout the year that will help you to reach the ultimate goal. Then even if you aren’t able to reach your final goal, you will have many smaller, but still significant, achievements along the way. For example, if your goal is to complete a 10K race, your smaller goals could be running a 5K in less than 30 minutes, adding upper and lower body strength training to increase your muscular endurance, and running 2K with a personal best completion time.

Ask friends and family members to help you so you have someone to be accountable to. Just be sure to set limits so that this doesn’t backfire and become more irritating than helpful. For example, if you resolve to be more positive ask them to gently remind you when you start talking negatively.

Reward yourself with each milestone. If you’ve stuck with your resolution for 2 months, treat yourself to something special. But, be careful of your reward type. If you’ve lost 2 Kg, don’t give yourself a piece of cake as an award. Instead, treat yourself to a something non-food related, like a professional massage.

Don’t go it alone! Get professional assistance. Everyone needs help and sometimes a friend just isn’t enough. Sometimes you need the help of a trained professional. Don’t feel that seeking help is a way of copping out. Especially when it comes to fitness, research studies have shown that assistance from a fitness professional greatly improves peoples success rate.

Limit your number of promises. You’ll spread yourself too thin trying to make multiple changes in your life. This will just lead to failure of all of the resolutions.

On average only about 20% of us keep our New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, some of the biggest failures are found in fitness resolutions. But don’t let the statistics get you down. By following the tips above you’ll be better equipped to fall into the successful 20% category.

If you need professional help with a fitness-related resolution, enquire today for a complimentary consultation.