As people in developing countries become more affluent and westernized, they get more access to the same products and services long-enjoyed by folks in North America and Western Europe. Fast food is the most obvious cultural import from the West and its proliferation is causing obesity in more countries across the globe.

The most common mistake the figure-conscious make is relying on exercises that isolate the muscles of the midsection to lose excess fat. Though sit-ups, crunches and leg raises may be effective in strengthening the abdominal muscles, they don’t do much in melting belly fat and toning the abs.

Ab isolation exercises only serve to develop muscle tissue around the stomach area. They’re not really effective for burning body fat and only by focusing on body fat burn can one achieve muscle definition and getting lean, toned abs.

Total-body aerobic workouts are the most effective way to burn enough calories from body fat in the shortest time. Only by doing whole-body movement during our workouts can we hope to burn a significant amount of body fat and flatten an oversized abdomen and love-handles.

Doing total body cardio exercises at high enough intensity not only results in fat-loss- they also condition the heart and lungs, putting more oxygen into the blood stream and lowering blood pressure. The metabolic rate also goes up and stays elevated even after working out. This means more calories burned throughout the day.

By maintaining a high metabolism, overweight people can facilitate fat-loss better because more calories are expended throughout the day. This means less calories left over to be stored as body fat. If a person burns more calories than he takes in each day, this will of course lead to loss of belly fat.

Doing exercises that build muscle can also help in raising our metabolism to better combat body fat and help us get toned abs faster. Most people would be surprised to know that muscle tissue actually burns calories just by being there. Therefore, more conditioned our muscles are, the more calories we can burn without making an effort.

Doing cardio exercises that employ compound movements are not only more effective in burning body fat, they are more fun to do as well. Dull, repetitive exercises cause people to get bored with their workouts and stop exercising after a month or so. Keeping your workouts fun and exciting is the secret to staying consistent with exercising and reaching your goal of toned abs with good definition.

Related Articles