There’s truly no love lost when it comes to love handles. These are sections of stubborn fat that stick to the front and sides of your stomach, and most of us would rather just get rid of them.
Love handles usually sneak upon us, and before we know it, we have a generous helping of fat around our midsection.
As easy as it is to get them, love handles are notoriously hard to lose. Many a man has struggled on the elliptical and doing countless abs, only for the slabs of fat to laugh at their efforts. But love handles don’t have to be a permanent resident. We’ve listed six ways you can use to get rid of that pesky flab.
Add foods with soluble fibers to your diet, pronto. They help you to feel fuller for longer by slowing down your rate of digestion.
The fuller you feel, the less tempted you’ll be to grab a snack during the day. Your calorie intake will reduce, and with time, those annoying love handles will be relics of the past.
So, which foods have these soluble fibers? Look for fruits, vegetables, oats, nuts, beans and as a plus, these foods are also packing lots of nutrients. They will make you much healthier.
Go Organic
Yes, yes, we know. Organic foods can be a tad pricey. However, consider the benefits. For one, they are packing over 50% more omega-3 fatty acids.
Secondly, they also contain Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA. This has been proven to help in reducing fat around the midsection.
So, next time, don’t flinch at the asking price. Get your fix of organic cage-free eggs and grass-fed beef. A nice bonus is they also taste better.
Hit the HIIT
In a perfect world, we’d just do a ton of cardio and the love handles would burn right off. However, it doesn’t work like that. If you do too much cardio, you’ll just become a smaller version of how you look now; but the proportions will still be the same.
Instead, try some High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT. This is where you alternate between hard exercise and recovery in the same workout.
The beauty of HIIT is that your body will keep burning fat, even after you’re done working out. But don’t skimp on the cardio completely. A solid ten-minute cardio session after your HIIT workout is a nice balance.
Naturally, Shrink Love Handles By Bulking Up
Another way you can get rid of your love handles is to not focus on them so much. Instead, try to focus on other parts of your body. Build up the rest of your body, from your traps to your pecs.
When they inevitably increase in size, your love handles will look smaller in comparison and since you’ll be burning fat, that extra flab will also disappear eventually and give way to epic abs.
To achieve this, try to manage two to three total-body workouts each week. Then finish with interval training and some light cardio. You won’t just lose those bothersome love handles; you’ll also look like a proper beast.
Stop Stressing Out
Being stressed out can mess up more than just your mental health. It can also make your midsection rounder. This is because stress makes your body produce the hormone cortisol or the “stress hormone”. When you’re stressing out over something, your adrenal glands produce this cortisol.
While it’s normal to get stressed out or frustrated from time to time, being like this every day is not healthy. Your body will produce insane amounts of cortisol, which will build up around your midsection.
Also, you’ll also get some messed-up side effects, like digestive issues, headaches, and anxiety. So, just try to go to your happy place as often as possible so you can lower your stress.
Reduce The Booze
Do you drink alcohol more than society says you should? Then maybe you should try cutting back a little. When you indulge in alcohol a little too often, you can grow obese and increase your body fat, particularly in the midsection.
Drinking also makes you feel hungrier; it stimulates the brain cells that regulate appetite, which can make you eat more when you don’t really need to. In addition, alcohol is packed with sugar and calories, which will naturally make you plumper.
So, don’t forego booze entirely. Just try to cut back on it, and your body will thank you.
