Can we talk? I mean, like really talk like we’re friends? Okay.
Don’t you hate it when you meet someone online and they look pretty cute or nice in their pics, but then when you see them in person, they don’t really look like that? No, you haven’t? Well, you might be that person! lol
It’s happened to so many of us that we tend to use it too: Special filters, shading, and camera angles to make our fat look less than it really is. But you can transform your body without Photoshop! Here’s how to really change your body…in real life!
AT THE GYM:
Training. Women who hit the gym and watch calorie intake reduced ab fat-cell size by about 18%, making them more successful at tummy trimming than those who just dieted, according to a Wake Forest University study.
The more weight-bearing the exercise, the more calories torched from your midsection. So walk, run, or add some jump roping to your usual routine.
Research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that women who did full-body strength training twice a week decreased overall body fat and didn’t gain as much ab fat as those who didn’t.
Work in intervals. Women who did 20 minutes of interval training three times a week lost more belly fat than women who logged 40 minutes of moderate cardio three times a week, according to an Australian study.
Plank time. Instead of doing crunch or sit-ups, try planking for 2-minute intervals. Pull in your abs while you are planking and you will definitely feel it after 3 reps.
Do the bicycle to target other ab muscles (crunches work only the rectus abdominus, AKA your six-pack): Lie with your hands behind your head; alternate touching each elbow to the opposite knee.
Don’t neglect your midback muscles (the lats). They work with your core to help you stand straighter, minimizing your pooch. Try Lat Rows: Bend at the waist and hold a dumbbell in each hand; bend elbows and pull weights up until elbows are level with torso.
To really challenge your abs, crank out crunches on a stability ball. You’ll engage more muscles than you will doing traditional crunches, according to a study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
With the combination of these physical activities, you’ll transform your body without Photoshop in no time!
AT THE BAR:
Watch your booze. Beer drinkers have the highest waist-to-hip ratios of those who have six or more drinks a week, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill research says. So keep the beer to a minimum, like once per night.
Have a little wine. Light to moderate wine drinking can protect against ab poundage, some studies suggest. But…sip just one daily glass of vino or other alcoholic beverage—more will build your belly instead.