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How To Lose Belly Fat Naturally In 1 Week In 2024: Exercises & Nutrition Tips
A fat tummy is often linked to harmful medical conditions such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer, and many others. Medical matters aside, having a fat belly diminishes your self-confidence and increases your risk of depression. If you’re wondering how to lose belly fat naturally in a week, you’re in the right place.
This article will explore how you can lose weight and burn calories and belly fat in just seven days. Alternatively, you can also try out these awesome fat-burning pills.
How To Lose Belly Fat In 1 Week
Losing excess belly fat isn’t as hard as you think. Start performing these five exercises, and you’re on the right track to losing visceral fat in your tummy:
How To Lose Belly Fat Naturally In 1 Week With Five Exercises
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are the best exercise to burn belly fat. They work well for establishing flexibility, core strength, as well as cardio endurance. You can target multiple muscles all at once with this exercise.
How to do:
- Get into a high-plank disposition.
- Place your hands below your shoulders, then stretch your legs behind you.
- Engage your core muscles as you gently tuck your tailbone.
- Ensure your body is in a straight line.
- Bend the right knee, draw it closer to your chest, and straighten it once more behind you.
- Do this at least 15 times, rest, then repeat the process.
Tips:
- Ensure that your wrists are aligned with your shoulders to maintain proper form and reduce the risk of wrist discomfort or injury.
- Focus on breathing rhythmically as you perform the exercise, exhaling as you bring your knee toward your chest and inhaling as you extend your leg back.
- To add variety, you can perform Mountain Climbers with a twist by bringing your knee toward the opposite elbow, engaging your oblique muscles for an extra challenge.
Optimal Sets and Reps: three sets of 12-15 reps.
Reverse Crunches
If you strain your neck with regular crunches, reverse crunches are a worthy alternative. This ab workout targets your entire core and can be very beneficial when done the right way.
Reverse crunches are the opposite movements of the average crunch. When doing a reverse crunch, you rest your neck and lower the chances of putting undue stress on your back.
How to do:
- Lay flat on your back, then raise a leg at a 90-degree angle.
- Rest your palms flat on the ground below your lower back.
- Pull your legs and hips upwards as you bring your knees to your chest.
- Do this at least 15 times, rest, then repeat the process.
Tips:
- Exhale as you curl your knees toward your chest and inhale as you lower your legs back down to coordinate your breathing with the movement.
- Avoid using your hands to pull your legs or lift your hips off the ground, relying solely on your abdominal muscles to lift your legs.
- To increase the challenge, you can add ankle weights or use a stability ball between your ankles, gradually increasing resistance as you progress.
Optimal Sets and Reps: three sets of 12-15 reps.
Lunges With Front Kicks
This excellent at-home workout offers plenty of incredible health benefits. It builds your inner core and also builds your abs, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, and legs (thigh muscles and calves, to be specific).
Lunges with front kicks also build your flexibility and stability. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
How to do:
- Stand with both feet together.
- Complete a lunge by stepping back with one foot.
- Go back to the initial position. Complete a kick by swinging your leg through.
- Resume the initial position.
- Repeat this exercise 15 times, take a break, then do it again.
Tips:
- Keep your chest up and your back straight throughout the exercise to maintain proper posture and prevent leaning forward.
- As you kick forward, flex your foot and point your toes upward to engage your thigh muscles more effectively.
- To make the exercise more challenging, you can hold onto dumbbells or a medicine ball while performing the lunges with front kicks, gradually increasing the weight as your strength improves.
Optimal Sets and Reps: three sets of 12-15 lunges with front kicks on each leg.
Planks
Planks help to tone your entire body and strengthen abdominal muscles. It’s also one of the easiest exercises to reduce belly fat.
There’s no limit to how many times you can repeat this exercise. The goal is to trim your tummy and work on your flexibility.
How to do:
- Begin in a forearm plank position with your elbows aligned under your shoulders, and draw your tummy upwards towards your spine as you strive to keep a straight back the whole time.
- Hold that position as you count to 30. If you can, hold it for a minute or more, ensuring you’re increasing your strength.
Tips:
- Focus on keeping your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears to prevent unnecessary tension in your upper body.
- Avoid arching or sagging your lower back by maintaining a strong and stable spine alignment throughout the exercise.
- To add variation, you can perform side planks, reverse planks, or elevate your feet on a stable surface, challenging different muscle groups and increasing the intensity of your plank workouts.
Optimal Sets and Reps: three sets, holding each plank for 30-60 seconds, if you are a beginner.
Flutter Kicks
Like all the other exercises on this list, flutter kicks harden your core muscles. Whether it’s the hip flexors or the lower rectus abdominal muscles, all muscles are well-targeted.
It might seem as though you’re swimming with your legs, but it’s hardly the case. You perform it by lying flat on your back. If you also want to build your back muscles, you can do so by lying flat on your stomach.
How to do:
- Lie flat on a mat and put your legs together. Extend them and ensure they’re both flat on the mat.
- Tighten your abs, then elevate your legs. Lower them gently, then elevate them again.
- Repeat the process 15 times, take a break, and do it again.
Tips:
- Maintain a slight bend in your knees to reduce strain on your lower back and focus on targeting the lower abdominal muscles.
- Keep your head and upper body relaxed on the ground, ensuring that your core is doing the work and not your neck or upper back.
- To increase the challenge, you can place your hands under your lower back for added support or elevate your upper body slightly off the ground, engaging more core muscles during the flutter kicks.
Optimal Sets and Reps: three sets of 12-15 reps.
Healthy Tips To Lose Belly Fat Naturally In 1 Week
Incorporate Soluble Fiber Into Your Healthy Diet
What to eat to lose belly fat fast in 1 week? Soluble fiber is the answer. Soluble fiber includes Brussels sprouts, avocados, flax seeds, shirataki noodles, legumes, blackberries, etc. These foods are known to absorb water and form a thick gel that slows down food[1] that goes down your digestive tract.
These high-fiber foods support weight loss by manipulating your stomach to make it feel full when it’s actually not. Soluble fiber also decreases the number of calories that your body takes up from the food you eat. Additionally, it hastens the rate at which you decrease belly fat. A recent study[2] among 1,100 participants revealed that for each 10-gram surge in insoluble fiber consumption, there was a fat decrease of about 3.7% over five years.
Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Alcohol in small amounts has little to no effect on your belly fat. If anything, it’s more beneficial than harmful. Excessive amounts, on the other hand, have a wide array of risks, including not reducing belly fat.
Observational research[3] associates heavy alcohol consumption with central obesity (excess storage of fat around the abdomen). Limiting your alcohol consumption might help in reducing your beer belly. You can choose to either give it up or cut down on how often you partake of it. If you opt for the latter, try taking at least a glass a day. A study[4] on 2,000 alcohol users revealed that those who had one drink per day had noticeably less belly fat than those who drank more alcohol.
Avoid Trans-Fats Foods
Trans fats are prevalent in most spreads and margarine. They’re also added to some packaged foods, but their use has declined over the years.
Trans fats are produced by expelling hydrogen into soybean oil and other unsaturated fats. Based on recent studies,[5] these types of fats have been associated with abdominal fat gain, insulin resistance, heart disease, and inflammation.
Six-year research[6] revealed that monkeys who consumed a diet rich in high trans fat had a 33% increase in their abdominal fat compared to those who ate foods rich in monounsaturated fat.
The best way to determine which foods are trans-fat-free is to check the ingredient labels. They’re often indicated as partially hydrogenated fats. Also, make sure to add healthy fats to your diet, which are crucial for your body.
Use Coconut Oil In Place Of Cooking Fats
Another tip on how to lose stomach fat naturally in 1 week is to make use of coconut oil. Coconut oil contains medium-chain fats. These kinds of fat might help boost metabolism and decrease belly fat in response to your calorie intake.
Further studies[7] suggest that medium-chain fats may also trigger massive belly fat loss. A study[8] revealed that obese men who consumed coconut oil every day for 12 weeks lost 2.86cm (1.1 inches) from their waists despite not adhering to any exercise routines or changing their diets.
Also, remember that coconut oil is bursting with calories. Rather than add extra fat to your diet, switch the fats you’re already consuming with coconut oil.
Get Plenty Of Sleep
You’re probably thinking, “What does my quality of sleep have to do with my belly fat?” Well, studies reveal[9] that individuals who have limited hours of sleep tend to increase their belly fat. Good, quality sleep is vital for major facets of your health, including your body weight.
A study[10] conducted on 68,000 women revealed that those who slept for not more than 5 hours every night had a higher chance of increasing their belly fat. This was in high contrast to those who slept for seven or more hours per night.
Excess visceral fat also leads to a condition known as sleep apnea,[11] whereby breathing stops periodically throughout the night. If you suspect that you have this sleep disorder or others of its kind, talk to your doctor and get treatment soon enough.
As you increase your hours of sleep, also ensure that you’re getting quality sleep.
Final Thoughts
The answer to the question “How to lose belly fat naturally in 1 week?” is that there’s no shortcut to reducing tummy fat. Both weight gain and weight loss require a reasonable level of perseverance, commitment, and effort. Work towards adopting any or all of the tips and exercises outlined in this post. Take these tasty morning drinks every morning to lose weight and shred your belly fat faster.
Making adjustments to your lifestyle today can lead to enduring improvements in both your body fat composition and self-confidence. You also challenge yourself to try something out of the ordinary. Something that most people lack the courage to do.
+ 11 sources
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- Dikeman, C.L. and Fahey, G.C. (2006). Viscosity as Related to Dietary Fiber: A Review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, [online] 46(8), pp.649–663. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17092830/
- Hairston, K.G., Vitolins, M.Z., Norris, J.M., Anderson, A.M., Hanley, A.J. and Wagenknecht, L.E. (2012). Lifestyle Factors and 5-Year Abdominal Fat Accumulation in a Minority Cohort: The IRAS Family Study. Obesity, [online] 20(2), pp.421–427. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3856431/
- Schröder, H., Morales-Molina, J.A., Bermejo, S., Barral, D., Mándoli, E.S., Grau, M., Guxens, M., de Jaime Gil, E., Álvarez, M.D. and Marrugat, J. (2007). Relationship of abdominal obesity with alcohol consumption at population scale. European Journal of Nutrition, [online] 46(7), pp.369–376. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17885722/
- Dorn, J.M., Hovey, K., Muti, P., Freudenheim, J.L., Russell, M., Nochajski, T.H. and Trevisan, M. (2003). Alcohol Drinking Patterns Differentially Affect Central Adiposity as Measured by Abdominal Height in Women and Men. The Journal of Nutrition, [online] 133(8), pp.2655–2662. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12888654/
- Oh, K. (2005). Dietary Fat Intake and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Women: 20 Years of Follow-up of the Nurses’ Health Study. American Journal of Epidemiology, [online] 161(7), pp.672–679. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15781956/
- Kavanagh, K., Jones, K.L., Sawyer, J., Kelley, K., Carr, J.J., Wagner, J.D. and Rudel, L.L. (2007). Trans Fat Diet Induces Abdominal Obesity and Changes in Insulin Sensitivity in Monkeys*. Obesity, [online] 15(7), pp.1675–1684. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17636085/
- Geliebter, A., Torbay, N., Bracco, E.F., Hashim, S.A. and Van Itallie, T.B. (1983). Overfeeding with medium-chain triglyceride diet results in diminished deposition of fat. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, [online] 37(1), pp.1–4. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6849272/
- Liau, K.M., Lee, Y.Y., Chen, C.K. and Rasool, A.H.G. (2011). An Open-Label Pilot Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Virgin Coconut Oil in Reducing Visceral Adiposity. ISRN Pharmacology, [online] 2011, pp.1–7. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22164340/
- López-García, E., Faubel, R., León-Muñoz, L., Zuluaga, M.C., Banegas, J.R. and Rodríguez-Artalejo, F. (2008). Sleep duration, general and abdominal obesity, and weight change among the older adult population of Spain. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, [online] 87(2), pp.310–316. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18258619/
- Patel, S.R., Malhotra, A., White, D.P., Gottlieb, D.J. and Hu, F.B. (2006). Association between Reduced Sleep and Weight Gain in Women. American Journal of Epidemiology, [online] 164(10), pp.947–954. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16914506/
- Vgontzas, A.N., Papanicolaou, D.A., Bixler, E.O., Hopper, K., Lotsikas, A., Lin, H.-M., Kales, A. and Chrousos, G.P. (2000). Sleep Apnea and Daytime Sleepiness and Fatigue: Relation to Visceral Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Hypercytokinemia. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, [online] 85(3), pp.1151–1158. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10720054/