How To Get Rid of Love Handles
Forget the Infomercials, here are the real keys to getting your abs in shape
and how to get rid of love handles.
by Bob Myhal
Remember all those infomercials about the Ab Buster, Blaster, Basher, or
whatever it is? You know, the ones with those trim, tight, and flat-stomached
models doing a few reps and showing off their mid-sections. The implication, of
course, was that these people got their outstanding abs by using whatever
machine it was they were hocking.
Forget it.
I’ll tell you straight: the biggest issues in getting your abs in
top condition are as always--
- Intelligent training
- Diet
- Supplementation.
Start With Cardio
Get rid of the layer of fat covering your abs first. When you lower your body
fat percentage, your abs will appear more chiseled and defined. To get the abs
up to shape, you'll want to do about 30 minutes of cardio work 3 or 4 times a
week. Some great choices for cardio are:
- Circuit Weight Training
- Tennis
- Brisk Walking
- Bicycling
- Running
- Basketball
- Racquetball
- Even House or Yard Work!
Pick an exercise you actually enjoy doing.
That way you'll stick to it until it becomes a habit you won't want to give
up!
Eat Small, Frequent Meals
Be sure to eat small frequent meals every 3 or 4 hours. When you're trying to
lose fat you may want to skip meals to reduce your caloric intake, but a
better--and easier--way to cut calories is to eat smaller meals more frequently.
This keeps your metabolism running high.
Don't wait until you're hungry to eat!
This not only leads to overeating, but you end up overeating the wrong kinds of
foods.
Do carry meal replacement bars and shakes in your car or at work. They are a
great way to get nutrition and fill you up between meals. Our most popular meal
replacement shakes and protein bars are low in carbs and come in delicious
flavors.
Don't let your mini-meals come from the snack machine. Often these over
processed choices are high in fat and calories and have little nutritional
value. Opt for whole foods instead.
Do bring small containers of healthy snacks to work. Granola, raw vegetables
to crunch on, even hard boiled eggs are some great choices. Try bringing a
turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with some fresh crisp greens. Most brands
of canned and instant soups now come in low sodium varieties, and they fill you
up without having a lot of calories.
Supplements for Great Abs
What About Fat Loss Supplements? Remember that effective fat loss supplements
are meant to be used with an exercise program and a balanced diet.
There are two different kinds of fat loss supplements: stimulant and
non-stimulant.
Stimulant weight loss supplements increase your metabolism so you can burn
more calories when used with a sensible weight loss program. There are some
great weight loss supplements to choose from: Xenadrine, Hydroxycut,
Zantrex, or
other popular weight loss supplements
can help keep up your energy,
stay
motivated so you can lose those love handles, and reveal your sleek abs. Only
you can decide which one is best for your specific needs.
Non-stimulant weight loss supplements are great for those of you who don't
want a stimulant, but want that extra edge when trying to drop fat. I’ve always
been a big fan of Glutamine for both adding lean muscle and getting leaner.
Another one of my favorites in this category is ProLab’s Metabolic Thyrolean.
The feedback on both of these non-stimulant fat loss supplements has been
outstanding.
Stay Focused
The key element in ab training is not how many reps and sets you do, but
how hard you contract your abs on each rep. Make sure your focus is on
pushing your lower abs into your upper abs and vice-versa.
Contrary to popular belief, during training, your abs should NOT move like a
hinge (as in the conventional sit-up). The segments of your abs really should
move towards each other more like an accordion. It's this intense squeezing that
tightens and shapes your abdominals.
If your abs are not burning, you're not working them.
Check out more of my great ab workouts.
