Fitness
The 13 Best Exercises To Lose Belly Fat & Slow Aging
![The 13 Best Exercises To Lose Belly Fat & Slow Aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/woman-cable-row.jpeg?quality=82&strip=all)
As you grow older, your body begins to change quickly—and these changes are challenging to accept. Gaining extra girth around your belly, for instance, is far from the best feeling. After all, you want to live your best life—and look like it, too. An annual physical can be stressful just by stepping onto the scale. But there are some crucial tweaks you can make in your daily regimen to turn back the clock and slim down. We have some of the best exercises to lose belly fat and slow aging that trainers highly recommend adding to your routine.
Killing two birds with one stone always sounds appealing when it comes to maintaining your physical fitness and leading an overall healthy lifestyle. You’re likely aware of the benefits of staying fit as you age. You lose lean muscle mass and may experience health issues such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and back pain as you get older, OrthoInfo reports. Regular physical activity can help strengthen your bones and lessen muscle and joint pain. So, we’re here to share some pretty stellar exercises that’ll help you lose belly fat and slow aging. What’s better than that?
Keep reading to learn more, and when you’re finished, be sure to check out these 11 Strength Exercises To Regain Muscle Mass as You Age.
Barbell Landmine Squats
![barbell landmind squat to lose belly fat and slow aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/barbell-landmind-squat.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
Ready to lose belly fat and slow down aging? Start this first exercise by positioning a barbell inside a landmine attachment. If you don’t have one, anchor the end of the barbell against a wall for the same effect. Pick up the barbell, and grip the end of it with both hands. Take a tiny step back. Keep your chest tall and your core tight. Lower into a squat by pushing your hips back and sitting down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Drive through your heels to rise up, flexing your quads and glutes to finish. Perform three to four sets of 10 reps.
Chest-Supported Dumbbell Rows
![chest-supported dumbbell row](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/chest-dumbbell-row.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
![chest-supported dumbbell row](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/chest-dumbbell-row.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
Adjust the bench to an incline (at least 30 to 45 degrees). Grab two dumbbells, position your chest on the pad, and keep your knees on the seat of the bench. Straighten your arms, and begin pulling the two dumbbells in with your elbows, squeezing your lats at the end of the motion. Lower the dumbbells down for the full stretch before the next rep. Perform three to four sets of 10 to 12 reps.
Barbell Split Squats (Between Legs)
![barbell split squat exercise to lose belly fat and slow down aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/barbell-split-squat.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
![barbell split squat exercise to lose belly fat and slow down aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/barbell-split-squat.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
Assume a standard split squat position with a barbell between your legs. Keeping your chest tall and your core tight, squat down, reach down, and grab the bar with both your hands. Stand tall by driving through with the front heel of the leg, flexing your quad and glute to finish. Come down and all the way back up with each rep. Finish all reps on one side before switching over to the other. Perform three to four sets of 10 reps per leg.
Landmine Shoulder Press
![landmine shoulder press exercise to lose belly fat and slow down aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/landmine-shoulder-press.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
![landmine shoulder press exercise to lose belly fat and slow down aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/landmine-shoulder-press.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
Place a barbell inside a landmine attachment. If you don’t have access to a landmine, stick a barbell to a corner of a wall to get the same effect. Assume a staggered stance with one foot forward and one foot back. Grab the bar, keeping your chest tall and your core tight, then press it forward. Flex your tricep and shoulder hard at the top, then bring the weight back to the starting position. Perform all reps on one side before switching over. Complete three to four sets of 10 reps for each arm.
Dumbbell Goblet Squats
![dumbbell goblet squat](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/dumbbell-goblet-squat.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
![dumbbell goblet squat](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/dumbbell-goblet-squat.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
Vertically hold one dumbbell with both hands in front of your chest. Keep your core tight, push your hips back, and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then, drive through your heels and hips to stand back up, flexing your quads and glutes to finish. Complete three sets of eight to 10 reps.
Barbell Romanian Deadlifts
![barbell romanian deadlift](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/barbell-romanian-deadlift.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
![barbell romanian deadlift](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/barbell-romanian-deadlift.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
Grab a barbell, and position it right in front of your body. Keeping your chest tall and your knees soft, push your hips back while dragging the barbell down your thigh. Once you feel a solid hamstring stretch, drive your hips forward, squeezing your glutes to finish. Complete three sets of 10 to 12 reps.
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
![incline dumbbell bench press to lose belly fat and slow aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/05/incline-dumbbell-bench-press.png?w=640)
![incline dumbbell bench press to lose belly fat and slow aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/05/incline-dumbbell-bench-press.png?w=640)
Lie down on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Hold the weights straight up above you with your arms fully extended. Pull your shoulder blades back and down onto the bench as you lower the weights toward your chest. Get a solid chest stretch at the bottom, then press the weights up to the starting position, squeezing your upper pecs and triceps at the top. Perform three sets of eight to 10 reps.
Cable Rows
![wide grip cable row to lose belly fat and slow aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/wide-grip-cable-row.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
![wide grip cable row to lose belly fat and slow aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/wide-grip-cable-row.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
Grab the attachment on a seated row machine, and place your feet firmly on the footpad. Pull the handle out, then completely straighten your legs. Make sure your chest remains tall as you drive your elbows back to your hips, squeezing your back and lats hard to finish. Straighten your arms, and get a solid stretch in your shoulder blades before performing another rep. Perform three sets of 10 to 12 reps.
Dumbbell Reverse Lunges
![trainer demonstrating dumbbell reverse lunges to lose belly fat and slow aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/dumbbell-reverse-lunges.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
![trainer demonstrating dumbbell reverse lunges to lose belly fat and slow aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/dumbbell-reverse-lunges.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Take a long stride back with one leg. Firmly plant your heel down into the floor, then lower yourself until your back knee touches the ground. Push through with your front leg to come back up, then repeat with the other side. Complete three sets of 10 reps for each leg.
Incline Treadmill Walk
![incline treadmill walk](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/incline-treadmill-walk.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
![incline treadmill walk](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/incline-treadmill-walk.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
To perform this steady-state exercise, set your treadmill at the highest incline (usually 15 degrees), and set the speed at 2.5 to 3.5 mph. Walk at this pace and incline for at least 20 minutes, and watch your heart rate go up!
Climbing
![trainer doing stair climber to increase visceral fat burn](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/04/stair-climber-1.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
![trainer doing stair climber to increase visceral fat burn](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/04/stair-climber-1.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
Begin climbing on the stair climber. If you’re a first-timer, go at a comfortable pace you’re able to maintain for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Once you build up more endurance (or if you’re a bit more of an intermediate level), crank up the speed, or climb for at least 30 minutes.
Incline Treadmill Runs
![incline treadmill run to burn belly fat and slow aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/incline-treadmill-run.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
![incline treadmill run to burn belly fat and slow aging](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/09/incline-treadmill-run.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
Stand with your legs outside of the belt. Set your treadmill to a 10% incline and the speed a little higher than your typical jog pace. Once the incline and speed are set, hop onto the belt, and sprint hard for 30 seconds. Once you sprint for 30 seconds, grab the handles on the side, and carefully jump back onto the stable non-moving part of the treadmill. Rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat this workout for 10 rounds.
Bike Sprints
![interval bike sprints to shrink visceral fat fast](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/interval-bike-sprints.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
![interval bike sprints to shrink visceral fat fast](https://www.eatthis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/interval-bike-sprints.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=640)
Hop on the exercise bike, and begin pedaling hard for 20 to 30 seconds. Once you sprint the prescribed amount of time, cruise at a slower pace for 30 to 45 seconds before sprinting again. Aim for eight to 10 rounds total.
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Fitness
'Constantly trying to fit exercise around other things': Why women have less time to exercise than men
Finding time to exercise can be hard, and the research shows that’s especially true for mums.
“When you ask people ‘why don’t you do more physical activity’, the most common reason is they don’t have enough time,” says Lyndall Strazdins from Australian National University.
“Half of the world are insufficiently active, and within that group there is the consistent gender gap which widens over time.”
That gap is particularly profound in heterosexual couples with kids, Professor Strazdins’ research published in 2022 found.
The researchers looked at data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, focusing on the effects of both paid work and unpaid caring and domestic responsibilities on physical activity.
It shows as family demands increase, women’s physical activity becomes more limited, but the same doesn’t happen for men.
Why women are exercising less than men
It’s well established women do more unpaid labour in the home and have less leisure time than their male partners.
And while the gender exercise gap exists even in childhood, Rebecca Ahern says six in 10 women say they were more active before having children.
She’s the head of VicHealth’s This Girl Can campaign, and mum of two young children.
“Juggling the priorities of caring responsibilities, the home, work — carving out that time [to exercise] is really tricky.”
Professor Strazdins says women have less leisure time, and it’s also the quality of that time that is an issue.
“It’s often broken up into 10 minutes here, or five minutes there.
“Women try and kick two goals; do their exercise and look after the kids, or do exercise and get to the shops.
“They are constantly trying to fit their exercise around other things.”
She says weaving together a “high-care environment” and exercise is “generally very difficult”.
Other reasons women exercise less than men, cited by Ms Ahern, Professor Strazdins and VicHealth research, include:
- Women not feeling safe to exercise when they have the opportunity; for example, in the evenings
- “Mum guilt”
- The cost
- Unwelcoming environments
- Fear of judgement
- Feeling less confident about their body’s appearance and abilities post-kids.
Men ‘borrowing’ women’s time
One of the key findings of Professor Strazdins’ research was men “borrowing” time from women to keep up their exercise routine.
For example, the study found even when women work fewer paid hours, men were more likely to access that “free” time for their exercise, rather than women being able to use it for themselves.
Men’s time for jobs and health is “protected”, whereas women’s is “squeezed”, Professor Strazdins says.
“When men work longer hours, they cut back on their family hours. When women work, they don’t then do less family hours, they just add them on.”
Dads ‘locked out of care’ by their jobs
Professor Strazdins says the way society values economy above all else is costing us our health.
“I’ve heard a huge regret and sadness from many men about the way they feel locked out of care by their jobs.
“So it’s not just the cost to women, there is a cost to everybody.”
She says there needs to be a national conversation about what is fair work hours, so we can talk about what is fair care hours.
“And you can’t have that latter conversation without the first.”
Closing the exercise gap in your home
Professor Strazdins says the global “crisis” of people not exercising enough is pushing huge disease burdens from the cardiovascular to the cognitive.
Joys Njambi from Naarm/Melbourne has always been active.
When she had her daughter 17 years ago, she says doing “mum and bub” classes allowed her to stay that way.
She says doing exercise in increments was helpful as life became busier with work and family, such as taking three 10-minute walk breaks during work days.
Ms Ahern says she has to be “really intentional” about carving out time to exercise.
“I walk the kids to school to get that incidental exercise, as well as planned.
“Going to the park with [my kids and] a ball is a great example of just trying to get out a little bit more movement into my day.”
She says it’s important for women to remember that “little bits” count and we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves.
“I can look at my step count and sometimes I hit 10,000 without even realising,” she says, pointing to how much physical activity being a mum to young kids can involve.
Professor Strazdins says evening up care hours in the home, allowing both men and women to have enough time to stay healthy, is the first step in closing the exercise gap.
Ms Ahern says couples talking about prioritising exercise can help with that.
“My partner was a golfer and he let that go because that took all of Saturday morning, or the day even,” she says.
“Now we both create time for ourselves on Saturday. He has also taken on cooking more meals.”
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Fitness
Forget about the gym! Chicken-sizing will keep you fit. Bonus: Fresh eggs
![Forget about the gym! Chicken-sizing will keep you fit. Bonus: Fresh eggs](https://opb-opb-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/H352FR2KXDOQVXMSXNZYDMV2B4.gif?auth=4738a1f5dfd15e7fb9477f1b49d554a5bd8058905ae8bb8d06cbf2fd7439308c&width=1200&height=675&smart=true)
Andy Rementer / for NPR
In my 20s, I loved running. I called it “my Prozac.” Every week, I tried to run 25 miles. It kept my mood up and my heart healthy.
But when I reached my 30s, my relationship with running soured. My back started protesting the long runs. Then it protested the short runs. Eventually, one morning, I couldn’t walk. My back said, “Nope, no more running.”
For months, I felt pretty sad about this huge loss in my life. I tried other types of exercising, but my back protested it all — biking, yoga, pilates, zumba, you name it. Everything that our society calls “exercising” hurt my back for many days afterward. “Sorry. But we’re done with all of that,” my 33 vertebrae said in unison.
A different exercise mind-set
At the same time, I was reporting on global health for NPR, and I started to realize that exercising per se was a strange phenomenon. Around the world, people don’t necessarily go out and move their bodies with the intent to burn calories and tone their thighs (mmmm … chicken thighs). Instead, they embrace a revolutionary idea: They move — and move quite a bit — with a clear purpose in mind beyond the movement. They move to reach a destination. They move to hunt or forage. They move to take care of animals or tend crops. Or build a structure. Or gather firewood.
“Every day you’re doing something from dawn to dusk,” says Esther Ngumbi, who grew up in rural Kenya and is now an entomologist at the University of Illinois, Urbana. “In the morning, you have to go to the river to fetch water and come back. Then you go to the farm during the day and go fetch fire wood. Then at dusk, you have to go fetch water again.”
In other words, Ngumbi was weightlifting, not three times a week but at least twice a day. “I had to carry a 25-gallon bucket of water from the river,” she exclaims. “So yeah, I was weightlifting. I was exercising 24-7.”
Tying movement to purpose felt rewarding, Ngumbi says. And yet, here in the U.S. we’ve replaced almost all of this rewarding movement with machines. “The river exists in my home now. The fire stays at my home. And I can turn them both on and off when I need to,” she says laughing. “So now that I don’t have this purpose [to move] and all these things I need to do, I started gaining pounds. I’m just eating more and moving much less.” So Ngumbi started to exercise — at the gym.
But I started to wonder if I could go the opposite direction. If I could take inspiration from people all over the world and add more purpose and meaning to my exercising. “Hmm,” I thought, “maybe this type of movement could be my version of crossfit and barre.”
And so, after a decade of being a couch potato, I launched the most successful exercising program of my life. I bought 15 chicks, two coops and a book about how to raise a backyard flock. And I started chicken-sizing.
To be honest, chicken-sizing is harder than I thought it would be. Way harder. Taking care of flightless birds does tone your core and thighs. Because it requires bending, squatting and carrying heavy loads around your yard. One weekend, I tracked what chicken-sizing involved, and I counted about 20-30 squats each day, 1,500 extra steps each day (depending on how many chickens I have to chase back into the pen), and lots of lifting poultry water dispensers up, down and around the yard. They’re not 25 pounds but they’re at least 5.
The pluses of chicken-sizing
So I’ve gotten into way better shape than I expected. And I’ve come to realize there are some big advantages to chicken-sizing over regular exercising:
Failure is not an option: You cannot make up an excuse not to work out. You can’t put on your chicken-size clothes, sit around for 30 minutes and decide, “Oh, I’ll just do it tomorrow.” The ladies depend on you and need care every single morning and every single night. And if you don’t do it, they might die. They could be eaten by raccoons or skunks (who eat their heads, drink their blood and discard their bodies). Or they could dehydrate or freeze to death. The stakes are just too high.
And so you do it. Twice a day. Every. Single. Day. And it becomes so routine, so habitual that you don’t even realize you’re exercising. The task is part of your life, similar to going to the bathroom. You don’t put it on your calendar. You just do it. (Yes, some mornings early in this new regimen you curse the fact that you bought 15 chickens, but that sentiment passes after a few months).
You don’t have to change clothes: What a huge time saver! But also, cutting out that simple step makes it so much easier to actually get up and do the task. As all the habit experts say, “Make it easy!”
You always have a workout partner: In my case, I have 15. Sure, their brains are the size of two peanuts. But they are happy to see me — oh so happy. Every morning and evening, they cheer on my chicken-size routine with gusto! Squawk. Bah-Baaaahk!
And if I need a break, I can pick up a chicken and snuggle her soft feathers. Often it’s a white bird named Marshmallow. Talk about a feel-good, in-the-moment, five-senses experience. Sure, snuggling a hen isn’t quite the same as a dose of Lexapro, but twice a day, it comes pretty close. (
(One of my friends asked me the other day if I do “self-care,” and I said, “No.” And she responded in the funniest way. “Yes, you do. You raise chickens.”}
And there’s an added bonus that no gym workout will provide. Eggs! Holy moly, eggs! The best eggs you’ve ever eaten in your life. Some days I sit at the breakfast table and just marvel at how good these eggs taste. Or I’ll stare at our egg rack on the kitchen counter and appreciate the color of the beautiful shells.
Just this morning, I fried one egg for myself and one for my daughter. As we sliced into the golden-orange yolk, she said, “Whose is this one?”
“Oh, that’s Marshmallow’s,” I said. “She’s so amazing. Thank you, Marshmallow.” And thank you, chicken-sizing.
Given all these wonderful aspects of chicken-sizing, I wondered if Esther Ngumbi missed raising chickens or fetching water at the river.
“I do miss it,” she says with a sigh. “But some of it, I don’t miss,” she counters. “For example, sometimes I had to wake up early in the morning, and it was so cold.”
So maybe chicken-sizing is so great because it gives me purpose but I don’t actually have to do it. My family would still eat if I forget to close their cage one night and a skunk comes to decapitate them.
In other words, maybe chicken-sizing is a sweet spot between moving all day because your livelihood depends on it and moving only because your body sits down all day.
Ngumbi agrees. “Yes, maybe there is a sweet spot to exercising,” she says. “I actually really enjoyed going to fetch water at dusk. It was so refreshing with the cool evening breeze. It just all of a sudden relaxed you. So I felt like I was meditating while walking” — meditating, weightlifting and accomplishing a necessary task of life.
Science journalist MIchaeleen Doucleff is the author of Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Fitness
Why The Bulgarian Split Squat Is A Must-Add To Your Workout Routine? Expert Answers
![Why The Bulgarian Split Squat Is A Must-Add To Your Workout Routine? Expert Answers](https://static.tnn.in/thumb/msid-111363534,thumbsize-25624,width-1280,height-720,resizemode-75/111363534.jpg)
Why The Bulgarian Split Squat Is A Must-Add To Your Workout Routine? Expert Answers (Image Credits: iStock)
The Bulgarian split squat has garnered significant attention in the fitness regime of many fitness enthusiasts for its effectiveness in building strength, stability, and muscle definition. This single-leg exercise, which involves elevating the rear foot on a bench while performing a squat with the other leg, offers a unique challenge and numerous benefits that make it a must in many workout routines. But what is it? A Bulgarian Split Squat (BSS) is a variation of the traditional squat exercise that targets the legs, glutes, and core muscles. It is a unilateral exercise, meaning it works one leg at a time and is known for its ability to improve strength, balance, and flexibility.
We got in touch with Dr Seema Grover, Head of Department, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals who shares types of Bulgarian Split Squats, benefits of it and the right way to do it.
Types Of Bulgarian Split Squats:
Dr Seema Grover shares that there are three types of Bulgarian Split Squats:
1. Bodyweight BSS: Performed without any additional weight, this version is great for beginners or those focusing on technique.
2. Weighted BSS: Uses dumbbells, kettlebells, or a barbell to increase the intensity and challenge.
3. Pistol BSS: A more advanced version where the back leg is lifted off the ground, requiring more balance and control.
Benefits of Bulgarian Split Squats:
Dr Seema Grover shares the health benefits of Bulgarian Split Squats includes:
1. Improved leg strength: Targets quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
2. Enhanced balance and coordination: Requires engagement of core muscles and balance control.
3. Increased flexibility: Stretches the hip flexors and quadriceps.
4. Functional strength: Mimics movements used in everyday life, like getting up from a chair or climbing stairs.
The Right Way to Do a Bulgarian Split Squat:
1. Start with proper stance: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, facing away from a bench or step.
2. Place back leg: Rest the back leg on the bench, keeping the knee bent at a 90-degree angle.
3. Lower body: Slowly lower the front leg, keeping the back leg straight, until the back knee almost touches the ground.
4. Push back: Drive through the front heel to return to standing.
5. Alternate legs: Complete reps on both legs.
Mistakes to Avoid:
To make the most of this exercise, Dr Seema Grover shares some tips to keep in mind to avoid any mistakes:
1. Letting the back leg touch the ground: Keep it lifted to maintain proper form.
2. Not lowering far enough: Aim for a depth where the back knee almost touches the ground.
3. Using momentum: Control the movement with your leg muscles, not by swinging your body.
4. Not engaging core: Keep your core muscles activated to maintain balance and stability.
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