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With the popularity of the so-called “dad bods” constantly growing, men have started believing that belly fat is actually something desirable. They ignore the fact that any excess fat, especially in the stomach area immensely increases the risks of cancer, stroke, heart attack and much more. You don’t have to have perfect six-pack muscles on your stomach to be healthy, but you should at least trim down that unnecessary fat, especially on the sides of the stomach, often referred to as love handles. This short guide will show you how to lose love handles for good. It might take some time and effort, but it will be worth it.
What are love handles?
First of all, what are love handles? They are patches of excess fat that stick specifically to the sides of your stomach. Because these muscles are different from the front abdominal ones, it is possible to have love handles even if you don’t have belly fat. This means that you need a different approach to get rid of them and we’ll show you how. You might also wonder why they’re called love handles when they aren’t exactly lovable. Well, the name comes from the fact that this part of the body is often grabbed during sex or, if you prefer, making love. You should also keep in mind that love handles aren’t specifically male problem. Women are also susceptible to love handles, though some men actually find them attractive. It doesn’t seem to work the other way around.
The Diet
Clearly, one of the main contributors to the excess fat in your body is a bad diet. No amount of exercise is going to help you if you continue eating incredible amounts of junk food and stick to your midnight snacks. So, first of all, you need to increase your fiber intake. Fibers go through your organism, absorb water and help with the digestion. A lot of belly fat problems are actually due to indigestion and water retention. A diet rich in fiber and lots of water will deal with this problem. Besides that, you should cut down your intake of sugar by switching to stevia and eat more healthy fats like the ones found in avocados and fish. Finally, and you’re not going to like it, you need to stop drinking alcohol. One glass of beer or, preferably, wine from time to time won’t hurt you, but you shouldn’t overdo it.
The Exercises
In the same way that physical activity without a diet change won’t be quite effective, you also can’t just change your diet and expect results without some exercise. However, if you’re set upon getting rid of love handles, you need to know exactly which exercise is the best for your problem. You should start with some good cardio. The experts suggest that the optimal time for cardio is 30 minutes, but if you’re only just starting out, you might want to start off slow. Once you reach the right temperature, you can go ahead and try a workout that is specifically for love handles.
Bicycle Crunches – one of the best exercises for the entire abdominal section is a bicycle crunch. Basically, you lie on your back, with your hands behind your head. The idea is to mimic the bicycle movement by bending one leg at a time at the knee, while holding the other one straight, just above the mat. You will feel your stomach muscles burn after a while.
Side Plank – another important exercise you should is the seemingly simple. The way you do this is you rest on your elbow and try to hold the rest of your body in a straight line. Although it doesn’t look difficult at first, you’ll see how demanding it actually is once you hold the pose for a minute or so.
Wood Choppers – for this exercise, you need a small weight that you can comfortably hold with one hand. The idea is that you move your body in such a way that it seems you’re wielding a heavy axe. remember to do it on both sides and repeat as much as you can handle.
We hope that this guide on how to lose love handles was informative enough to get you started. Of course, as you progress you can add new exercises and diet options. The first step is always the hardest.
