Shedding stubborn pounds around the midsection can be quite the daunting task. It may seem like no matter how many crunches you perform, progress is slow—if not non-existent. Fear not, because fitness maven Denise Austin shared some belly fat-melting tips for us on her blog, including the right way to slim down your middle and get rock-solid abs. From getting in your steps to a productive belly blast workout, here are five of Denise’s lifestyle tips to get you ready for bikini season—and beyond.
Walk
While walking doesn’t appear to be an intense workout, it could be your key to belly fat loss.
“Walking for just 30 minutes per day is all you need to reap the benefits of physical activity,” Denise writes on her website. “It can be as effective (if not more so) than jogging. While walking, you can burn fat, boost your metabolism, and/or lose weight. Exactly how much you get out of it will depend on the intensity of your walks and what other healthy habits you’re practicing during the rest of your time.”
Denise even has a workout program specifically dedicated to walking.
“My 4-Week Walking Challenge encourages you to walk every day for 30 minutes, along with quick, mini-workouts to tone up your whole body—it’s one of my most popular challenges, so join today for free!”
If you want to increase the intensity of your walks to speed up the fat burn, consider performing bodyweight exercises, wearing a rucksack or ankle weights, switching up the terrain, and including inclines.
Get in Your Cardio
Denise recommends cardio workouts to shed belly fat in a blog post, writing, “Walking, playing pickleball, riding your bike, or doing an indoor aerobic workout will all help you to maintain an overall healthy weight—and set you up to have the energy and drive to try some belly-blasting targeted workouts, too! Aim for 30 minutes five days a week… stick with it and you will feel great!”
Perform Targeted Ab Workouts
Certain workouts specifically fire up your abdominal region and address stubborn belly fat.
“In general, belly fat wraps around your organs like the liver and belly, and is called visceral fat (as opposed to subcutaneous fat, which is closer to your skin),” Denise explains. “To tackle this visceral fat, you need to add some targeted moves to your workouts. You will want to add core moves that both elongate and constrict the abdominal muscles.”
Denise suggests giving her 6-Minute Amazing Abs Pilates Workout and 10-Minute Belly Blasting Workout a shot. Once you progress, check out Denise’s Shape, Strengthen and Sculpt Kit, which features many targeted exercises for the belly, upper, and lower body.
Eat Metabolism-Boosting Foods
Diet is another major part of sculpting your abs. Denise suggests choosing healthy metabolism-boosting foods that will help you build a six-pack.
“Eat more eggs, avocados and walnuts—all are high in protein and healthy fats—and add more cruciferous veggies to your diet, such as kale, cauliflower and broccoli… studies have shown that these vegetables are rich in antioxidants and can decrease inflammation,” she says.”
Do Some Yoga
Denise raves about the many benefits of yoga, an invigorating total-body workout.
She writes on her blog, “Yoga is especially helpful for targeting the belly and belly fat—yoga moves target tone the abs without sit ups, and works all parts of the midsection—the abs, waistline, and the deep fat within the belly area. So try this yoga workout and watch the belly fat melt away!”
Alexa Mellardo