12 Simple Exercises To Reduce Belly Fat

1. Crunches:

Nothing burns belly fat faster than crunches! Crunches occupy the number one position when it comes to fat-burning exercises. Now, it’s time that you start with this abs crunching exercise. Follow the steps mentioned below.

• Lie down flat on a mat with your knees bent and feet on the ground. Alternatively, you can also lift your legs off the floor at a 90 degrees angle. (See picture).
• Now lift your hands and place them behind your head or keep them crossed on your chest.
• Inhale deeply and as you lift your upper torso off the floor, exhale.
• Again inhale as you get back down and exhale as you come up.
• Do this for 10 times as a beginner.

Repeat another 2-3 sets.

One small tip:

As you lift your torso, do not sit up straight. You should be at a 30-40 degrees angle off the ground. Thus, you’ll feel pressure on your abdominal muscles.

2. Twist Crunches:

Once you get used to the regular crunches, modify the basic crunch to get an even more effective tummy exercise!

• Lie down on the floor with your hands behind your head.
• Now bend your knees as you would do in crunches, keeping your feet on the floor.
• As in a crunch, you would have lifted your upper torso; in twist crun1ches you just have to lift your right shoulder towards the left, keeping your left torso on the ground.
• Again alternatively, lift your left shoulder towards the right, keeping your right torso on the ground.
• Repeat for another 10 times.

3. Side Crunch:

This is same as the twist crunch exercise. The only thing that you need to do is tilt your legs to the same side simultaneously with your shoulders. The side crunch focuses on the muscles on your sides.

4. Reverse Crunches:

Now it’s time to do reverse crunches. This is another best exercise to reduce belly fat for women.

This is same as the twist crunch exercise. The only thing that you need to do is tilt your legs behind simultaneously with your shoulders. The side crunch focuses on the muscles on your sides.

5. Vertical Leg Crunch:

• Lie flat on the floor or on the mat with your legs extended upwards towards the ceiling and one knee crossed over the other.
• Now that you have positioned your body perfectly, do the same as you would have done in case of crunches. That is, breathe in and lift your upper body from the floor towards the pelvis.
• Now breathe out slowly. As you bring yourself down, breathe in again and exhale as you go up.
• Do 12-16 crunches for up to 3 sets at a go.
  

6. Bicycle Exercise:

No, you don’t need a bicycle for this. Thinking how? We’ll tell you.

• Lie on the floor and keep your hands either by your side or behind your head as we do in crunches.
• Now lift both your legs off the ground and bend them at the knees.
• Bring your right knee close to your chest, keeping your left leg out.
• Now take your right leg out and bring your left leg close to your chest.
• Alternate bending your knees this way as if you are paddling a bicycle.
  

7. Lunge Twist:

This is a beginners’ workout for beginners who want to reduce belly fat quickly.

• Stand with your legs hip width apart. Keep your knees slightly bent.
• Lift both your hands in front of you aligning them with your shoulders and parallel to the ground.
• Lunge forward as shown in the picture. Take a big step forward with your right leg and sit down as if on a chair so that your knees are at a 90 degrees angle from the floor. The left leg should be positioned backwards supported by the toes.
• The spine should be kept straight. Don’t bend your spine forward. That is incorrect way of performing lunges.
• First twist your torso to the right and then to the left. Twist just the torso, not your legs.

Continue repeating this for 16 times.

8. Rolling Plank Exercise:

The rolling plank trains the muscles around your abdomen, hip and lower back.

• Position yourself on the floor with your knees and elbows resting on the ground.
• Keep your neck aligned with your spine. Look forward.
• Lift the knees up and support your legs on the toes.
• Contract your knees and keep breathing normally. This is the plank pose. Stay in this posture for 30 seconds.

Now start moving to and fro for the next 30 seconds. This is the rolling plank exercise.

• Lie down on the floor sideways.
• Support yourself on your right elbow and right leg. Your elbow should be perpendicular to the shoulder and the left leg should be above the right leg, keeping them together.
• Keep your knees straight. Your hips should not be touching the ground.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds. Once you get comfortable, you may hold this for 1-2 minutes.
• Repeat with your other side too.

While in this position you may also lift the leg placed on top and bring it back again. This makes the exercise more effective. In that case, it works not only for your abs but also for the thighs and hips.

10. The Stomach Vacuum:

Stomach vacuum exercises are low-impact exercises that place greater emphasis on breathing instead of increasing your heart rate.

a. This is similar to what we call the cat stretch pose. This is also known as the four-point, transverse-abdominal stomach vacuum. Follow the steps mentioned below to do this exercise for reducing belly fat:

• Come down on the ground to sit on all fours, supporting your body on your hands and knees.
• Now inhale deeply and loosen your abdomen.
• As you exhale the breath, tighten the abdomen muscles.
• Hold this abdomen contraction for 15-30 seconds.

Repeat the process again.

Another type of stomach vacuum exercise is elevators. Here’s how to do it:

• Sit on a chair. Imagine your belly to be an elevator that’s moving up.
• Now inhale deeply using only your nose and think that it’s the 1st floor.
• Breathe out using your mouth and simultaneously push your belly towards your spine, imagining that you are going up to the 5th floor.
• Breathe out fast 5 more times, squeezing your abs every time you exhale the air.
• Repeat the same steps another 5 times.

c. You can try standing pelvic tilts. This is another form of stomach vacuum exercise.

• Stand with your legs hip width apart and bend your knees slightly.
• Inhale deeply through your nose and push your belly inwards towards your spine, and at the same time roll your hips out in front.

Do 5-6 sets of this exercise.

11. Captain’s Chair:

All you need to do this exercise is a chair.

• Sit on the chair with your spine straight and shoulders relaxed.
• Keep both hands beside you with your palms by the side of your hips, facing downward.
• Inhale deeply.
• Now as you exhale, bring both your legs upwards such that your knees are close to your chest. Hold for 5 seconds. Don’t bend forward and arch your back.1
• Bring down your leg slowly and repeat again.

12. Bending Side to Side:

This is the best workout to slim down your waist. This is yet another perfect exercise for reducing belly fat!

• Stand erect with your feet together. Raise your hands above your head as in a ‘namaste’.
• Now keeping your legs grounded, bend your body to the right as much as possible till you feel a strain on your left waist. Stay for 15 seconds.
• Return back to the original position.
• Now bend left. Retain this position for another 15 seconds.

Slowly, you may increase the holding time to 30 seconds.