It is important to get rid of love handles because they not only look unpleasant but also, love handle fat is actually metabolically active. This fat acts like an organ that produces hormones and other substances that can affect your health.
These hormones can affect insulin sensitivity and levels of blood sugar and blood pressure and also affect the immunity of your body. It can also cause inflammation in our body and can lead to other diseases like diabetes, and even cancer. For that, it is important to get rid of it as soon as possible before it causes adverse effects.
Love handles are hard and dense fat over the midsection. They can be very unpleasant when it comes to appearance, and many want to avoid them and might be wondering how to get rid of love handles.
Though we can avoid it a bit by maintaining a healthy weight and continuously doing regular exercise and, of course, a good diet, we may still get love handles due to some genetic factors. Those who have a love for alcoholic drinks and sweet food might also get love handles much easier.
Ways to Get Rid of Love Handles
Wondering how to get rid of love handles? These ways will help you get rid of the fat in midsections;
1. Balanced Diet and Nutrition
The first step is to establish a healthy nutrition plan that is energy-balanced. You need to be eating just enough to support bodily functioning and exercise without providing excess energy which will be stored as fat.
If you do not provide enough energy for exercise, your body will not have enough fuel to complete workouts and will not make the hoped-for changes. On the other hand, overeating will hinder weight loss and provide excess energy, which will be converted into fat.
Most people believe that fad diets or starvation is the best way to get rid of love handles. While these methods may yield results, they are often short-term and can be detrimental to your health. To make an effective change to your body composition, you should focus on making small, maintainable lifestyle changes in the way you eat.
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2. Increase the Cardiovascular Exercises
The first type of exercise which is the best way to lose love handles is cardiovascular exercises. When you exercise to get rid of love handles, it is the fat all over your body you are trying to reduce. The fat on your handles will also be included. Because of this, any type of exercise will work. The idea with cardiovascular exercises is to raise your heart rate and at least aim to keep it up for 20 minutes. You should aim to do these types of exercises 3-5 times a week.
These are the best types of cardiovascular exercises for love handle removal:
- Running: Great for raising your heart rate and easily done outside or on a treadmill.
- Cycling: Very effective and easy to do while watching TV.
- Swimming: The whole body is worked, and resistance in water makes for a great workout.
- Any type of sport: Playing a game of any sort is a good way to get cardio. Sports like basketball can be ideal.
- Strength training exercises
Strength training exercises that target the whole body should be performed, but those that concentrate on the muscles of the midsection should also be done. Examples of strength training exercises that can help tone the midsection muscles and help lose love handles men are torso twists with a barbell.
Engaging in strength training or weight training exercises is often mistaken by many as those that will get them bigger or bulking up. But as a matter of fact, strength or weight training exercises are mainly for building up more muscle strength which will result in more weight loss. Note that muscles are highly metabolically active and help increase our BMR, thus any increase in muscle mass will result in more calories burned.
3. HIIT Workouts
HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. It is made up of short, intense bursts of exercise with either active recovery or rest between. It increases the heart rate thus burning more fat in less time. HIIT workout is one of the best ways to get rid of love handles as it burns fat. They are also top on the list of exercises that keep burning fat long after you’ve finished exercising.
4. Manage Stress
Stress has a negative effect on our mental and physical health. Stress leads to the production of cortisol hormone from the adrenal glands to respond to stressful situations. Even though it is quite normal, high stress levels, which lead to more cortisol hormones, can bring unwanted negative effects like headaches, anxiety, weight, and digestive problems.
5. Get Sufficient Sleep
Getting insufficient sleep will increase the cortisol levels in your body, thus resulting in weight gain. Get a good night’s sleep by aiming for at least 8 hours, and get some carbs after waking. This is great for your love handles because the better your sleep is, the better your body will be able to utilize your carbohydrates.
Getting a good night’s sleep also helps to reduce levels of stress and consequently reduce cortisol production. Sleep is crucial for recovery from exercise and for the repair and growth of muscle tissue.
6. Limit Alcohol Consumption
Another important tip you’ll want to consider if you are trying to get rid of those love handles is the limitations on your alcohol consumption. This is sure to be a tough one for many, as consuming alcoholic beverages is a common pastime for most people, particularly on the weekends. Reducing alcohol intake will also help cut back on calories and reduce weight. Too much alcohol is linked to obesity, which is an increase in body fats, especially midsection.
Alcohol contains more calories but offers a very minimal amount of energy and, in fact, is considered to be a toxin within the body. Because of this, the body will work to metabolize the alcohol and get it out of the system as soon as possible, not burning any other fuel sources during this time. This can greatly hinder your fat loss progress.
Conclusion
There are many simple ways how to get rid of love handles. Taking part in exercises, adopting a balanced diet, limiting alcohol consumption, and managing stress levels are a few strategies to get you on track to lose fat.
