A fitness expert has debunked the three most common myths often associated with burning stomach fat.
Belly fat is known to be stubborn and difficult to lose, but sports nutritionist and F45 fitness expert Kim Bowman said it can be achieved through the right diet and fitness routine suited for your body.
Ms Bowman, from the US, said in order to shed unwanted stomach fat, you should train your entire body and incorporate both healthy carbohydrates and fats into your diet.
Belly fat is known to be stubborn and difficult to lose, but sports nutritionist and F45 fitness expert Kim Bowman (pictured) said it can be achieved through the right diet and fitness routine suited for your body
1. Train your whole body, not just your core
As there is no ‘hard and fast’ way to lose stubborn belly fat, it’s optimal to focus on full body functional training that incorporates a variety of exercises.
Ms Bowman told Body and Soul you should incorporate bodyweight and plyometric exercises as well as high intensity interval training (HIIT) movements into your workout.
Simply exercising your core through abdominal exercises won’t be enough to achieve the desired outcome.
But when it comes to sculpting your six-pack for summer, it’s just as important to make healthy food choices.
No matter how much you exercise, this ultimately won’t be enough to completely target fat loss.
Simply exercising your core through abdominal exercises won’t be enough to achieve the desired outcome of shredded abs
2. Include healthy carbs in your diet
It’s essential to include healthy carbohydrates in your diet to provide the body with a source of energy and to assist with weight loss.
You should shy away from consuming fatty processed carbohydrates and instead opt for foods such as whole or sprouted grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes.
To assist with weight loss, you should also eat majority of your carbohydrate consumption earlier in the day and tapered towards the evening.
3. Don’t eliminate fat from your diet
Fat is a vital macronutrient that plays an important role in the body as it’s responsible for a number of roles – including protecting your organs, reducing inflammation and regulating hormones.
For this reason, it’s best to consume an optimal amount of fat daily depending on your body type.
Foods including fatty fish, nuts, seeds, avocado, eggs, nut butters and grass-fed beef are all high in healthy fats.
Foods including fatty fish, nuts, seeds, avocado, eggs, nut butters and grass-fed beef are all high in healthy fats (stock image)
According to Healthline, the top foods containing high amount of fat include avocado, cheese, dark chocolate, whole eggs, fatty fish, nuts and chia seeds.
Healthy fats also help play a role in reducing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity.
It’s important to eat the right amount of food containing healthy fat depending on your body type and calorie requirements for weight loss or maintenance.
If you were on a low-calorie diet consuming 1500 calories a day, your ideal fat consumption would be 50g per day.
But if you were consuming 2500 calories per day, you can consume up to 83 grams per day.