A thin waistline is not always a gift of nature. More often than not, it is the result of hard and long work on yourself. But the result is worth it! And do not make excuses and say that genetics decides everything – you can make any figure beautiful and slim. No magic, only work will make your waist thin and beautiful.
How to make your waist slim – where to start?
Visceral (abdominal) fat adds centimeters to the waistline. But it’s not those proverbial fat rolls on the sides, which you can feel. Visceral fat cannot be touched; it is concentrated inside the abdominal cavity. A small amount of it is important – it’s an evolutionary way to protect internal organs. But excessive accumulation leads to disruption of hormonal background and the development of serious diseases.
The main reason for the overabundance of abdominal fat is overeating and an unbalanced diet. Therefore, to get rid of excess fat and lose weight in the waistline, you need to adjust your diet and include regular physical activity in your daily routine. These include walking outdoors (for a total distance of at least 5 km, which you can control using a pedometer), swimming in a pool or an open water body, cycling, skiing and skating.
Let us reassure you – when losing weight, thanks to high metabolic activity, it is the visceral fat that is the first to go.
And also for a good metabolism it is important to get a good night’s rest and to follow a drinking regime. Why we eat up lack of sleep, read here.
Reconsider your diet, switch to a proper balanced diet, and incorporate regular exercises for a slim waistline into your daily routine. You’ll see the first noticeable changes in as little as 3-4 weeks.
But not all physical exercises contribute to weight loss in the waistline. Some, on the contrary, will make it wider. Below you will learn how not to exercise to avoid increasing your waistline.
How to switch to a balanced diet
To begin with, cut the daily diet by 400-500 kcal.
Replace sweets and baked goods with foods that activate the breakdown of fat. These are avocados, apples, citrus fruits, and greens.
Find the best diet for you – small fractional portions or interval fasting.
It is impossible to say unequivocally which diet is more effective for you. Genetics, calorie corridor, kinetic features of the body – they are all individual. Why can’t everyone be advised to eat strictly every 4 hours or go on a 16/8 diet.
What well-publicized methods of waist reduction are useless?
Massage
A pleasant and useful procedure. It relieves stress, relaxes muscles, stimulates digestion. But it has no effect on losing weight in the waist and in general on reducing the parameters of the whole body, because it does not affect the process of burning fat.
Wrapping with the foil and thermal belts
The event is not only useless, but also harmful to health. Why? Read Yagupov.
Hula hoop
If you have to choose between spinning a hula-hoop or lying on the couch with a gadget, it is more useful to spin a hoop – due to the massage effect and compression accelerates blood circulation. But it has nothing to do with losing weight around the waist.
In addition, not everyone can spin a hoop. Moreover, the list of contraindications is quite impressive.
It is not recommended to use a hula hoop:
- People with diseases of internal organs;
- Pregnant women and women who have recently given birth;
- during menstruation;
- skin diseases;
- spinal problems (dislocated discs, intervertebral hernia, trauma, surgery).
The more you exercise, the wider your waistline?
You may be incorporating exercises into your workout that are ineffective in reducing your waistline. By doing abs, side bends, squats, or torso lifts, you’re pumping up your oblique abdominal muscles. In doing so, you’re not burning fat in the waist area or making it smaller. On the contrary, your muscles grow, and your waistline increases with them.
Especially avoid training with heavy weights. Additional weights only increase and strengthen the muscles, accordingly, the waist becomes wider.
A little anatomy – which muscles affect waist size
The sharper the angle of the waist, the more pronounced it is. In men the angle of the waist is smoothed because of the voluminous oblique abdominal muscles and approaches 180 degrees. This is why you should not pump the oblique abdominal muscles for those who seek to make a thin waist. Those who have a wasp waist have a much smaller angle.
The broadest muscles of the back also take part in the formation of the waist. If they are weak and unable to support the subcutaneous fat, under the influence of gravity it goes down, forming an ugly fold.
The narrowest part of the waist is determined by the condition of the transverse abdominal muscle. The higher its tone, the narrower the waist is. It, together with the gluteal muscles, is responsible for forming the lower angle of the waist.
Accordingly, the key to forming a thin waist is to strengthen the transverse abdominal muscle and reduce the fat layer of subcutaneous and visceral fat. This is possible only through aerobic work at a higher heart rate and special exercises.
5 effective exercises to reduce the waistline
Vacuum
Practically an isolation exercise for the transverse muscle. Vacuum makes the waist narrower and creates a base for the formation of the cortex muscles. Activates the deep abdominal muscles and the muscles that stabilize the spine.
Perform on an empty stomach. The exercise can be done lying down and standing up. At the beginning of training it is recommended to perform lying down – so it is easier to master the correct technique of performing the exercise. After strengthening the inner abdominal muscles, move on to performing the exercise from the initial standing position.
Lie on your back, take a full breath, then a deep exhale. At the same time, pull your stomach in as hard as possible. Hold this position for a few seconds. Then breathe in calmly. Pause and repeat the exercise 10-15 times. Start holding your breath for 5-6 seconds and increase the time to 15 seconds each day.
Burpee
Another great exercise for reducing the waistline. In addition, burpees are energy-intensive and effective in terms of fat burning.
From the initial standing position, lower yourself into a squat, then assume the plank position on outstretched arms. Palms should be under the projection of your shoulders. Without taking your hands off the floor, return to the squat position and bounce back to the standing position.
Plank
One of the top-rated exercises for creating a hulking waistline.
The plank helps create balance between the spinal extensor group and the rectus abdominis muscle.
Jumping rope
A great aerobic exercise increases your metabolic rate and strengthens all your bark muscles.
The main thing is to jump correctly:
- Touch the floor with your toes only;
- Jump low – 3-5 cm from the floor;
- Keep your elbows close to your body;
- Use your wrists and forearms, not your shoulder girdle.
Alternating leg raises
Lie on the floor with straight legs raised at a 90-degree angle to the torso. As you exhale, alternately lower and raise your legs. Make sure your lower back does not come off the floor. Do 20-25 repetitions.
