If you have unwittingly developed the dreaded ?love handles?, then you may also be developing along with them the dreaded ?body issues? that keep you from fully enjoying the beach, the park, or any kind of intimate relationships. Or, you may have a healthier perspective which allows you to have a sense of humor about your physical ?imperfections? while still looking for ways to improve yourself. Regardless of where you?re at, hopefully you haven?t taken the route of self-hatred and feelings of utter helplessness that plagues so many that view unwanted fat as a sign of laziness and/or a depressing decline into the aging process.
Remember that problems exist for us to realize what we?re truly made of. In order to shape your body as you imagine you would like it, you need to start thinking about ways that you can make this process easier on yourself; there is always a smarter method of doing anything. A good start is in realizing that simple is always better; there are tried and true principles for effectively strengthening and toning your midsection, and this article exists to reinforce and remind you of what they are:
- Use your abdominal muscles more through the course of your day. You will need to focus on trimming the fat away before creating definition, but this is a very simple, and great first step. The 'burning' sensation that you experience when you get into intense exercises will be much more tolerable if you begin to incorporate your core muscles into everyday movements such as bending, reaching and turning. At the same time, you also relieve tension in the tinier muscles in the shoulder and neck.
- Start a nutrition journal. This is helpful step in altering your eating habits. Do this for the next four or five days, then review the results. Consider how your eating patterns affect your energy level and overall mood. Then look at how you can start substituting healthier foods for those that are causing fat and a low level of energy.
- Immediately put aside 10 minutes a day to perform any kind of aerobic exercise you like. Swimming, cycling, and rowing are 3 examples of many possibilities. The key is to make this a habit, no matter what distractions your mind may devise. If you start to find yourself lacking in motivation, take 3 minutes beforehand to remind yourself of the great benefits you will receive in your commitment to get rid of your love handles. Keep thinking of these benefits, write them down, burn them into your brain! Doing so will increase your enthusiasm for your workouts and make them meaningful to you.
The most important thing to keep in mind is to not let your thoughts dwell in a place of self-pity or perceived failure. You need to remind yourself constantly that there are ways to solve any problem that arises, and love handles are actually a relatively small problem. There is no one or the other when it comes to exercise and nutrition; less foods high in saturated fats produce less body fat, and more exercise burns the existing fat away. Change your habits bit by bit every day, no matter how much the ego screams to cause destruction on the body, and you will be well on your way to getting rid of love handles with ease.
