Metabolism

 

Metabolism – The Hidden Key for Flat Abs

Metabolism is a set of chemical transformations within the cells by which they produce the amount of energy your body requires to sustain life. A high metabolic rate maintains a smooth functioning of the body parts and the higher it goes, the more energy your body burns.

Factors which influence the speed of your metabolism and how much weight you gain or lose subsequently include your diet and the level of physical activity you indulge in. A more active lifestyle can straightaway boost your metabolic rate and help you lose weight in a quick and healthy way.

Crazy for Abs?

Abs are increasingly becoming a sort of honor badge in the recent times. Celebrities have no doubt played a major role in it by making it a yardstick for sex appeal! However, apart from these attractions, flat abs is a dream of every fitness freak and symbolizes a peak of physical fitness.

Abs not only ensures that you look good without a shirt but also increases the strength and stability of your midsection, warding off injury in your daily and athletic activity.

However, getting a flat belly requires a considerable amount of dedication on your part. But the results are definitely worth all your efforts. A focused workout routine doesn’t necessarily lead to a flat stomach. You also need to consume fewer calories than your burn, or in other words, maintain a high metabolic rate.

A near perfect combination of these two will not only make you healthy but also confident enough to flaunt your body at every given opportunity. Get yourself started by following the tips given below to hammer the muscles between your shoulders and hips and improve your metabolism simultaneously.

Fat loss is the stepping stone for flat Abs

Before you embark on the journey to develop abs, try loosing the extra fat which men mostly store in the middle known as visceral fat. An average man has a body fat of about 28 per cent, out of which you need to shed off around 12 per cent to develop flat abs.

Don’t get confused with fat and weight loss. If you have excessive weight, then you must try and lose some in the first place. Resorting to regular exercises and safe supplements for weight loss isn’t a bad choice either.

This is not as difficult as it appears as visceral fat is the first fat a man loses as soon as he cleans up his diet and develops a serious and dedicated exercise routine.

Transform your menu choices

An effective way to lose fat around your belly is to reduce your calorie intake. A deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories per day and yield to a weight loss of upto 1 to 2 pounds per week.

Eating less won’t come to your rescue this time around. All you need to keep in mind is to eat the right food for getting those abs.

• Eat Whole Grains: It takes the body an extra effort to break down whole grains (oatmeal, quinoa, sprouted grain etc) as compared to the processed ones. This will elevate your metabolic rate as whole grains are harder to digest as well as fiber-rich.

• Protein Intake- A Must!: The amount of protein needed by each individual differs, but on an average 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram body weight each day is sufficient enough to induce weight loss. Here is a list of Top 10 Foods Highest in Protein per Calorie.

• Stay Hydrated: Water is an essential player in the digestive process. It helps to extract all the nutrients from the food taken in. An average person should drink a minimum of 2 to 3 litres of water on a regular basis and increase the amount depending on the level of physical activity.

 Make Workouts a Routine Job

Increased activity and strength training has been a well-known thing for weight loss. But its benefits extend far beyond as recent research has shown that it can boost your metabolic rate as well.

• Cardio: Indulge in 45-60 minutes of jogging and walking for most days of the week. It is advisable to include a few high-intensity intervals (HIIT training) in your cardio workouts on an occasional basis.
• Strength Training: Strength training is also a key to weight loss and a flat belly. You can go for chest presses, rows, squats and dead lifts and also lift heavy weights to build maximum muscle. More muscles increase the calorie burning potential of your body, making it easier for you to drop that extra fat.

We hope that these simple tips help you eliminate visceral fat, improve flab-burning metabolic rate and induce weight loss.

All you need to do is focus on increasing the amount of whole foods and protein in your diet, developing lean muscles and knocking out a few HIIT sessions each week, and getting flat abs won’t seem a distant dream for you anymore.