Forget crunches. For a workout that really flattens your belly, get up and move your feet. Studies show walking is one of the best ways to shed belly fat, in less time than you think. Researchers reviewed 40 years of studies on exercise and belly fat and found that just 2 1/2 hours of brisk walking a week--about 20 minutes a day--can shrink your belly by about 1 inch in 4 weeks.
Why does walking work so well? It appears to help reduce deep belly fat (called visceral fat) first, explains Tim Church, MD, MPH, PhD, of Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University. "If you exercise enough to lose 10% of your body fat, you may actually reduce visceral fat by 30%," says Church.
All walking burns belly fat, but for best results, crank up your weekly MET (metabolic equivalent) hours--the number of calories you burn. "Shaking up the intensity with on-again, off-again bursts of energy will give you the most time-efficient, calorie-burning workout possible," says exercise physiologist Peggy Pletcher of Source Endurance, an online coaching service based in Austin, TX.
Walk 20 minutes a day with our workout and your waistline may shrink an inch; double it and double your results. Or go an hour and lose inches everywhere. Try our belly-flattening strength moves and smart eating tips and you could drop a size or more this month!
The Experts
Exercise physiologist Peggy Pletcher, consultant for Source Endurance, an online fitness coaching service, helped design the walking plans. Celebrity trainer Valerie Waters developed the firming moves.
What to do:
6 or 7 days a week: Do one of the Flat Belly Walks, following our pace guidelines, below. If your goal is to whittle your waistline with the bare minimum exercise, follow Plan 1. If you have more time and want to rev up your results, dive into Plan 2. To shed inches all over, go with Plan 3.
3 days a week: Do the 4 Belly Flattening moves. It'll only take about 10 minutes, but you'll see improvement in core strength--vital to helping power through your walks--in a flash. Do 2 sets of each of the given reps 3 days a week.
Every day: Follow the "5 Food Rules to Live By" to boost fat loss.
Find the Right Pace
Use a scale of 1 to 10. It's the best way to determine how hard you should be working, with 1 being very easy and 10 an all-out effort. If you're on a treadmill, try our suggested speeds, but adjust the speed according to your effort level.
Warm-up/cool-down: 2 to 3 (treadmill at 3 mph). You can chat with ease.
Brisk pace: 4 to 5 (3.5 to 3.8 mph). Your breathing is pleasantly harder. Can still talk, but with pauses.
Push pace: 6 to 7 (4 mph). Some huffing and puffing. One- to two-word replies.
Power pace: 8 to 9 (4.2 to 4.5 mph or uphill at 3.5 mph). No talking possible.
| Plan 1: Speedy Waist Whittler Time: 20 minutes a day, 7 days a week What you'll lose: Up to 1 inch off your belly in 1 month | Plan 2: Lose-a-Size Tummy Trimmer Time: 40 minutes, 6 days a week What you'll lose: Up to 2 inches off your waist (a pants size) in just a month | |||||||||||||||
| Start: Warm-up | Start: Warm-up | |||||||||||||||
| 3:00 Brisk pace | 3:00 Brisk pace | |||||||||||||||
| 6:00 Push pace | 6:00 Push pace | |||||||||||||||
| 9:00 Brisk | 13:00 Power pace | |||||||||||||||
| 12:00 Power pace | 15:00 Repeat minutes 3 through 15 (brisk walk for 3 minutes, push for 7 minutes, power for 2 minutes) | |||||||||||||||
| 13:00 Push | 27:00 Brisk | |||||||||||||||
| 15:00 Brisk | 37:00 Cool-down | |||||||||||||||
| 18:00 Cool-down | 40:00 Finish | |||||||||||||||
| 20:00 Finish | ||||||||||||||||
| Total calories burned: About 100* | Total calories burned: About 200* | |||||||||||||||
*Based on a 150-pound person | ||||||||||||||||
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The Belly Flattening Moves
| 1. Rowing Twist Firms: Obliques, hips, glutes Stand with feet hip-width apart. Extend arms out from chest at shoulder height, palms together, facing in, and fingers interlaced. Pull navel toward spine and sweep arms toward right as if rowing a boat, bending right elbow back and twisting torso to right. Simultaneously raise right knee to hip level. Pause, then return to starting position. Repeat on opposite side. Do 20 reps per side.
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| 2. Leaning Plank Firms: Abs, shoulders, glutes, outer and inner thighs Place hands shoulder-width apart on bench or low wall and walk feet back, balancing on balls of feet so body forms a line from head to heels. Pull right knee toward chest (pictured). Hold 5 to 10 seconds. Return to start. Bring right knee out to side toward right elbow. Hold 5 to 10 seconds. Return to start. Pull right knee across body toward left elbow. Hold 5 to 10 seconds. Return to start. Switch legs and repeat the series on opposite side.
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| 3. Scoops Firms: Abs Sit on edge of bench or low wall. Place hands beside butt and lean back, raising knees to chest. Pull navel toward spine and slowly straighten legs downward until they are nearly extended, then pull knees toward chest in a scooping motion, as though forming a C, keeping abs engaged throughout. Do 20 reps.
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| 4. Sweeping Kick Firms: Abs, glutes, hamstrings Stand with feet together, arms extended out to sides at shoulder height, pulling navel toward spine. Lift left leg forward while rounding your back slightly, sweeping arms in front of chest. Return to starting position and repeat on opposite side. Do 20 reps per side, alternating sides.
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selene yeager
“The Fit Chick”
Selene Yeager is a top-selling professional health and fitness writer who lives what she writes as a NASM certified personal trainer, USA Cycling certified coach, Pn1 certified nutrition coach, pro licensed off road racer, and All-American Ironman triathlete.
