5 Easy Exercises To Burn Belly Fat, From a Personal Trainer

Many people know what it's like to have that one problem area in their body, and no matter how much time they spend in the gym, nothing seems to change.

Body image is a huge part of modern society, and while a recent YouGov poll found that 46 percent of U.S. adults felt happy about their bodies, 35 percent of the 1,000 respondents felt negatively about themselves.

A lot of people focus on one area of their body that they want to change, and for many women, that tends to be the stomach. It's a notorious problem area because of how stubborn it can be, but certified personal trainer Sydney Yeomans told Newsweek that "getting the heart rate up is the aim" for anyone looking to combat belly fat.

But if shedding a few extra pounds is the goal, it doesn't have to mean spending countless hours in the gym or running a marathon every week. Yeomans, the director of Fitness for Body20, has shared the simple exercises to aid in the reduction of belly fat.

What Exercise Burns the Most Belly Fat For Females?

Having spent several years as a personal trainer and a fitness coach, Florida-based Yeomans is adept at getting the best out of her clients and targeting their perceived problem areas. So, when it comes to burning that hard-to-lose belly fat, she insists on doing these exercises.

The Best Fat Burning Exercises For Belly Fat

1. Jump squats or air squats
2. Mountain climbers
3. A light but brisk walk, or jogging for 20 minutes
4. Leg raises
5. Plank jacks

Yeomans told Newsweek: "Getting the heart rate up and engaging the core is important for the mountain climbers. For the leg raises, make sure to engage the core here too.

"Lay on your lower back, keeping the legs together and raise them both up nice and slowly. Then lower them back down nice and slowly too. They're very easy to do and easy for anyone to modify if necessary, too."

Yeomans recommends doing 15 to 20 repetitions of the exercise set at a time, to burn maximum calories and build muscle. She suggests maintaining a regular routine so the exercises can be done between four to five times a week, for best results.

So, whether you prefer waking up half an hour early to squeeze in a workout before work or doing it in the evening to decompress after a long day, these exercises can fit into any schedule.

Why Do These Exercises Burn Belly Fat?

Doing a few leg raises or squats might seem a strange suggestion if you're hoping to lose weight around your belly, but it's the type of exercise that matters most.

Yeomans said that the best thing about these exercises is that they're part of a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout, so while they may be grueling for the short time you're doing them, they can really boost your weight loss results.

"These are HIIT-style training exercises, with a mix of core exercises," Yeomans said. "HIIT workouts will leave you with an afterburn where you will continue to burn calories after the workout ends. Core exercises will help to build up the abdominal muscles that live under the belly fat."

It's easy to assume that all body fat is the same, but Harvard Medical School explains that there are two types; subcutaneous fat, and visceral fat. It's thought that 90 percent of the body's fat is subcutaneous, which lies in the layer beneath the skin and feels soft to the touch. Visceral fat is hidden beneath the firm abdominal wall, located in spaces between the liver, intestines, and other organs.

As women get older, Harvard suggests that their proportion of fat to body weight usually increases, more than what men experience. As a result of this, their fat storage often favors the upper body region, so while a woman may not gain weight, her waistline can grow because the visceral fat is pushing against the abdominal wall.

What Else Can Be Done To Help?

Studies over the years have questioned the validity of spot reduction or targeted weight reduction in specific areas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that a healthy weight involves a lifestyle with healthy eating patterns, regular physical activity, and stress management.

Although you might see some notable improvements after taking on a new tailored exercise regime, it won't be the solution to everything.

Once you've mastered this set of exercises, Yeomans suggests incorporating new exercises to increase the routine. Not only will that keep it interesting rather than repetitive, but it will aid in strengthening other areas of the body.

"It is also great to incorporate strength training into these exercises as well. Strength training helps to increase your metabolism and help increase one's Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which would increase the calories you burn at rest," Yeomans told Newsweek.

A person's BMR is the minimum number of calories needed to function during periods of rest, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Building and sustaining muscle requires more energy, but people with a higher muscle mass will have a quicker metabolism, allowing them to burn more calories as a result.

There's no doubt that a good exercise regimen is going to lead to positive change, however, Yeomans highlighted the importance of a nutritious diet and lifestyle.

"In order to help lose belly fat, it is also important to have a good, healthy eating routine. If you incorporate healthy carbs, fats, and proteins into your daily food intake, you will notice a change in that stubborn belly fat."

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