The 5 best exercises to blast your love handles and how to trim inches off your waist
MANY of us will carry weight around our middles – especially after an indulgent Christmas.
It could be the stomach ‘pooch’, lower back fat, or even love handles.
These pockets of fat that sit on the hips are named as such because this is the area a romantic partner would typically hold you.
Underneath this fat are the obliques – muscles which run down the sides of your core.
When you twist your body, your obliques are working to help you move.
But why do we get love handles?
Sarah Campus, personal trainer and women’s wellness expert, says weight gain in this area is often down to specific things, such as:
- Hormones, especially the stress hormone cortisol and insulin
- Genetics, as some people store fat more easily in this area
- Age, because metabolism slows with age
- Stress, as cortisol can lead to abdominal fat storage
- Diet, in particular excess sugar and refined carbs, which can contribute to fat around the middle
Sarah, founder of LDN MUMS FITNESS, has put together a workout aimed at targeting your love handles and toning up your obliques.
She suggests doing the recommended repetitions or timings, and then repeating the entire circuit three times.
If you’re new to these exercises, start off by using just your body weight until you’re comfortable. Then, add resistance in the form of weights (tins of beans or water bottles work just fine too).
Over time, aim to do each move for a longer period, and reduce the rest time you take between them.
1. Russian twists
Sit on the floor or your mat with your knees bent and your feet slightly off the ground.
Lean back a little, keeping your back straight.
Hold a weight with both hands, close to your tummy.
Now, twist your torso to one side, then the other, while keeping your core engaged.
As you twist, your weight should move to either side.
If you’d like, tap the floor with your weight, but if not, simply twist from one side to the other while keeping your weight close to your body.
If you’re struggling to keep your lower body still, place your feet on the ground as you do the move.
Repeat for 30 to 60 seconds.
2. Side plank
Start by lying on your left side with your legs stacked one on top of the other.
Prop yourself up on your left elbow, lifting your hips off the ground so your body forms a straight line.
Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds, then switch sides.
Sarah says that for added difficulty, try raising your top leg or arm and keeping still.
Or you could try pulsing your hips up and down slightly.
3. Bicycle crunches
Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and your legs lifted at a 90-degree angle.
Alternate bringing your right elbow to your left knee while straightening your right leg, then switch sides.
As you move, keep your core engaged and avoid pulling on your neck.
Try to move slowly through the movements as this will keep muscles under tension for longer.
Perform 15 to 20 reps per side.
4. Wood choppers
Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell or weight with both hands.
Start by holding the weight above one shoulder, with your arms relatively straight.
In one smooth motion, swing the weight down diagonally across your body towards the opposite hip.
As you do this, engage and tense your obliques.
Next, return to the starting position and repeat for 10 to 12 reps per side.
5. Mountain climbers
You’ll need to start in a high plank position for this move, with your hands on the ground, directly under your shoulders.
Bring one knee towards your chest, before moving it back to the plank position, then bring the other knee towards your chest.
Keep switching legs, and as you get comfortable with the move, increase the tempo until you’re moving in a quick, running-like motion.
Keep your core tight and hips level as you move.
Perform this exercise for 30 to 60 seconds.
If you’re feeling strong, you can make this harder.
This time, rather than driving your knee to your chest, bring it up toward the opposite elbow, then switch legs.
As you get comfortable, increase the tempo, ensuring your hips stay level and your shoulders remain above your hands.
Keep going for 30 to 60 seconds.
The 5 best exercises for a peachy bum
A FIRM, peachy butt is the feature many of us are working towards in the gym, made famous by the Kardashian sisters.
But are you using the right exercises, or wasting your time?
Whether or not you believe Kim’s bum is real or not, it has certainly influenced the type of body shape women aspire to.
If you want to work your butt muscles and build a strong, firm bum, then you need to be doing exercises that involve resistance, experts say.
Although bodyweight exercises are still great and can definitely play an important part in your workout routine, if you really want to strengthen and tone, then adding extra resistance is important.
Kacey Russell, personal trainer for the The Fitness Group has got you covered with exercises she herself used to build her bum – and you only need some dumbbells.
- Hip thrust (3 sets of 12 reps)
- Romanian deadlift (2 sets of 12 reps)
- Sumo squat (3 sets of 12 reps)
- Bulgarian split squats (3 sets of 12 reps on each leg)
- Single leg Romanian deadlift (3 sets of 12 reps on each leg)
Burning body fat
While the exercises above will help to lessen the appearance of love handles and tone up your obliques, Sarah says that alongside this workout, it’s wise to incorporate cardio exercises into your regime, such as running, cycling, or high intensity interval training (HIIT), to help burn overall body fat.
It’s not possible to spot-reduce or essentially choose the area where you lose fat from, so an overall fat loss approach is the best way to go.
“To lose body fat, you need to create a calorie deficit, meaning you consume fewer calories than your body needs for maintenance,” says Sarah.
“This forces your body to burn stored fat for energy.”
There are a few ways to create a calorie deficit.
“A balanced approach of reducing calorie intake and increasing activity is usually most effective
Sarah Campus
“You can reduce your calorie intake by eating fewer calories,” says Sarah.
“Do this by controlling portion sizes and choosing nutrient-dense foods like vegetables, lean proteins (such as chicken, eggs, tofu, dairy and fish), and whole grains.”
Or you can exercise regularly to burn more calories.
Sarah says this should be done through a mix of cardio and strength training.
“Ideally to create a calorie deficit, combine both,” she adds.
“A balanced approach of reducing calorie intake and increasing activity is usually most effective.”
Recommended daily intake
The recommended daily calorie intake for the average person is 2,500 for men and 2,000 for women, though this will vary on your activity levels.
When trying to lose weight, the average person should aim to reduce their daily calorie intake by about 600 calories, the NHS says.
That brings the daily allowance down to 1,900 for men and 1,400 for women.
You can use apps and food packaging to work out how many calories are in your food.
Once you know roughly how many you’re having, you can use this NHS Better Health guide to help you stay on track:
Women:
- Breakfast: 280 calories
- Lunch: 420 calories
- Dinner: 420 calories
- Snacks and drinks: 280 calories
Men:
- Breakfast: 380 calories
- Lunch: 570 calories
- Dinner: 570 calories
- Snacks and drinks: 380 calories
When having your meals, try to include at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and at least two portions of fish a week.