Exercising with a stability ball is a great way to lose belly fat. A stability ball will cost about $30 and you can get them from most sporting stores. A stability ball may be just what you need to get that flat stomach you have dreamed of. Working out with a stability ball will give you twice the muscle fibers in your stomach than if you work out doing regular crunches without a ball. This has been researched at Sacramento State University in California.

Here are three great lose belly fat exercises for beginners to get you started.

1. Sit on the stability ball and put your hands on the ball for balance. You can also place your hands behind your head which is a better strength exercise but is a little more difficult. Begin to roll your hips slowly in a circle toward the right. Start off making small circles and as you become more comfortable and confident with the exercise you can make larger circles. Do 10 to 20 circles and then repeat the exercise making circles to the left. This exercise works the muscles of the stomach making it a great exercise to help lose belly fat.

2. This exercise is called the Seated March. Sit on the ball with your back straight and your stomach pulled in. Lift first your right foot and then the left foot in a slow march. As you become more comfortable with this exercise try lifting your knees higher and march faster. When you become really confident with the exercise you can add a bounce on the ball in time with your marching. Continue with the seated march exercise for around 2 minutes.

3. This last exercise is called the Seated Balance. Once again sit on the ball with your back straight and your tummy pulled in. If you are a beginner then place your hands on the ball for balance, if you are confident enough you can put your hands behind your head. Lift your right foot off the floor and hold it in the air for about 5 seconds. Lower your foot and then lift the left foot and hold it in the air for 5 seconds. Repeat these moves 5 to 10 times while making sure that you continue to have your back straight and your tummy pulled in.

These three exercises have you sitting on the stability ball. These are great exercises if you are a beginner to using the stability ball but as you gain confidence you can introduce more exercises, some of which will have you starting from the floor, your knees or even lying on top of the ball.

Stability balls usually come with a manual that will include a number of different exercises with illustrations so you can see exactly how to do them and what benefit you will gain from them.

There are different size balls available and you should choose the size based on your height. If you are less than 5’1 then you should get an 18 inch ball. If you are between 5’1 and 5’8 you should get a 22 inch ball. If you are over 5’8 then you will need a 26 inch ball.

Stability balls really are a great way to lose belly fat and you will soon feel good with your new flat tummy.

Tags: Ball Exercises, Bounce, Crunches, Flat Stomach, Hips, Knees, Left Foot, Lose Fat, Muscle Fibers, Muscles, Right Foot, Right Start, Sacramento State University, Sit, Small Circles, Sporting Stores, Stability Ball, Strength Exercise —

Simple Ways To Lose Weight – Watching What You Eat

There is no question that obesity is a big problem in the United States and other Western nations, and it’s not showing any signs of going away soon. If you have been looking for simple ways to lose weight, then chances are you have stumbled across a few fad diets, perhaps you have even tried a few. But there is only one way to shed those extra pounds: you have to burn more calories than you take in. One way to decrease how many calories you take in is by controlling your portions. Here are some tips to help you do just that.

The first thing you need to know is what a normal portion is for most of the foods you eat. You may be quite shocked to find out that you have been regularly eating three to four times the normal portion. For example, a serving of meat is considered to be 3 ounces, that works out to be about the same dimensions as a deck of cards. A serving of ice cream is a half cup, so if you eat a pint you will have consumed four servings. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Most of us will mindlessly fill our entire plate when we sit down to eat. We don’t really think about what we put on the plate, we just know that it should be full. Therefore, you can trick yourself into eating less by using smaller plates, cups and bowls when you eat. That way there will be less plate to fill.

You can also look to tricks used by restaurants to make your plate look fuller. A favorite is to use garnishes like thinly slice fruit, raw kale and fresh parsley. These aren’t normally eaten, but they take up extra room and give the illusion of having more food on your plate.

If you put the healthiest foods on your plate first, then you will automatically limit how much of the less-than-healthy food you’ll have room for. For example, if you start by putting veggies on your plate, then a small salad, you will be forcing yourself to take a smaller portion of meat.

Did you know that the type of glass you put your beverages in makes a difference? This is nothing more than an illusion, but it ranks as one of the simple ways to lose weight. Taller, thinner glasses look like they hold more, so use those. If you’re having a cold drink, then fill the glass with ice first, then pour in your beverage. Yes, restaurants use this trick, too.

Only cook what you’ll eat. A lot of recipes are designed to feed a family of four, but if there are only two of you, or you’re on your own, then reducing those recipes will help to keep your portions under control. After all, you can’t eat more of a certain dish if there isn’t more there for you to eat.

Tags: Bowls, Burn Calories, Calories, Deck Of Cards, Eating Habits, Extra Room, Fad Diets, Healthiest Foods, Healthy Food, How Many Calories, Illusion, Kale, Losing Weight, obesity;, Parsley, Pint, Proverbial Iceberg, Restaurants, Shed, Signs, Sit, Veggies, Ways To Lose Weight —