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Try These Exercises To Reduce Love Handles

 What Are Love Handles?

"Love handles" is a slang phrase for fat deposits on the sides of your waist and hips. You may also hear these deposits referred to as "muffin top" or "spare tyre."

While you may be primarily concerned about the appearance of your love handles, studies has shown that extra fat around the waist increases your risk of illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.

There is no way to "spot reduce" love handles without undergoing liposuction or another cosmetic operation. However, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, as well as growing muscle mass via exercise, can help you lose love handles while also boosting your overall health.

Your workout programme should include exercises that develop your core muscles (the muscles in your torso). Not only does this improve the appearance of your midsection, but a strong core also:

    - Helps to avoid back problems and discomfort.
    - Benefits include improved balance, posture, and hip and knee protection.

What causes love handles?

Love handles are caused by fatty tissue in the stomach. Whether your body stores fat around the midsection relies on:

    - Genetics. Fat storage habits often run in families.
    - Hormones. Men (including those designated as male at birth) are more prone to retain fat in the abdomen than in the hips and thighs.
    - Your age. Belly fat levels often rise in middle age and beyond. 

It is possible to have a good body mass index (BMI) yet still have excessive belly fat for optimal health. Your waist measurement might be an overall sign of whether you have harmful levels of abdominal fat.

    - For men and those born male, that translates to a waist circumference of more than 40 inches.
    - It is more than 35 inches for women and those born with a female gender.

If you have a bigger body size, precise waist measurements may be less significant than whether your waistline is expanding over time.

You cannot alter your body's fat storage habits. However, as you lose fat and gain muscle via food and exercise, your tummy will most likely shrink, and you may lose your love handles. According to several studies, exercise is more beneficial in reducing belly fat than total weight reduction.

Exercises For Love Handles

While having a strong core is crucial, ab workouts alone will not get rid of your love handles. For the best results, you should do full-body workouts that target both your love handles and the rest of your body.

These workouts mix ab-strengthening routines with ones that help your back, hips, and legs. Try to complete one set of 12-15 repetitions of each exercise.If you have physical restrictions or are new to exercising, you should see your doctor before beginning a new training plan.

SIDE PLANKS

Side planks exercise your arms, legs, and all of your abdominal muscles, especially those on your side where love handles form.

Step 1: Lie on your side and support yourself with one arm. Keep your arm bent and your elbow aligned with your shoulder.

Step 2: Stack one leg on top of the other until your body is in a straight line from head to foot. Next, raise your hips off the ground.

Step 3: As you raise, squeeze your glutes (buttock muscles) and tighten your core.

Step 4: Hold for approximately 30 seconds. Then transfer to the opposite side and repeat. As you gain strength, you may push yourself by performing these planks with your supporting arm straight. 

RUSSIAN TWISTS

The Russian twist engages all of your core muscles and helps to stabilise your spine.

Step 1: Sit down, knees bent at 90 degrees and feet flat on the ground. Lean your body back until it forms a 45-degree angle with the floor while keeping your back straight.

Step 2: With both hands and arms bent, hold a dumbbell or other weight over your abdomen. If it is too tough, do the exercise without the weights. To make the manoeuvre more difficult, raise your feet a few inches off the ground and balance on your back.

Step 3: Twist your torso and arms as far to the left as possible.  Repeat on the right side, alternating. 

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS TWIST

The mountain climber works many muscle groups in both the upper and lower bodies. They can provide cardiac advantages if performed at a high speed. A cross-body twist engages your oblique muscles, which run down the sides of your torso.

 Step 1: Get into a plank posture with your hands flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart. For a simpler variation, perform this exercise with your hands on a plyo box, workout step, bench, or chair.

Step 2: Maintain a firm core and a straight spine as you raise your right knee and bring it up towards your left elbow, crossing your body.  

Step 3: Return to the beginning position, then lift your left leg and raise your knee towards your right elbow. Alternate sides. 

DEADLIFTS

Lifting weights strengthens muscles and bones while burning fat. This exercise may be performed with either a barbell or dumbbells. Begin with a weight that can be lifted 12-15 times with proper technique.

Step 1: Stand with your feet approximately hip-width apart. Hinge forward at the hips, bending your knees slightly, and grab the barbell or dumbbells with an overhand grip.  

Step 2: As you stand up, keep your back flat and your head in line with your spine. Push your hips forward until your hips and knees are straight. Hold the barbell or weights close to your body when lifting.

Step 3: Hold for a few seconds, then bend at the hips again while you lower your weight to the floor. Be careful not to curve your shoulders or bend your knees too far.

SQUATS

Squats work the major muscles of your lower body. You may do them with dumbbells, a barbell, or simply your own body weight for resistance.

Step 1: Stand with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width apart.

Step 2: Keeping your back in a neutral posture, slowly bend your knees, hips, and ankles until your knees form a 90-degree angle with the floor. If that's too difficult, simply go as low as you can while keeping proper form. When squatting, keep your knees centred over your feet.

Step 3: Slowly return to standing.

Bicycle Crunches

These core workouts involve a spinning action that promotes spine flexibility.

Step 1: Lie on your back and lift both legs off the floor, knees bent at a 90-degree angle. 

 Step 2: Position your hands behind your head, elbows out to the sides.

Step 3: Slowly raise your head and shoulders off the floor, then move your left elbow towards your right knee. Straighten your left leg (while keeping it off the floor).

Step 4: Keeping your head and shoulders up, swivel your right elbow to your left knee while straightening your right leg.

HANGING LEG RAISES

The hanging leg raise is a difficult workout that tests your abdominal muscles and hip flexors while utilising your own body weight. You may perform them at the gym or at home with a pull-up bar. Do not try them if you have back problems.

Step 1: Hang your hands from a bar over your head, bend your knees, and gradually lift them up to your chest.  For a more advanced variant, keep your legs straight.

Step 2: Gradually drop your legs back down.

Step 3: To maximise the effect, squeeze your ab muscles while both raising and lowering. 

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Strength-building activities should always be performed with calm and controlled movements. Moving too rapidly can strain your muscles and damage your tendons, ligaments, and joints.

Alignment is especially critical when performing core workouts. Pay attention to how your spine is positioned. If you experience any discomfort in your back, change positions or stop exercising. Do only as many repetitions of each exercise as you can easily perform with proper form. You may be able to progress to higher levels over time.

You may feel the strain of exertion, but no activity should hurt. Stop the workout if you feel any pain, particularly in your lower back. Check your alignment and technique, then try again. If the discomfort persists, consult a doctor before restarting your workout programme. 

TAKEAWAYS

Love handles are fat deposits on your belly, hips, and waist. You can't get rid of love handles one by one. However, keeping a healthy weight and growing strength throughout your body will reduce love handles while improving your overall health. 

FAQs

Does running help with Love Handles?

 Cardio workouts such as running can help you shed fat throughout your body, including your love handles. For the greatest results, strive for at least 150 minutes per week of jogging, cycling, dancing, or whatever cardiac activity you choose. 

Can I Lose Love Handles Within 2 Weeks?

When attempting to shed weight and get healthy, you can't target belly fat. Weight loss will slim both your stomach and the rest of your body. However, the pace of weight reduction varies from person to person. The key to losing and keeping weight off is to create long-term adjustments in your food and exercise habits that you can adhere to.  Experts advised that you lose no more than 1-2 pounds every week.



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