Lose belly fat with these 6 exercises approved by top fitness expert

Best exercises to burn belly fat: The Mountain Climber exercise engages the core and helps burn belly fat (Image: Canva)

“Alexa, delete my belly fat.”

If only it was as easy to get a flat abdomen. But, actually, it is not that difficult either. Six exercises and six minutes can transform the way you look. All you need is discipline and focus. Akshay Rathi, Fitness manager at Fit by Ravissant, New Delhi, tells us six exercises that can be done at a gym or at your own home to get rid of the belly fat. “Make sure that your tummy is sucked in while doing these exercises. Don’t let your core hang loose,” says Rathi.

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So get your timer out and get started to melt away your belly fat. If you don’t want to use a timer, you could do three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions. In between sets, you can take a break of 30 seconds up to one minute.

Mountain climber: Come to push-up position, making sure that your hands are directly beneath your shoulders. Once you are in the position, bring one knee to the chest without arching your back or dropping your hips. The movement is that of running in plank position. You can increase the speed as per your strength. If holding a push-up on ground level seems hard, you could use a sofa or table to do the routine. The only difference would be that there would be an incline to the posture. This exercise engages the core and helps burn belly fat.

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Plank: Get into push up position by planting your hands directly under your shoulders, ground toes into the floor, squeeze glutes to stabilise your body. Your head should be in line with your back. Focus on a spot on the floor. Hold this position for at least 30 seconds in the beginning and increase it steadily everyday. Planks are perfect for burning belly fat they boost metabolic rate and increase core strength.

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Reverse crunches: Lie down on a mat on your back, face up, arms by your side. Stretch your legs and raise them to 90 degrees. This will be your starting position. Bring your legs towards your head, exhaling while doing so. Hold. And then as you inhale, return to your starting position. The legs will come back to the 90 degrees, they are not to be taken to the ground. Repeat this to complete your set. Reverse crunches are focussed on lower part of abs.

Russian twists: Sit up and raise your legs off the ground. Lean back a little so that you form a V-shape with your body. And then twist your torso to the sides – left and right. You can bend the knees if you want. To add weight, you can use a water bottle or a football/basketball ball lying around the house. This exercise works on your obliques very well which gives a leaner look to the upper body.

Leg raises: Lie on your back, facing the ceiling. Arms by your side in comfortable position, legs straight and together. Keep your legs straight and lift them all the way up to the ceiling until your butt comes off the floor. Slowly lower your legs back down till they are just above the floor. You can do this exercise by raising one leg at a time, alternatively. Hold for a moment. Raise your legs back up. Repeat.

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Squats: Sit ups are an important part of exercise routine. It is a daily workout that everyone must perform if they are serious about losing that belly fat. Squatting can burn more calories than the treadmill per minute. It is so simple that it can be done anywhere from kitchen to gym. Just stand with feet apart. Inhale. Tighten your abs, push your buttocks out, and squat down by bending your knees (thighs parallel to the ground). You can also use a chair to help you with the squats.

It is always advisable to club your exercise routine with a healthy diet plan. To get flat abs, watch you are putting in your stomach. Eat high fibre, more protein rich diet. Eating right and in correct proportion will get you the desired results.