FitSugar

Tone Your Middle With the Kettlebell Windmill

Susi May — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:27:14 PST

Swinging kettlebells around at the gym makes me feel like a super toughie. But I do love the sassy feeling I get doing slow and controlled windmills, a move I just learned from my Equinox trainer Lauren. Like most kettlebell moves, this is a full-body exercise, but the work is at your waist, toning the obliques and stretching the sides of the torso. The shoulders and arms are worked nicely, too.

If you're a beginner, try this exercise with no weights. Once you feel familiar with the sequence, add one five-pound dumbbell into the mix, holding the weight in the hand that remains held above the head. When you're ready, progress to using a set of four-kilogram (8.8 pounds) kettlebells.

Start toning your love handles now; bikini season is right around the corner.

5 Ways to Get Rid of a Muffin Top

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:48:29 PST

There are certain spots where fat likes to hang around. For some, extra padding accumulates in the torso, resulting in that lovely layer of softness above the waistline commonly referred to as the muffin top. Keep reading to find out how to help yours disappear.

Source: Thinkstock, go2yas

Must Dos For Getting Rid of a Post-Baby Muffin Top

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:24:57 PST

The Muppets star Amy Adams admits that 18 months after giving birth to Aviana Olea she's OK with the baby weight, "I have a muffin top, and that’s OK right now." Most new moms can relate to holding on to post-baby weight since they're sleep-deprived and way too tired to exercise, or are too busy taking care of their little one to hit the gym, but if you're ready to get rid of your post-baby muffin top, here's how.

Ramp up your cardio sessions: Unfortunately you can't just do back exercises and expect a muffin top to disappear as fast as you can eat one. To slim down trouble spots like love handles and back rolls, you must reduce overall body fat. Aside from eating a healthy diet, you need to burn fat through heart-pumping cardio. Aim to do 60 minutes, five days a week. Mix it up with running, swimming, cycling, hiking, and cardio classes. Be sure to include speed intervals as these are proven to get rid of stubborn belly fat.
Pay attention to your core: Once that layer of fat disappears, you want to reveal sleek, toned muscles underneath. Be sure to complement your cardio workouts with strength training moves that target your entire core. Include crunches for your abs, deadlifts and Supermans for your back, side bends to target the sides of your waist, and push-ups for your abs and upper back. Try doing moves on an exercise ball or Bosu as the instability forces you to engage your core. Building muscle is also a great way to burn calories and rev up your metabolism.

Did You Rush to Lose the Baby Weight? Amy Adams Didn't!

Michele Foley — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:27:24 PST

With the exception of a baked good, a muffin top is not something most women are usually OK with - unless you're Amy Adams. The Muppets star recently told InStyle that the last few pounds of baby weight have been hard to drop. But she's in no rush (Amy gave birth to her daughter in May 2010): "I read about these actresses who get on a stationary bike two weeks after giving birth and I'm like, 'What? Where did you push your baby out of?' Since having Aviana, I have a muffin top, and that's OK right now."

Amy's comments are definitely spot on; given that Hollywood puts an emphasis on beauty, there can be a lot of pressure to maintain a tight and toned bod - even after delivering a child. And regardless of whether you're an actress or not, extra weight gained from pregnancy may be enough to spur any woman into a ramped-up fitness regimen. This isn't the case for everyone, though, as Amy illustrates. For the moms out there, how did you deal with losing the baby weight?

How Can I Get Rid of Love Handles?

Shape — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:14:40 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to personal trainer and strength coach Joe Dowdell for some help!

Q: How can I get rid of love handles?

A: There isn't just one secret to losing love handles - it's a combination of factors. It's true that the typical answer of total-body strength training, high-intensity cardio intervals, proper nutrition, and sound recovery strategies are the keys to long-term success, but there are more secret strategies for burning belly fat.

You've probably heard that cortisol, the "stress hormone," is responsible for excess abdominal fat, but that's only part of the story. Your body produces cortisol in response to stress—physical, mental, or emotional. This may include extremely low-calorie diets (fasting or starvation), infection, lack of quality sleep, emotional trauma, or intense exercise, as well as daily stressors such as job pressure or relationship trouble.

Top 50 Fall Dit Foods for Weight Loss

Stress and cortisol alone do not make you fat, but research has linked high cortisol levels with storage of body fat, particularly visceral belly fat. Visceral fat is packed deeper in the abdominal cavity and around the internal organs, whereas "regular" fat is stored below the skin (known as subcutaneous fat). Visceral fat is particularly unhealthy because it is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes. Therefore, the key to avoid storing excess fat around your middle is controlling your cortisol response, or the amount of stress on your body.

Learn the top tips for getting rid of love handles after the break!

How to Tone Your Love Handles

FitSugar — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 01:01:51 PDT

Muffin top. Spare tire. Love handles. That extra jiggle around the waist may have a lot of endearing nicknames, but that doesn't mean we actually love it. Unfortunately you cannot pick and choose where you lose weight, but you can spot tone-troublesome areas. To lose weight at your waist, you need to commit to cardio workouts, which will help you lose fat all over. Toning up the muscles under those love handles will both strengthen your core and give you a firmer look through your waist. Here are three of our favorite variations of the side plank that will help create a shapely waist.

RX For Love Handles: Add a Twist to Your Plank

Michele Bell — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 07:00:32 PST

Are you falling out of love with your love handles? One of the secrets to trimming down the waistline is toning up those obliques. Thanks to the slim and trim Joy Bauer, I learned a new move that left my sides begging for a breather. A bit challenging on the body, it's an easy enough motion to learn and definitely gives the obliques a run for the money, which means your belts and slim fitting dresses will be thanking you.

To see how to do the exercise, just

Start in an elbow plank with your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Do not let your tush dip down or slouch.
Bring the right knee in a cross-body motion and touch it to the ground and then kick it back into starting position. Use your glute for that motion.
Repeat the same motion on the other side and bring the left knee across and touch it to the ground. Then come back to your starting position.
Do each side 10 times for one set. Do three complete sets.

Here's a little more detail on the twisting action.

View 2 Photos ›

Love Handles: Ga Ga or Gag?

LilSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:00:35 PDT

Work it mama! Mothers finding it hard to squeeze in a workout are always looking for a way to get some exercise throughout the day. While jogging strollers help provide aerobic exercise and strengthen leg muscles, they don't do much for the upper-body area. That's where Love Handles ($100) comes in. The moving bars attach to most strollers to convert the push-chairs into moving elliptical machines. The handles' resistance can be increased or decreased to control the intensity of the workout and are designed to target the user's core, doubling the number of calories burned than pushing the buggy alone. Would you try these out to help lose the baby weight?

Style For Style: Buh-Bye Legwear Bulges

FabSugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:00:22 PDT

Russian model Vlada Roslyakova is wearing tights, but you don't see any side bulges, aka love handles, distracting from her look. Well, in her case, it's probably because she doesn't have any, but what are we mere mortals supposed to do when our legwear elastic digs into our skin, giving us those nasty, lady lumps?

To see how to eliminate ugly legwear bulges,

Do the following to all your bulge-causing tights, especially the ones with control tops:

Wear your tights with nothing over them, and stand in front of a mirror.
Grab a pair of scissors, to start the process.
Take the scissor and make a small slit on either side of your tights. You can make the slit as small or big, depending on how tough the elastic is. Usually making a slit on one side is sufficient, but if the elastic is still causing bulges, slit the other side as well.

The point is to tear the slit until all bulges are eliminated. Just be careful not to make the tear too big, as you don't want your tights falling down or ruined. Good luck and say bon voyage to bulge!

Source

Tone Your Love Handles: Exercise Video

FitSugar — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 04:00:00 PST

This video is all about toning up your love handles. Yep - just in time for Valentine's Day. While you may not be able to pick and choose the body parts where you lose fat, you can spot tone an area. To lose weight at your waist you need to commit to a cardio workout plan which will help you lose fat all over. Toning up the muscles under those love handles will both strengthen your core and give you a firmer look through your waist.

So give a little love to your love handles; I am sure they will enjoy the attention. There is now a printer friendly version of the love handle workout so you can take it with you to the gym.