Abs are surely one of the most difficult body parts to train. It takes weeks, sometimes even months of regular exercise and diet control to get rid of that extra belly fat and get flat and toned stomachs. But the process is not as hard as some might tell you. With a little bit of effort and commitment on your side, your belly fat can vanish easily in no time!

Not only will you be physically fitter and healthier after reducing the fat, but you will be able to flaunt your flat belly to everyone around you! Do you need any further motivation beyond that to kickstart this journey right away?

What are the reasons behind your extra belly fat?

We start by understanding our body and gaining insight into how the extra belly fat came into our body, in the first place.

Although most people keep cursing their extra belly fat and researching day and night about ways to reduce it, hardly anyone pays heed to the reasons behind the fat. Knowing the reasons can be quite effective in making changes in your overall lifestyle, which might help you reduce that extra fat easily.

Here are some of the common reasons behind the excess belly fat in your body:

Poor diet

Excessive intake of calories, and a poorly balanced diet, is a major causes of excess body weight.

Imbalance in gut bacteria

An imbalanced gut can impair your body’s ability to absorb nutrients, regulate blood sugar, and store fat, and weight gain may be caused by insulin resistance or the urge to overeat due to decreased nutrients absorption.

Sedentary lifestyle

Continuously sitting or lying down, and not allowing your body parts to move around at all increases the chances of obesity, and extra belly fat.

Short or low-quality sleep

Stress and insomnia is said to be the main reason behind the extra belly fat of most females.

Physical changes with age

Many women gain belly fat with age and slower metabolism processes. Changes in the female body during menopause, pregnancy, and postpartum can also contribute to a larger abdomen.

Beginner exercises to get a flatter belly easily at home

Many of us take a step back as soon as we hear the term ‘exercise’. We tend to become lazy and procrastinate those dreaded gym hours. But, what most people do not know is about the innumerable easy exercises that have miraculous effects on our physical body, without investing the entire day to the goal. Plus these exercises save you the hassle of going to the gym daily!

Here we list down some of the very basic, beginner exercises that you can easily try out at your house itself. These can make a tonne of difference to your belly, if done regularly. However, do not forget to do some warmup exercises before it. These can be done in any form, be it by shaking your body parts, or dancing your way through. The warmup is the basic foundation and should be done for at least 10 minutes, to ensure your muscles are prepared and loosened for the upcoming exercises.

• Leg Raises: The exercise is done by lying down, with thumbs under hips, and palms flat on the floor. Next, both legs are raised to ninety degrees and brought down. Doing 3 sets of 15 reps daily is quite sufficient initially.
• Sit Ups: The starting position of this exercise consists of lying down with knees in a flexed position, with hands behind your head, such that you can lift your head and shoulders off the floor and stare at the ceiling. Now, the exercise includes engaging your core strength to lift your body off the floor, and into a sitting position. 2 sets of 2 reps of this exercise is mandatory.
• Heel Touch: For this exercise, first of all, legs should be in the flexed position, with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, and flat. Hands should be kept by your side,  with chin up, shoulders relaxed, and core engaged. All you have to do now is to bend sideways and try to touch your right heel with your right hand. This should be done for both sides. 3 sets of 20 reps of this exercise is necessary for a flatter belly.
• Crunches: Crunches are said to be the best way to burn your belly fat. These help in training your lower and upper abs. The exercise is done by lying down in a flexed knee position, with your hands holding the back of your head, and your thumb behind the ear. Movement is initiated by curling up and trying to touch your head to the knees, before returning to the initial position. 2 sets of 12 reps daily is essential for reduced belly fat.
• Bicycle Crunches: The initial position of this exercise is the same as in normal crunches. After lifting your head, all you need to do is to push your left leg down and extend it straight, while simultaneously, curling up and twisting to your right. The focus should be on touching your left elbow with your right knee, before curling back down and bringing your left leg back to the flexed position. 2 sets of 12 reps of this exercise should be tried to be completed daily.
• Reverse Crunches: This exercise is done in a seated position, with knees flexed, and feet flat on the floor, such that you can lean back and support your body on elbows only. All you now need to do is lift both legs off the floor and bring your knees as close to your nose as possible. 3 sets of 15 reps of this exercise should be done.
• Burpees: Burpees is a full body workout, but has a significant effect on the belly area. This exercise works your core, as well as your chest, shoulders, lats, triceps, and quads. It is done by standing straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and then bending to place your hands on the floor, similar to a frog. Now you jump and push both your legs back and get into a plank or push-up position, and then hop back to the frog position. To end, now, you have to jump vertically, extend your hands above your head, and land softly on the floor. This should be repeated to do 3 sets of 8 reps.
• Planks:  Planks help to strengthen your spine, resulting in a stronger posture. It can also improve several ailments. All you need to do is kneel down, and place your elbows on the mat. Next, you extend your right leg back, then your left leg, such that your neck, back, and hips are in the same line. Now you should try to stay in this position for at least 30 seconds. A beginner should try to do 3 sets of planks for up to 30 – 60 seconds.
• Side Planks: A side plank can strengthen the abdominal muscles, which usually do not get worked on in other ab exercises. To do this exercise effectively, you need to get into a side half-lying position on your right, with your left foot across the right foot and on the floor. This is followed by placing your elbow right below your shoulder and your left hand on your waist. Now, you lift your pelvis off the floor, such that your back is in line with your neck and head. You should now try to hold this pose for 30-60 seconds, before lowering your body and doing the same on the other side. Side planks can be done 2-4 times on either side, resting for 10 seconds in-between.
• Russian Twists: The Russian twist is a core exercise that improves oblique strength. It can be done by sitting and lifting both your legs, with knees flexed, followed by leaning back a little, and joining palms to balance your body. Now, you have to twist your upper body to the left and then to the right. Although it might sound a bit complicated, the exercise has proven very useful for many.
• Mountain Climbers: This exercise works your core, in addition to a slew of other body muscles, and is done in a plank position. You need to ensure that your elbows are directly below your shoulders, and keep your neck, back, and hips in a straight line. Next, you need to lift your right foot off the floor, flex your knee and bring it close to the right side of your chest, and repeat the same with the left foot. 2 sets of 25 reps of this exercise is more than enough at this stage.
• Sprawls:  This is a full-body exercise that works as many muscles as possible and burns calories while shaping and toning your upper and lower body, especially your abs. It also helps improve your speed, strength, and stamina. It is done by standing with your feet shoulder distance apart, followed by squatting down and placing your hands on the ground. Now you need to jump your feet back to a plank and lower your body to touch the ground. And then, push yourself up to a plank and jump your feet outside of your hands into a squat, before standing back up.  Sprawl can put too much pressure on the body, and so is recommended only 2-3 days per week, and not for more than 30 minutes per day, at least for a beginner.
• Flutter Kicks: Flutter kicks help in the overall posture, balance, and stability of the body. This exercise is performed in a lying position, with your legs together and hands underneath your buttocks. Now, you lift your right leg off the ground slightly past the hip height, and simultaneously, lift the left leg so it hovers a few inches off the floor, yet your back must touch the floor. You should try to hold this position for at least 5 seconds, before switching the position of the legs, and making a flutter kick motion. Flutter kicks should be done in 2 sets of at least 15 reps.
• V Ups: You need to lie on your back, with arms extended behind your head, feet together and toes pointed. Now, keeping your legs straight, you lift them and raise your upper body off the floor as well, and try to reach out for your toes, before lowering yourself and returning to the original position. 3 sets of 12 reps of V-ups should be done.

There are many other exercises, other than the ones listed above. However, these are the ones apt for any beginner, exercising for the first time, or out of touch with the practice. The number of sets and reps can be increased, if desired, with regular practice.

A strict exercise regime should be followed to achieve the desirable body standard. Sufficient breaks should be taken while switching exercises and at least 20-second breaks should be taken even in between sets. An exercise mat should be used for the whole process.

Also, you must ensure that you do not force your body into doing something. Special care must be taken, at least in the initial days, to get the body used to the exercises. Moreover, putting pressure on an injured body part must be avoided at all costs.

Other effective types of exercises to reduce belly fat at home

• Cardio: Spending forty-five minutes on cardio every day, can help flatten your stomach and have several other health benefits as well. This also helps a person sleep better and stay active throughout the day.
• Pilates: Small, gentle movements of pilates that can bring about huge results in reducing belly fat.
• HIIT: Known as high-intensity interval training, HIIT is effective for weight loss, toning, and fitness. It asks you to do small bursts of high-intensity exercises and space them out with resting phases. This exercise helps the body burn fat even 1-2 days after you leave the gym!
• Yoga: Yoga asanas are said to be the best way to reduce belly fat healthily. It also helps lead a stress-free lifestyle, with better focus during the day.
• Walking: A solid half an hour to one hour walk daily is the easiest method to reduce body weight and get rid of the extra belly fat.
• Running and jogging: Running burns a lot of calories and is said to be the best exercise to reduce belly fat. Furthermore, running up and down stairs can boost the process, and increase your stamina at the same time. Similarly, jogging every day can also prove to be very effective in staying fit.
• Cycling: This basic activity can strengthen your thigh muscles and burn a lot more calories, to help you lose belly fat quickly. Cycling exercise every day along with the right diet can help you achieve a fitter body in no time.
• Swimming: The strokes practiced while swimming is an easy and efficient way to get rid of belly fat.

Everyday diet tips to help alongside exercise

There is a general mindset that reducing weight equals starving yourself. However, that is not at all true. To get a healthier body, all you need to focus on is consuming all food groups, in the right quantities. The basic principle behind losing belly fat is to ensure that the total calorie intake of the body is less than the calories burnt in a day.

In this section, we list down some of the basic changes that you can easily incorporate into your diet, alongside the exercise regime, for a healthier body.

• Maintain a balanced diet: Reducing your belly fat is 80% about eating the right food. A healthy and balanced diet with adequate macro and micronutrients can give you a flat tummy in no time. Also, you should intake homemade food, instead of takeaways and fast food.
• Drink sufficient water: Keeping your body well hydrated at all times is the key to a healthier and fitter body. You should carry a water bottle with you throughout your day.
• Reduce intake of calories, fats, and sugars: It is essential to cut down on your sugar intake, and use honey or jaggery in your diet instead. Furthermore, intake of garlic, ginger, cinnamon, etc. is said to burn body fat and boost metabolism.
• Choose the right fruits: Banana, full of potassium, helps the body get rid of all excess water weight. Avocados prevent blood sugar spikes that cause the body to store calories at the waistline. Furthermore, the consumption of antioxidant-rich blueberries also helps in reducing belly fat.
• Reduce sodium consumption: According to research, excess salt in your diet can also increase belly fat.
• Avoid skipping breakfast: Although many believe that skipping breakfast helps them become skinny, the contrary is true. This increases bloating and pushes your body into starvation mode, a key for abdominal fat gain.
• Avoid drinking alcohol: Drinking can make your stomach bloated, and so should be avoided.

Amazon finds that can assist you in your journey towards a flat belly

With technological advancement and modernization, many pieces of equipment have come up now to help you reduce belly fat easily at home, without the aid of anyone else. Some of the most effective ones, especially for a person who just started working out, have been listed below. Amazon links to buy the same have been attached for convenience as well.

Corset Waist Trainer

Although many believe that this equipment help burn belly fat, the same is not true. Yet, many say that these waist trainers train your body such that over time with consistent waist training, you’ll notice your natural waistline measurement will come in and measure smaller even when you’re not wearing your corset. These trainers do shape your waist into the most desirable hourglass form, and some might choose to wear them underdresses for a better physical appearance.

Sweat Slim Belt

These belts help you look temporarily slimmer by getting rid of your water weight. However, they are said to work superficially, such that no difference appears as soon as you rehydrate your body. Some believe these are effective to help with their bloated stomach.

There are many such things available in the market today. However, the usage of most of this equipment is said to be controversial, and many fraudsters sell similar deceiving products as well. You should buy these only from verified and authentic sources, and use them according to your own choice, after researching the pros and cons of each of these, and consulting experts, if necessary. You should not try to force your body into something it is not comfortable in.

Although all these methods mentioned above are only some of the ways to reduce belly fat at home, there are many more. Yet these cannot replace a qualified medical opinion, and it is always advisable to consult a professional in the field, to gain a complete understanding of the right path for your body.

You should make an informed decision after all sorts of deliberation, and keep in mind the requirements of your body.

Lastly, remember that there is no need to torture yourself in this process of a flatter belly. As soon as you feel you are crossing a line, take a step back and analyze your options. Choose what is adequate for you, and no one else!

We wish you the best and hope you get rid of that extra belly fat soon!