3 ways to shift stubborn fat around your middle, thighs and arms

YOU’LL BE GLAD to know there are hard and fast answers when it comes to losing fat around the midriff, thighs and arms.

But the bad news is there’s hard work and fairly strict dieting required.

Three areas we’re going to touch on in providing you with some kind of clarity are;

• You will lose weight if you burn more calories than you take in.
• You will need to increase how much cardio you do.
• You will need to start using some weights

Now that we’ve that out of the way, let’s look at the first one.

You will lose weight if you burn more calories than you take in through eating

A realistic goal would be to lose half a kilo a week. This is the first step to shedding unwanted fat.

It’s up to you how long you want to go for but we suggest 8 weeks to start with.

In this time you should lose four kilos. That’s a fine achievement.

To lose a kilo every two weeks, you need to eliminate around 7,000 calories from your diet, so we’re going to break that into 3,500 calories every week.

Broken down even further you’ll need to take in 500 calories LESS every day for the next eight weeks. Alternatively, up your exercise intake in conjunction with lowering your calorific intake.

This is the first way we’re going to help you lose that fat.

You will need to increase how much cardio you do

Cycling is a great way to burn off calories. Ben Birchall / PA Wire/Press Association Images Ben Birchall / PA Wire/Press Association Images / PA Wire/Press Association Images

You’re unhappy with your midriff, thighs and arms because there’s no definition to any of your muscles there, correct? Join the expanding club.

Cardio means running, spinning, swimming, skipping, brisk walking, climbing, hiking, mountain biking or whatever gets your heart rate up and keeps it up.

During a cardio session you should be so out of breath that holding a conversation with someone becomes impossible.

How much cardio is enough? 3 times a week for one hour is the least we suggest. You could very possibly burn 500 calories in an hour.

You will need to start using some weights

This is arguably the hardest part, especially for first timer gym-goers.

Using weights is the best way to firm up and when it comes to the midriff, arms and thighs we’ve got some really nasty exercises in store.

How about as well as your cardio sessions, you do two each of these exercises afterwards?

Midriff

• Planks
• Side planks
• Leg raises
• Bicycle kicks
• Med ball twists

Thighs

• Weighted squats
• Single leg circles
• Lunges with weights
• Frog jumps
• Side lying double leg lifts

Arms

• Bicep curls
• Tricep curls
• Dumbbell shoulder press
• Boxercise class
• Modified or normal push-ups

Try these three healthy pre-gym snacks to improve your workout

An Irishman won the 100km Antartic ‘Ultra-Marathon’ this week