Are you struggling to find The BEST Exercise To Lose Belly Fat? Unfortunately, spot reducing fat from the belly is currently not possible without surgery. However, there is an exercise that is highly effective when it comes to losing belly fat, and it’s incredibly underutilized. Today, we’ll share what that exercise is and how you can start using it right away.

Belly fat is notoriously difficult to lose because certain areas of your body are easier to lose fat than others, and this is largely determined by genetics. However, creating a calorie deficit and burning more calories than you consume every day will eventually lead to fat loss from all areas of your body, even if your genetics prioritize abdominal fat loss last. While traditional cardio such as running or cycling can help speed up fat loss, they can be challenging to stick to for the long term. In contrast, the easiest, lowest stress, lowest fatigue, and most versatile form of cardio is walking.

Key Takeaways

• Belly fat is difficult to lose due to genetics, but creating a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you consume can lead to fat loss from all areas of your body.
• Walking is the easiest, lowest stress, lowest fatigue, and most versatile form of cardio and can lead to significant fat loss over time.
• To incorporate walking into your lifestyle, start by determining your current daily step count and gradually increasing it to reach a goal of 8,000-10,000 steps per day.

The BEST Exercise To Lose Belly Fat: Video Guide

Jeremy Ethier is a Fitness Youtuber and in the below video he shares his top tips for how to lose Belly Fat backed by solid science! We at Thriverous.com wholeheartedly agree with this advice and encourage any of you trying to lose stubborn belly fat to follow the tips in this video.

Understanding the Best Exercise to Lose Belly Fat

Belly fat is a common problem that many people struggle with. It can be difficult to lose and seems to stick around no matter what exercises you try or how well you eat. Unfortunately, there is currently no proven method of spot reducing fat from the belly, except for surgery. However, there is an exercise that is highly effective when it comes to losing belly fat.

Let’s talk about why belly fat is so hard to lose in the first place. According to Dr. Bouchard’s research in 1997, certain areas of your body are easier to lose fat than others, and this is largely determined by genetics. Although some individuals seem to be less inclined to store fat around their abdomen, most people’s genetics prioritize abdominal fat loss last.

However, even if your genetics put your belly fat at the back of the line, you can still lose it by creating a calorie deficit and continuing to burn more calories than you consume every day. Although your diet should be the main way of creating a calorie deficit, adding additional exercise can help speed up the process and ensure that you are continuing to lose fat even as your metabolism slows down.

Traditional cardio exercises like running, rowing, cycling, or HIIT workouts tend to burn calories quickly, making them seem like a great way to burn off belly fat. However, the overwhelming majority of people can’t stick with traditional cardio long enough for fat loss to reach stubborn areas. Even in studies where subjects are assigned to cardio sessions, dropout rates tend to be almost 20%.

Walking, on the other hand, is the easiest to maintain, lowest stress, lowest fatigue, and most versatile form of cardio. A 2021 meta-analysis found that intense forms of cardio like HIIT or running, while time-efficient, didn’t provide any superior fat loss effect when compared to longer yet less intense forms of cardio such as walking.

In fact, walking can quickly add up to a meaningful amount of calories burned. For example, a 170-pound individual walking at a casual three miles per hour can expect to burn an additional 3.4 calories per minute and roughly 200 calories per hour. If for three days per week, you add in an extra hour of walking, that would amount to 600 additional calories burned per week. Over the course of the year, that’s an additional 31,200 calories burned, which would amount to about nine pounds of fat loss.

To start incorporating walking into your routine, determine your average daily step count using a health app on your iPhone or Google Fit if you’re on Android. After a week, see what your daily average comes up to. If you’re taking few steps, this is a good thing as it means you have a big opportunity to bump that up. For most people, increasing their step count from 3,000 to around 8,000 to 10,000 per day can lead to fat loss, especially in stubborn areas.

The Role of Genetics in Fat Distribution

Fat distribution is largely determined by genetics, with certain areas of the body being easier to lose fat than others. Dr. Bouchard brought this to light in 1997, discovering that genetics prioritize abdominal fat loss last. This means that even if you create a calorie deficit and burn more calories than you consume every day, your genetics may still put your belly fat at the back of the line for fat loss.

While genetics may seem problematic, creating a calorie deficit and maintaining it long enough will eventually lead to fat loss from all areas of the body, including the belly. However, adding additional exercise can help speed up the process and ensure you continue to lose fat even as your metabolism slows down.

Traditional cardio, such as running, rowing, cycling, or HIT workouts, can burn calories quickly and seem like a great way to burn off belly fat. However, dropout rates tend to be high, and many people struggle to stick with these intense cardio sessions.

Walking, on the other hand, is the easiest form of cardio to maintain and is the number one exercise to lose belly fat. A 2021 meta-analysis found that longer yet less intense forms of cardio, such as walking, provided similar fat loss effects as intense forms of cardio like HIT or running.

Walking for just an hour, three days a week, can lead to an additional 31,200 calories burned per year, which would amount to about nine pounds of fat loss. Incorporating walking into your daily routine can be effortless and is a great way to increase your step count and lose stubborn belly fat.

To start, determine your average daily step count and gradually increase it over time. Walking is an effective and sustainable way to lose belly fat and keep it off.

The Importance of Calorie Deficit

Creating a calorie deficit is crucial for losing belly fat. Genetics play a role in where fat is stored in the body, but consistently burning more calories than consumed will lead to fat loss from all areas of the body. Incorporating additional exercise can speed up the process of creating a calorie deficit. Traditional cardio, such as running or cycling, can burn calories quickly, but many people struggle to stick with these intense workouts long enough to see results. Walking, on the other hand, is a low-stress, versatile form of cardio that is easy to maintain and can quickly add up to a meaningful amount of calories burned.

A 2021 meta-analysis found that longer, less intense forms of cardio, like walking, are just as effective for fat loss as intense forms of cardio, like HIIT or running. The key is consistency over time. Walking for an hour three days per week can lead to an additional 600 calories burned per week, which can add up to nine pounds of fat loss over the course of a year.

To start incorporating walking into your routine, determine your current daily step count and aim to gradually increase it. Walking is a simple and effective way to lose belly fat and keep it off long-term.

Traditional Cardio and Its Challenges

When it comes to losing belly fat, traditional forms of cardio such as running, rowing, cycling, or even high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can seem like a great way to burn off stubborn fat. According to the Compendium of Physical Activities, a regularly updated database that outlines the calorie burn for various exercises, a 170-pound individual can expect to burn roughly an additional 12 calories per minute when running at a moderate pace of 6 miles per hour. This means that a 30-minute running session would lead to a net total of about 360 calories burned, which can add up to 56,160 calories burned over the course of a year. However, the truth is that the overwhelming majority of people can’t actually stick with traditional cardio long enough for fat loss to reach stubborn areas. Even in studies where subjects are assigned to cardio sessions, dropout rates tend to be on average almost 20 percent.

The main challenge with traditional cardio is that it requires a lot of willpower, can cause soreness, fatigue, and impact energy levels, making it difficult to stick to in the long run. Although some people have no problem sticking to these intense sessions, most people can’t maintain them for long enough to lose belly fat.

Moreover, intense forms of cardio like HIIT or running, while time-efficient, don’t provide any superior fat loss effect when compared to longer yet less intense forms of cardio such as walking. A 2021 meta-analysis titled “Slow and Steady or Hard and Fast” analyzed a total of 54 studies to determine the effect that different types of cardio had on fat loss. The researchers found that what matters most is what you can do consistently over time. Therefore, walking is the number one exercise to lose belly fat, and it’s now the main form of cardio recommended to get lean and stay lean.

Walking is the easiest, lowest stress, lowest fatigue, and most versatile form of cardio that can help speed up fat loss and ensure that you’re continuing to lose fat even as your metabolism slows down. According to the same exercise database, a 170-pound individual walking at a casual three miles per hour can expect to burn an additional 3.4 calories per minute and roughly 200 calories per hour. If for three days per week, you add in an extra hour of walking, that would amount to 600 additional calories burned per week. Over the course of the year, that’s an additional 31,200 calories burned, which would amount to about nine pounds of fat loss.

In conclusion, traditional cardio can be effective for fat loss, but it’s challenging to stick to in the long run. Walking, on the other hand, is the easiest and most versatile form of cardio that provides a sustainable way to lose belly fat and keep it off.

The Role of Walking in Fat Loss

When it comes to losing belly fat, walking is an incredibly powerful and underutilized exercise. While traditional cardio exercises like running, rowing, and cycling can burn calories quickly, they are often difficult to stick to and can lead to high dropout rates. On the other hand, walking is the easiest, most versatile, and lowest stress form of cardio that can be maintained for life.

Best Exercise to Lose Belly Fat

A 2021 meta-analysis found that while intense forms of cardio like HIIT or running can be time-efficient, they do not provide superior fat loss effects compared to longer yet less intense forms of cardio like walking. In fact, walking can quickly add up to a meaningful amount of calories burned. For example, a 170-pound individual walking at a casual pace of 3 miles per hour can burn roughly 200 calories per hour, which can add up to 600 additional calories burned per week if added for three days.

Incorporating walking into your daily routine is easy. Start by determining your current daily average step count and gradually increasing it. For example, increasing your step count from 3,000 to around 8,000 to 10,000 per day can lead to significant fat loss, especially in stubborn areas. Walking can be done in short bouts throughout the day, making it a convenient and sustainable exercise for fat loss.

The Power of Consistency

When it comes to losing belly fat, consistency is key. While some areas of the body are easier to lose fat from than others, genetics largely determine where your body stores fat. Unfortunately, for most people, the abdomen is the last place where the body prioritizes fat loss.

However, creating a calorie deficit and burning more calories than you consume every day will eventually lead to fat loss from all areas of your body, even if your genetics prioritize abdominal fat loss last. While diet should be the main way to create a calorie deficit, incorporating additional exercise can help speed up the process and ensure that you continue to lose fat even as your metabolism slows down.

Traditional cardio exercises like running, rowing, cycling, and HIIT workouts can burn calories quickly, making them seem like a great way to burn off belly fat. However, the overwhelming majority of people can’t stick with traditional cardio long enough for fat loss to reach stubborn areas. In fact, dropout rates tend to be almost 20% on average.

Walking, on the other hand, is the easiest, lowest stress, lowest fatigue, and most versatile form of cardio. While walking doesn’t burn as many calories as running or HIIT, it is the number one exercise to lose belly fat because it is easy to stick to.

A 2021 meta-analysis found that intense forms of cardio like HIIT or running, while time-efficient, didn’t provide any superior fat loss effect when compared to longer yet less intense forms of cardio such as walking. Your body doesn’t care whether the calories you burned were from some crazy intense fasted cardio session or from plain old walking. What matters most is what you can do consistently over time.

By simply adding an extra hour of walking three days per week, a 170-pound individual can burn an additional 600 calories per week, which would amount to about nine pounds of fat loss over a year. Walking doesn’t have to be done all at once, and it can be easily incorporated into your daily routine.

To start incorporating walking into your routine, determine your daily average step count and aim to increase it gradually. Even small increases in steps per day can lead to significant fat loss over time. By making walking a consistent part of your routine, you can achieve your belly fat loss goals and maintain them for life.

Incorporating Walking into Your Lifestyle

If you’re struggling to lose belly fat, incorporating walking into your lifestyle could be the solution. While traditional cardio workouts such as running, cycling, and HIIT can burn calories quickly, they can be difficult to stick to long-term. Walking, on the other hand, is easy to maintain, versatile, and low-stress.

According to a 2021 meta-analysis, walking can be just as effective for fat loss as more intense forms of cardio. In fact, the study found that longer, less intense forms of cardio like walking can lead to meaningful fat loss over time. For example, a 170-pound individual walking at a casual pace of 3 miles per hour can burn an additional 200 calories per hour. By adding an extra hour of walking, three days per week, you could burn an additional 31,200 calories per year, leading to about 9 pounds of fat loss.

To start incorporating walking into your lifestyle, begin by determining your current daily step count. Use a health app on your smartphone or a fitness tracker to track your steps for a week and calculate your daily average. If you’re not currently taking many steps, bumping up your daily step count can be a simple and effective way to start losing fat.

Remember, creating a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you consume is key to losing fat, regardless of your genetics or where your body tends to store fat. Walking can be an easy and sustainable way to create a calorie deficit and start losing belly fat.

The Importance of Diet in Fat Loss

Losing belly fat can be challenging, especially since it’s one of the most stubborn areas to reduce fat. While there is no proven method to spot reduce belly fat, creating a calorie deficit can help you lose fat from all areas of your body, including your belly. However, it’s important to note that genetics play a role in determining which areas of your body lose fat first.

To create a calorie deficit, your diet should be your primary focus. Adding exercise can help speed up the process, but it’s essential to find a form of exercise that you can maintain long-term. Traditional cardio, such as running, cycling, and HIIT workouts, burn calories quickly, but most people struggle to stick with them long enough to see significant fat loss results.

Walking is an underutilized yet powerful form of cardio that is easy to maintain and versatile. Despite burning fewer calories per minute than other forms of cardio, walking can quickly add up to a meaningful amount of calories burned. For example, a 170-pound individual walking at a casual pace of three miles per hour can burn roughly 200 calories per hour. Adding an extra hour of walking three days per week can lead to an additional 31,200 calories burned per year, which would amount to about nine pounds of fat loss.

To start incorporating walking into your life, determine your current daily step count and aim to increase it gradually. Walking is an effective way to lose belly fat and keep it off long-term, making it the number one exercise for fat loss.