The abdominal muscles are one of the most important muscle groups in the body and most of us hate working them out. The whole getting-on-the-floor-thing and the almost molasses-like change we sometimes experience, makes us wonder if its worth the trouble. Here’s the good news, its worth the trouble and its not as hard as you think.
The abs help to stabilize our core and lower back, and protect our spine. The best exercises for a flatter stomach are those that target these muscles. There are countless high and low impact exercises to strengthen the abs and they all have one thing in common–they require us to engage our core muscles.
While we are not likely to “spot reduce” our abs just by exercising those muscles, we at Better Life After 50, have been pretty consistent that diet goes hand in hand with excercise. (We’re tired of hearing that too) We have to reduce overall calories, otherwise, the fat that we burn in one part of our body, just goes to another part. But as we focus on our mid-sections, here are some 5 easy and low impact exercises to strengthen the abs and to help burn belly fat. And maybe best of all these exercises can be performed almost anywhere.
Make sure to excercise on a soft surface or mat to reduce the risk of stress to the arms, shoulders or feet. And don’t forget if you feel any pain in your back, arms, or core, stop immediately.
Exercise #1 – Jumping Jacks
We are over 50 and now we are going back to grade school. Remember the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and all those jumping jacks we had to do? As it turns out, jumping jacks are a great belly fat exercise, not only to burn fat but to also get the heart rate up. Jumping jacks are also a great way to get you warmed up for the other exercises to follow. No instructions needed here.
2 sets of 25 jumping jacks and you are off to a great start!
Exercise #2 – Wall Sit
The wall sit exercise is a great low impact way to work your abdominal muscles and lower back. While some people may experience pressure on the knees, you can always make adjustments and sit a little higher.
There is no special equipment required—except for a wall! Stand with your back against the wall and slowly bend your knees, while lowering your bottom until you feel a stretch in your thighs. If you can go lower, fine but remember you will improve over time. Try to hold for the burn!
Once you are in the wall sit, try to hold it for 30 seconds. Rest 45 seconds and repeat twice for a total of 3 reps.
Exercise #3 – Plank
Doing planks (or planking) may be one of the best overall low impact exercises to help lose belly fat. It may at first seem counter-intuitive, but planks are a great way to strengthen your core, back and shoulder muscles. It can also help improve our over 50 posture and stability
The high plank position is just a push-up position without doing the push-up. Instead, hold the up position with your arms underneath the shoulders and feet on the ground. The low plank position is similar to a push-up position, but keep your elbows on the ground and your hands on either side of your head. Your toes should be touching the ground, but they don’t need to be flat on it. Your body should form one straight line from head to toe.
Alternate holding the low and high plank positions for 30 seconds each. Repeat at least two times.
Exercise #4- Bicycle Crunches
Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and your feet on the floor. Lift your shoulder blades off the floor by bending your elbows and bringing them toward each other. Mimic the action of riding a bike with your legs, while rotating from side to side—left elbow to right knee and vice versa. This is a great way to work out all sides of the abdominal muscles.
Try to do 30 – 45 seconds for at least two sets.
Exercise #5 – Side Plank
The side plank is a great way to engage your core and work the abs without a ton of stress being placed on your back and spine. For the basic side plank, lie on your side with your elbow positioned underneath your shoulder and your legs stacked. Gently raise your hip off the ground and hold for 20 – 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.
Conclusion
The belly fat exercises included here are an easy and low impact beginning to an overall healthy exercise program and can supplement a healthy diet and overall physical activity. Remember to be patient wth these and all exercises and if you feel any pain or discomfort, stop immediately. We hope you found this information helpful as we try to live a better life after 50. We’d love to hear from this community with any questions you may have. Please feel free to leave a comment below.