Excess flab in your chest and butt areas won't put you at risk for heart disease the way belly fat will, but it can make you feel uncomfortable and embarrassed about your appearance. You can flatten your chest and butt with an effective combination of healthy eating and exercise. A calorie-reduced diet and aerobic exercise will help you lose fat, while strength-training exercises can assist you in tightening and toning your chest and butt areas.
Eating & Exercise to Lose Weight
Flatten your chest and butt by losing weight all over with a calorie-reduced diet. Cut 250 to 500 calories per day for a loss of 1/2 to 1 pound weekly. Eliminate sugary coffee drinks and regular soda from your diet to easily cut 250 to 500 calories per day.
Drink more water to stay hydrated, feel full and stave off between-meals hunger pangs. Sip eight to 10 glasses throughout the day, substituting herbal tea if you desire something other than water.
Consume smaller meals throughout the day, focusing on fresh vegetables and fruits, fiber-rich whole grains, lean sources of protein and low- to nonfat dairy.
Participate in aerobic exercise for at least 300 minutes per week to lose weight all over, as well as in your chest and butt. Burn 250 to 500 calories each day for an additional loss of 1/2 to 1 pound per week. Brisk walking, yoga and gardening for one hour will help you burn 250 calories, while more vigorous forms of exercise such as jogging, cycling or swimming will help you burn closer to 500 calories per hour.
Increase your fat-burning potential by adding intervals into your cardio workouts. Move faster for 30 to 60 seconds after four to five minutes of exercising at your normal pace.
Slim and Tone Your Chest and Butt with Strength Training
Speak with your doctor before you begin any new weight-loss program. Total-body strength training twice each week for 20 minutes per session can help your body burn calories more efficiently to lose weight.
Tighten and tone your chest area with dumbbell overhead presses. Lie on your back with a dumbbell in each hand, positioned directly above your chest, palms facing forward. Push the dumbbells up toward the ceiling, and then lower them with control. Use dumbbells heavy enough to tire your muscles by the 12th repetition. Repeat this exercise every other day to tone and flatten your chest.
Perform pushups to slim and sculpt your chest area. Do regular, modified or wall pushups, as you're able, progressing to a more challenging version as the exercise gets easier. Focus on form, rather than quantity, ensuring that your body remains in a straight line as you do your pushups. Aim for eight to 24 pushups every other day, starting with whatever number you can.
Sculpt and slim your butt with weighted squats. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your knees and sit back as if you're going to sit down on a chair. Squat down 45 to 90 degrees, and then hold the position for two counts. Raise to the starting position to complete one repetition. Repeat eight to 12 times every other day.
Flatten and tone your bottom with walking lunges. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and step forward on your right foot, exaggerating the step. Bend your right knee and go into a lunge, stretching out your left leg behind you. Push off of your left foot and take an exaggerated step forward with your left foot while stretching your right foot behind you. Continue until you've completed 12 to 24 walking lunges on each side.
Tips
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Common-Sense Strategies to Long-Term Weight Loss
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Physical Activity
- Mayo Clinic: Rev Up Your Workout with Interval Training
- Georgia State University: Upper Body Strength Training Exercises
- Georgia State University: Lower Body Strength Training Exercises
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