Are There Exercises that Help You Lose Fat From the Pelvic Region?

The amount of pelvic fat that you have depends significantly on your genetics. To lose weight on your pelvic region, adopt a lifestyle that contributes to all-over weight loss. The spot training myth has been debunked, and so, unfortunately, you will not be able to spot train away your pelvic fat.

Physical activity provides benefits beyond weight loss, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Still, if you are hoping to lose pelvic fat or fat on any part of your body, exercising is an essential factor for success. To lose weight, you need to create a caloric deficit, which only happens if you burn more calories than you consume through your diet.

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The CDC says that if you do not want to change your diet, you'll have to exercise at amounts that are quite high. This amount of exercise could be difficult for most people to obtain. In other words, combining physical activity with a healthy diet is your best chance of losing weight.

For weight maintenance, the CDC says that you'll need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity or about the same amount of combined activity levels per week.

For weight loss, you'll likely have to increase this amount of exercise, depending on the caloric deficit you create through your diet. It is important to note, however, that weight loss and how much exercise you'll need to do to obtain it is highly individual.

Walking briskly or casual biking are examples of moderate activity, while playing sports such as soccer and basketball or going for a run or jog are examples of more vigorous exercise. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) provides a calculator for physical activity so that you can better determine how many calories you're burning through the exercise that you choose.

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For better all-over body composition — that is, the amount of lean mass you have compared to the amount of fat mass you have — it is best if you combine both cardiovascular activity and strength training in your exercise regimen.

Studies such as a December 2016 meta-analysis that was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine provided the results of 12 trials, which compared aerobic exercise by itself to a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training.

The researchers measured how these two types of training influenced fat mass, body mass, lean body mass increase, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and more. The results of the analysis show that combining aerobic exercise and resistance training provide better body composition, improved metabolic profiles and lowered states of inflammation.

Both high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or medium intensity continuous training are exercise methods that can help produce fat loss. This was shown in a February 2017 meta-analysis published in_ Obesity Reviews_ that determined that both HIIT and medium intensity continuous training resulted in fat loss.

However, HIIT requires 40 percent less training time than continuous cardiovascular exercise. Both training techniques will help you to reduce your pelvic fat, total fat mass and waist circumference, according to the meta-analysis.

John Hopkins Medicine discusses the risks of visceral fat, which is fat that is stored in and around your internal organs deep inside your pelvic region and abdomen. The area where you store your fat is based on genetics and other factors, but researchers note that this visceral pelvic fat is more dangerous than fat stored anywhere else on your body. This type of pelvic fat increases your risks of heart disease and high blood pressure.

The researchers at Johns Hopkins state combining aerobic exercises and strength training produces the best results for losing this visceral fat. They conducted a six-month study of 104 men and women who either participated in aerobic exercise alone or aerobic and resistance training combined. The study participants lost around 5 pounds of body weight but a total of 18 percent of their belly fat. The control group who did not exercise did not lose any belly fat.

Johns Hopkins recommends participating in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for 30 minutes per day five days a week at the minimum and strength training three times a week, targeting all of your major muscle groups.

One reason you should complete whole-body workouts with compound exercises rather than focusing on individual muscles is that they will burn more calories, according to the American Council on Exercise. For example, performing a deadlift or squat will burn many more calories than doing a simple bicep curl.

Moreover, an effect called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC for short, can result from full-body strength training exercises. What this means is that you will be burning an increased number of calories immediately after your exercise session and for up to several hours later.

As ACE points out, although you cannot spot train away your pelvic fat, or fat on any part of your body, training your core is still a vital aspect of a proper exercise routine. Your core muscles help provide you with a pain-free back, improve your posture and help to reduce the likelihood that you will become injured.

A strong core is like having a strong base for your everyday functions in life and will help you age in such a way that you will remain independent for much longer than you would otherwise.

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Remember that your diet plays a significant role in how much pelvic fat you have. The Advances in Nutrition meta-analysis from March 2019 revealed that refined grains, red meat and sugar-sweetened beverages are the worst foods you can eat when it comes to belly fat.

Eating higher amounts of carbs or a higher fat diet won't increase your chances of gaining belly fat as long as you are eating within your caloric limits. However, sugary foods and refined grains were shown to have a significant impact on the accumulation of abdominal fat. So, focus on food quality for the best results.

Stay away from candy, sugary drinks such as sodas, sports and energy drinks, fruit punch and powdered sweet drink mixes. Sugars are added to a lot of processed foods as well, so be aware of how much sugar you are eating by reading labels.

The March 2019 Advances in Nutrition review revealed that the best foods for reduced abdominal obesity and lower pelvic fat are whole grains, fruit, legumes, nuts and fish.