Love Handles Are Annoying—Here are 5 Tips and a Workout to Help Lose Them
While a healthy diet, plenty of sleep, and some cardio are important too, our love handle workout can definitely help tone your obliques and slim your waist!
But before we dive into the exercises, it’s important to note that you can’t spot-reduce body fat. To lose love handles, you need to reduce your overall body fat percentage.
Here, we’ll look at a few tips for getting rid of excess fat around your waist, plus a quick workout that specifically targets those pesky love handles.
5 Lifestyle Tips for Losing Love Handles
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To get rid of love handles, you’ll need to lose weight all over, which leads to the loss of that muffin top.
Here are 5 tips for making it happen:
Maintain a balanced diet and cut down on calories. Focus on a nutritious diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, while cutting back on processed foods, sugary drinks, and high-fat foods. You’ll also need a caloric deficit — to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in.
Include healthy fats in your diet. Foods like avocados, nuts, and olive oil can help control hunger and support weight loss.
Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water, which can help control your appetite and support metabolism.
Practice stress management. A lot of stress can lead to increased cortisol levels that contribute to weight gain, so practice stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, or yoga. It’s also important to get enough sleep each night, which is crucial for your overall health and weight management.
Exercise regularly. It’s important to incorporate both cardiovascular (aerobic) and strength-training exercises into your routine! Cardio workouts like running, cycling, and swimming can help burn calories and reduce overall body fat. HIIT workouts can be effective for burning calories and reducing body fat (including love handles).
Remember, consistency is key to seeing results! By sticking to a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise, you’ll start to see a reduction in body fat.
The Love Handle Workout
The following workout includes 5 exercises to target your love handles.
Workout instructions:
Go through each of the 5 exercises as instructed.
Rest for 1 minute, and then repeat the list two more times. (A total of 3 rounds!)
Do this workout 3 times per week for the best results.
Note: If you don’t have a dumbbell, a water bottle or other weighted item will work.
Let’s get started!
1. Full-Body Roll-Up (12 Reps)
Photo Credit: Get Healthy U
How to do a full-body roll-up:
Start lying on the mat with your arms extended overhead, legs long, and feet flexed.
Inhale as you lift arms up and begin curling your chin and chest forward. Exhale as you roll the entire torso up and over your legs, keeping abs engaged while you reach for your toes.
Inhale as you begin rolling your spine back down one vertebra at a time, and exhale as the upper portion of the back lowers and arms reach overhead.
Repeat moving slowly, using the abdominals to lift and lower (not momentum).
Complete 12 reps.
2. Russian Twist (12 Full Rotations)
Photo Credit: Get Healthy U
How to do Russian twists:
Start seated with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding both hands in front of your chest (a dumbbell is optional).
Keeping the spine long and the abdominals tight, lean back slightly and lift the feet a few inches off the floor. (To modify, keep the feet on the floor.)
Slowly twist the torso to the left and bring the hands beside the left hip. Return to center, slowly twist to the right, and bring the hands beside the right hip to complete one rotation.
Do 12 rotations (24 twists total).
3. Side Plank Lift/Lower (12 Reps Per Side)
Photo Credit: Get Healthy U
How to do a side plank lift and lower:
Come into a side forearm plank by lying in one long line on one side, stacking your elbow under your shoulder, and keeping your forearm on the mat perpendicular to your body.
Stack your feet and stay in one long line as you engage your core and lift your hips up, forming a side forearm plank.
Dip your hips down towards the mat and lift back up using your obliques and core muscles.
Perform 12 times on the right side and 12 times on the left side.
4. Mountain Climbers (30 Seconds)
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How to do mountain climbers:
Start in a plank position with arms and legs long. Keep your abs pulled in and your body straight. Squeeze your glutes and pull your shoulders away from your ears
Pull your right knee into your chest. As the knee draws to the chest, pull your abs in even tighter to be sure your body doesn’t sag or come out of its plank position.
Quickly switch and pull the left knee in. At the same time you push your right leg back, pull your left knee into the chest using the same form.
Continue to switch knees. Pull the knees in right, left, right, left—always switching simultaneously so that you are using a “running” motion
Repeat for 30 seconds.
5. Oblique Crunch (12 Reps Per Side)
Photo Credit: Get Healthy U
Start lying on your side in one long line on your forearm, with your shoulder stacked over your elbow.
Swing your legs forward and lean back on your glutes slightly (like you’re sitting on the back pocket of your blue jeans) and lift your legs off the mat diagonally with your arm extended.
Contract your core as you reach your toes up to your hand. Then lower your legs and lift your arm to return to start.
Do 12 reps on each side.
Now, go back and complete the list two more times! (And remember to stretch when you’re done.)
3 Walking Workouts For Weight Loss
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If you want to start working out or get back in shape after taking a break from exercise, there’s no better—or more convenient—form of exercise than walking. Walking is low-impact and doable for almost everyone, but if weight loss is your goal, we’re here to tell you that intensity is the key to success.
3 Walking Workouts For Weight Loss
How To Start Working Out Again (& Stick With It!)
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Whatever the reason – lack of time, injuries, pregnancy, or just don’t enjoy exercise – most of us experience a lull in exercise at one point or another. Regardless, getting back to the gym after time away can be tough!
When you are ready to get back at it and stick to it for good, here are 9 tips to show you how to start working out again and stay with it.
How To Start Working Out Again (& Stick With It!)
53 Best Weight Loss Snacks
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To keep you from going crazy with calories even when the saltiest of cravings hit, my team and I rounded up our best weight-loss snack recipes that are super easy to throw together.
And when you don’t have time or you’re on the go, we also made a list of our favorite healthy purchased snacks too!