Exercising with a stability ball is a great way to lose belly fat. A stability ball will cost about $30 and you can get them from most sporting stores. A stability ball may be just what you need to get that flat stomach you have dreamed of. Working out with a stability ball will give you twice the muscle fibers in your stomach than if you work out doing regular crunches without a ball. This has been researched at Sacramento State University in California.
Here are three great lose belly fat exercises for beginners to get you started.
1. Sit on the stability ball and put your hands on the ball for balance. You can also place your hands behind your head which is a better strength exercise but is a little more difficult. Begin to roll your hips slowly in a circle toward the right. Start off making small circles and as you become more comfortable and confident with the exercise you can make larger circles. Do 10 to 20 circles and then repeat the exercise making circles to the left. This exercise works the muscles of the stomach making it a great exercise to help lose belly fat.
2. This exercise is called the Seated March. Sit on the ball with your back straight and your stomach pulled in. Lift first your right foot and then the left foot in a slow march. As you become more comfortable with this exercise try lifting your knees higher and march faster. When you become really confident with the exercise you can add a bounce on the ball in time with your marching. Continue with the seated march exercise for around 2 minutes.
3. This last exercise is called the Seated Balance. Once again sit on the ball with your back straight and your tummy pulled in. If you are a beginner then place your hands on the ball for balance, if you are confident enough you can put your hands behind your head. Lift your right foot off the floor and hold it in the air for about 5 seconds. Lower your foot and then lift the left foot and hold it in the air for 5 seconds. Repeat these moves 5 to 10 times while making sure that you continue to have your back straight and your tummy pulled in.
These three exercises have you sitting on the stability ball. These are great exercises if you are a beginner to using the stability ball but as you gain confidence you can introduce more exercises, some of which will have you starting from the floor, your knees or even lying on top of the ball.
Stability balls usually come with a manual that will include a number of different exercises with illustrations so you can see exactly how to do them and what benefit you will gain from them.
There are different size balls available and you should choose the size based on your height. If you are less than 5'1 then you should get an 18 inch ball. If you are between 5'1 and 5'8 you should get a 22 inch ball. If you are over 5'8 then you will need a 26 inch ball.
Stability balls really are a great way to lose belly fat and you will soon feel good with your new flat tummy.
